A spokesperson for Coles, which produces a private label product, said their products were independently tested and had passed international standards. However, the spokesperson said Coles is constantly reviewing the range and is working on further improving the breakdown times of the product. In addition the base sheet, there’s the formulation: a combination of water, chemical, and natural ingredients that together make the baby wipe function. Sample 4 broke apart into many small fragments and a few larger fragments. The water became somewhat milkier than for sample 3. The difference in outcome between samples 3 and 4 may be attributable to the manual intervention early in the test for sample 4, resulting in its sheets breaking apart sooner. At the one-minute and five-minute marks, some fragmentation had occurred and the samples were very easily torn by hand, but essentially remained in large pieces. At the one-hour mark, further fragmentation had occurred and the samples were even easier to tear by hand, though several large pieces remained and one of the sheets remained largely intact. After 21 hours, the larger fragments were removed and found to break apart very easily by hand. It's had a huge impact on our day-to-day work. The wipes have made a lot of things go wrong. We have to get in there and shovel it all out manually," says Fiona Copeman, who works as a production officer at Sydney Water.

Potassium Sorbate is another fairly common preservative that’s considered safe. It’s used in MadeOf Baby Wipes, Attitude, Pipette, and Natracare. It’s rated 2/10 on the Skin Deep database. The four products were tested simultaneously, each in a separate vessel, for 21 hours in the agitator device with the agitation speed set at 100rpm. We put 12 brands of wipes (11 of which were labelled as flushable and one brand that was labelled "do not flush") into the agitator along with 4-ply toilet paper, and ran the device for six hours.Biodegradable sounds good, but have you considered what the term biodegradable really means? Many people think the term biodegradable means compostable. However, this isn’t true as all compostable items are biodegradable, but not all biodegradable items are compostable. Unfortunately, some baby wipes are filled with chemical preservatives and other ingredients linked to skin irritation and other health concerns.

If sodium benzoate has flown under your radar, I wouldn’t worry. If your baby doesn’t have an allergy to sodium benzoate, then these wipes shouldn’t be a problem. Sodium benzoate, despite the chemical name, is a naturally occurring substance found in fruits including cherries, cranberries and raspberries. It’s considered safe to use on babies, plus is permitted in organic health and beauty products by all organic certification bodies worldwide. They are also unscented and sourced from plant-based fibers making them flushable and sustainable. They are sewer and septic safe, 100% biodegradable and free of alcohol, paraben, and fragrance.

4. Best flushable individual wipes: Beastwipes

There is some debate over whether this test is rigorous enough and if it truly reflects what happens to a flushable wipe when it is flushed. 10 Best Flushable Wipes 1. Cottonelle Freshcare Flushable Wipes Whether you want the convenience of wet wipes or want to go down the completely plastic-free route of dry wipes, you can keep your baby clean, whilst helping the planet. This is a multi-billion dollar industry that took off in the mid-2000s when big brands like Procter & Gamble and Kimberly Clark launched their luxurious pre-soaked adult toilet paper. Examples of these chemicals include those that may be contaminated with ethylene oxide (a known human carcinogen) and 1,4 dioxane (an irritant and toxic to some bodily systems). For home compostable baby wipes, there are a number of issues when it comes to composting. In particular, if you plan on using your homemade compost in fruit or vegetable beds. This is because if you’ve been wiping a poopy baby bum, then you don’t want human faeces in your lovely compost. The other issue is that baby wipes tend to be impregnated with moisturising lotions, perfumes, or detergents. In short, chemicals that you probably don’t want in your compost.

That said, not all ingredients in baby wipes are good ingredients, which is why parents need to pay attention. Common Baby Wipes Ingredients While the new wipes did break apart under agitation much more readily and rapidly than the previous generation wipes, they broke apart much more slowly and to a much smaller degree than sample 2 (toilet paper).Eagle-eyed consumers may have noticed there's a new type of flushable wipe in supermarkets. Slowly but surely Kimberly Clark has been swapping its Kleenex Cottonelle Cleansing Cloths for a new product, CleanRipple Flushable Wipes. That’s not all! They’re as kind to babies’ bottoms as they are to the environment. Soft, gentle and completely free of any chemicals, our wipes are approved by midwives and paediatricians and are clinically proven to be suitable for the most sensitive of skin. Now you can change their bottoms and change their world too.