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Baby wipes still dominate the personal care wipes market, while new uses for wipes continue to help brands increase sales and attract new customers. However, balancing cost, performance, convenience and sustainability is still a careful task for manufacturers. According to data from the Euromonitor International, in 2018, retail sales of baby wipes in North America (the United States and Canada) were $1.8 billion, while the retail sales of cosmetic wipes (I. e. facial cleansing wipes) were only $0.529 billion.

"The market for cosmetic wipes is doing well," said Svetlana Uduslivaia, head of Euromonitor's Home & Tech Americas. "Although the market is not growing significantly, especially in developing countries, where wipes are still growing slowly, facial care wipes are doing quite well."

While cosmetic wipes, as well as most other personal care wipes categories, are expected to continue to grow over the next few years, pricing remains a challenge.

"Consumers really want wipes to be cheaper. It is important to know that the widespread use of baby wipes is mainly due to their wide range of applications and cheaper prices. Therefore, this is still a question of pricing, which is for all types of wipes. An important factor." Uduslivaia admitted.

She said that in developing countries, wet wipes are still not cheap, considering the low income of local residents, which makes the main consumer of wet wipes is still the high-income families in these markets. However, in developed countries, where acceptance and household penetration are much higher, price challenges remain. "In some cases, retailers buy from suppliers and then sell them at prices that are not good for suppliers, and they are basically not making money." Uduslivaia added.

The washable wipes category also has its own set of challenges. In particular, they are "guilty" of clogging the water treatment system, but other objects, such as baby wipes, paper towels and tampons, are actually blocking the pipes.

According to Uduslivaia, although the negative media attention to wet wipes has affected consumer perceptions to a certain extent, when major brands conduct marketing promotion or expansion, the category performs well. "If you look at social media, you can notice that there is definitely a debate about disputability, but branded products still have strong marketing power and people are still willing to buy them."

She added that consumers may spend more in this category when the economy is in good shape or growing, but some consumers will not favor this category because of potential environmental impacts. "They will pay more attention to all the legal issues, ingredients, all the discussions around environmental protection, whether they can really be dispelled and so on."

Despite the challenges facing the flushable wipes category, it is still growing. In North America, retail sales of wet toilet paper grew by $4 million to $0.47 billion between 2017 and 2018. Retail sales in this category are expected to reach $0.543 billion by 2023.

A new start-up in the United States hopes to benefit from this potential growth in the market-Hyge announced the development of biodegradable wipes. This product is suitable for existing toilet paper holders. It is made of fully biodegradable cellulose fibers and is specifically designed to be flushable without causing spoilage or sewer problems.

According to the company, one roll of Hyge is equivalent to seven traditional rolls of toilet paper. The company also claims that there are 288 more Hyge rolls made from one tree than traditional toilet paper rolls, which reduces deforestation and is more conducive to sustainable development.

"As people gradually realize the hygiene and waste problems caused by traditional toilet paper, wet wipes are becoming more and more popular. People often confuse non-flushable wipes with those that can be flushed, which can have a negative impact on the environment," said Brent Fisher, co-founder of Hyge. "By focusing on cleanliness, biodegradation, flushability and design, Hyge provides a sustainable, more hygienic solution that is very convenient to use."

Innovation Surge

From makeup remover wipes to body wipes and deodorant wipes, these product segments are taking non-woven wipes into new territory, and many brands-large and small-continue to expand their offerings to make consumers' lives easier.

C'est Moi, a teen-oriented beauty brand, recently launched its Gentle Cleansing line of cleansing gels and lotions, including cleansing wipes for makeup removal.

This series contains a calming and soothing formula to cleanse, protect and balance the moisture in the skin. Ingredients include organic aloe vera, calendula, strawberry, cucumber, kiwi and apple extracts, green tea, chamomile water, organic sweet almond oil and shea butter.

C'est Moi's vice president of marketing, Jennifer Saul, said that over time, cleaning wipes and makeup remover wipes have gained tremendous growth in the skin care category. "There is a strong demand for convenient and portable solutions. Our series can bring gentle care to the skin and eyes, and can also easily remove dirt and cosmetics on the go." She added. Meanwhile, natural skin care brand Derma E recently launched Vitamin C Brightening Micellar wipes. This new 100% biodegradable wipes gently exfoliates while removing makeup, grease and impurities. They are made from an antioxidant-rich formula that contains vitamin C to help brighten skin tone, vitamin B3 to help reduce inflammation, redness and premature aging, and licorice extract to support even skin tone and reduce UV-induced pigmentation.

