Ok, so this might be a harsh one. We're not going to hold back here. Make up wipes are really really bad.
We've all done it. We've all been thankful for the quick, (seemingly) easy fix to remove make up, dirt and grime from your face. We did it ourselves till maybe our late twenties off and on. Here's the long list of why we'll never be using them again...
1. They don't actually remove your make up. There's no real way they could do, as they don't contain any ingredients that break down your make up. They're cleaning in the same way that only ever wiping your toilet seat with a dry cloth would be cleaning. Like, not at all.
2. Unless you're rinsing after using them (are you? I wasn't!) then really, all you're doing is moving the grime about. Yes, there's make up on that wipe when you look at it but please believe us, there's a load left on your face too.
3. You're shoving the dirt into your pores! Because the wipes aren't actually breaking down make up and dirt in anyway, you have to have a good ol' scrub to take it off. That pressure pushes grime into your pores and leaves it there.
4. Make up wipes often contain surfactants which are harmful to the skin. They strip it of goodness and dry it out (not in a good way). More importantly, because you're not rinsing, you're leaving those harsh chemicals on your skin. All night. While you sleep. Drying skin further & irritating your lovely face. Bad.
5. Remember that scrubbing action we were talking about before? We'll bet you're doing that a lot round your eyes to get your make up off. That rubbing action on the delicate skin around your eyes is breaking down the elastin that keeps skin supple. In short, scrubbing the make up off your eyes with make up wipes is giving you wrinkles.
6. The environment. Make up wipes contain plastic. They are made of synthetic materials that must remain in tact for years until they are finally used. After that, as you know, do not flush them. Even in landfill though they don't break down easily and cause problems because of their ingredients. The antibacterial agents stop the good bacteria in landfills from breaking down waste. If you happened to accidentally put them in your compost bin, the preservatives and other chemicals will kill your plants. We're not so keen to put all that stuff on our faces now that we know that!
7. As if you need another reason, the allergen methylisothiazolinone was banned from use in skincare products in 2013. But this chemical is allowed to be used in wipes. This preservative can cause really painful allergic reactions. Oh, and the ingredient doesn't even have to be listed on the label.
Don't do it people. Ditch the wipes and use our Wonder Balm instead!
Want to get your hands on some Wonder Balm now? Get yours here!