According to Derma E's chief marketing officer, Barbara Roll, Derma E is one of the only biodegradable skin care wipes in the United States. "We want to give you the choice in our C Series of high-performance Vitamin where you can not only clean and remove makeup, but also strengthen and enrich your skin with a non-oxidizing, highly effective vitamin C ingredient." She also believes that the convenience of wet wipes makes them a long-lasting and important part of morning skin care routines.

In baby care, Target recently launched Sensitive Care Baby Wipes as part of its Cloud Island private label. The new wipes are formulated with 99% water and plant ingredients, free of common irritants, and contain a small amount of organic coconut oil to moisturize.

Euromonitor Uduslivaia said that powerful modern retailers have the ability to establish and develop their own brands, and wipes are doing quite well in this area. "The good news is that they are usually reasonably priced, so they help increase the market penetration of wet wipes, but they may not be good news for brands because they will drive prices down. Many sanitary product manufacturers currently have very low profit margins, and obviously pricing is a headache for many people."

The value of the mask

Another personal care market for nonwovens is facial masks. Today, the market has a wide range of masks made of nonwovens, which contain a wealth of skin care formulas, from moisturizing to anti-acne and anti-aging solutions. As the category continues to attract consumers, more and more brands are launching their own unique products.

American skin care brand Neutrogena launched its most personalized skin care product, Neutrogena MaskiD, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This is a patent-pending 3D printed mask.

Michael Southall, head of R & D and innovation, said that the mask is made of renewable materials. The skin care active ingredients include moisturizing hydrogels made of locust beans and red seaweed, in addition to comfortable non-woven substrates. "Masks can bring consumers a familiar and pleasant experience, and they are very popular all over the world. In 2017, the global facial mask market was worth more than $6.4 billion," Southall said. "When we first started to develop personalized skin care products based on user data, facial masks were obviously the best choice because they are an effective carrier of skin care ingredients. By creating a physical barrier to lock in nourishing ingredients and help ingredients work on the skin."

The personalization of MaskiD is reflected in three aspects: the first is the shape of the mask itself. You can use the camera of your smartphone. Users only need to take a selfie to create accurate and multi-dimensional facial graphics, accurately measure the nose and its shape, the space between eyes and lips, and other unique physical features.

Next, personalized data from Neutrogena Skin's 360 system will create a virtual doctor with the expertise of a dermatologist and analyze the needs of the skin, suggesting which ingredients work best and where they work best. Finally, using a proprietary 3D printing process, the high-efficiency ingredients are "printed" on precise areas of the customized hydrogel mask, providing the greatest benefit to this user.

Meanwhile, facial care and skin care specialist Joanna Vargas has launched the first mask set with five mask care products with concentrated special ingredients. Eden Instant Lift Mask is a moisturizing mask that can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and give skin youthful vitality. Forever Glow Anti-Aging Mask is a moisturizing mask that helps to tighten and smooth skin and instantly eliminate fine lines and wrinkles. Dawn Mask is a kind of nursing mask containing almond acid, which can gently exfoliate skin, leaving skin soft, smooth, even and fresh; the Twilight mask is a deep conditioning mask that can provide epidermal growth factor to help maintain the best vitality and elasticity of the skin; finally, the Bright Eye Moisturizing Mask is a concentrated professional care mask that can clean and condition the delicate area around the eyes.

"I created this kit to provide a mask solution for any skin care problem," says Vargas. "Each package in this kit contains an extra serum and can be used on the shoulders, arms, legs or wherever extra moisture is needed."

Yes To, a natural products company, is also developing a facial mask business. The brand recently launched a new product under the Yes to Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal line. Tomatoes Yin & Yang detox and moisturizing mask can be used to detox, remove clogged pores of dirt, oil and impurities, while providing moisturizing effect for dry and sensitive skin. Other masks target specific areas of the face. Such as Tomatoes detox T-zone mask and chin mask provide targeted acne treatment ingredients, salicylic acid and tomato ingredients. These masks help to treat the most acne-prone parts of the face, eliminate pimples and blackheads.