Innovation is alive and well in the personal care wipes market, and the segment continues to see growth.

According to statistics from Euromonitor International, retail value in the personal care wipes market has grown roughly an additional $900 million (constant value, fixed exchange rate) from the years 2009 to 2014. Further, the market tracker predicts a nearly 3% growth in volume terms, at compound annual growth rate, during the 2014-2019 time period.

Baby wipes, facial/cosmetic wipes, feminine/intimate wipes, adult incontinence wipes and flushable wipes are among the key categories of personal care wipes on the market. According to Dave Deising, director of marketing for contract manufacturer Rockline Industries, the facial wipes category is booming, especially in private label, as innovation, creative packaging solutions and unique substrates are sought. He credits the category’s success to a specific demographic—the millennial generation. “The millennial interest in using facial wipes is much more common than the baby boomers, even generation X,” he explains. “The millennials are becoming a big or are a big segment and they find it very convenient to use a facial wipe.”

Barb Noel, business develop manager of Kleen Test, is also seeing success in this market. “We are seeing the most growth in makeup remover and cosmetic wipes within the personal care category. The younger generation is willing to pay a premium price for high quality packaging, multi-functional features and products that offer convenience,” she says.

The growth of online purchasing is another trend Kleen Test is noticing within this category. “Many consumers are subscribing to automatic repurchase for commonly used items like makeup remover wipes every 30 days,” Noel adds.  

The sheer number of facial cleansing wipes out on store shelves (nearly every skin care brand seems to have one), allows consumers to compare different formulations and characteristics—are they exfoliating, gentle, or acne-fighting? And even with so many options available, wipes makers continue to pump out new products.

Kimberly-Clark, which is well versed in the consumer wipes market through its Huggies (baby wipes), Kotex (feminine wipes) and Cottonelle (flushable wipes) brands, is looking to capitalize on the growing facial cleansing wipes category with a new line under its consumer tissue brand Kleenex.

Launched in December, the Kleenex line features facial cleansing wipes, exfoliating cushions, eye makeup removers, and more.
“The Kleenex Facial Cleansing line-up offers an exclusive, fabric-based technology that combines textured, multi-layered fabrics and gentle cleansers infused with a pro-vitamin complex for noticeably healthier looking, and feeling, skin,” says Eniko Olah, senior brand manager, Kleenex Facial Cleansing. “The products are water-based and therefore will not leave a residue like other wipes, and leave consumers with a freshly washed clean.”

According to the company, the moist facial cleansing wipes’ exclusive multilayered, textured fabric lifts and traps dirt, oil, makeup and impurities. Kleenex’s dual-sided exfoliating cushions smooth and polish the skin while the water-activated cleanser cleans the skin, and exclusive fabric technology used for its moist eye makeup removers is infused with oil-free remover to lift and trap even long-lasting eye makeup with ease.

Olah says that Kleenex’s decades of experience in producing high-quality tissues and nonwoven fabrics had led to its decision to enter the facial wipes category. “At the same time, we know that we can leverage our rich experience to identify new ways to meet consumer needs. Despite the breadth of the facial cleansing category, we believe that this new line of Kleenex Facial Cleansing products addresses the current unmet needs to make facial cleansing even more effective and simple.”

Currently, the Kleenex facial cleansing line is exclusively available at www.kleenex.com/facialcleansing, but Olah says the company is looking at plans to expand product availability at several “e-tailers” by mid-2016.

Procter & Gamble is also taking advantage of the rise in facial wipe growth by recently expanding its Olay brand to include Makeup Remover Wet Cloths. The fragrance-free wipes can be used to remove makeup, dirt and oil on the eyes, face and neck. Earlier last year, the brand also added to its Fresh Effects line with {See Spot Swipe!} Oil-Reducing Wet Cloths. Infused with skin-awakening citrus and mint essences, the wipes feature patented Exfoli-dots to help users exfoliate skin while removing dirt, oil and make-up in a few simple swipes.

For its part, healthy lifestyle brand The Honest Company—most known for its eco-friendly disposable diapers and plant-based, natural baby wipes—launched a line of facial cleansing wipes in 2015. Honest’s 3-in-1 facial towelettes gently cleanse, moisturize and remove makeup, and are enriched with naturally-derived olive oil and plant botanicals to help effectively dissolve and remove makeup and hydrate skin without rinsing. Aloe and chamomile infused in the wipes cleanse and condition. The wipes are available for $5.95 for 30 wipes at www.Honest.com. For $4 more, consumers can purchase makeup remover wipes under Honest’s new cosmetics brand Honest Beauty. The similarly appearing wipes contain chamomile, calendula and aloe to calm and soothe, while grapeseed and olive oil gently and effectively remove dirt, oil and stubborn makeup, according to the company.

Meanwhile, Ban, a Kao brand known for antiperspirant, recently came out with body wipes. Available in four different scents, the brand claims Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths leave users feeling completely refreshed with just one wipe. The wet cloths can be used to freshen up when there isn’t time for a shower—whether going from the gym to run errands, or heading from work to and event. Ban’s proprietary PowderSilk technology imported from Japan sets these body cloths apart, according to the company. The cloths instantly cool on contact and leave skin feeling refreshed with a translucent, superfine powder so skin stays smooth and comfortable with no sticky residue.

Flush-Friendly
Despite negative headlines flushable wipes have been facing in recent years, saying they clog up pipes and water treatment systems, manufacturers are still seeing growth and anticipate even more growth potential in the future.

Rockline’s Deising notes flushable wipes are doing well because people understand that the cleansing attributes of wipes have an advantage over dry toilet tissue. “As a company, we’re very stringent and follow the industry practices, the INDA guidelines [regarding flushability], so that’s a key box [manufacturers] have to check,” he says. “If [the negative headlines] are having an influence, it’s hard to read in the consumer data today. Could it be growing any faster? That’s always the unknown. It’s not causing the market to stop or retract; we’re not seeing signs of it influencing the every day purchase by consumers.”

Nice-Pak International is also aware of the demand for flushable wipes and ensures its products comply with the latest industry guidelines in terms of the way they break up in the waste water system, while also delivering on performance, according to marketing director Ian Anderson.

In fact, the company recently launched its latest dispersible technology dubbed Aquaspun. “Nice-Pak continues to work with a number of partners at the cutting edge of dispersible wipes development, taking into account not only the stipulations and requirements of the third edition of the EDANA guidelines on this subject, but also the various exciting and rapidly-evolving technologies which will see the next step-change in performance,” Anderson says.

Natural is In
Another trend in personal care wipes is the “less is more approach” when it comes to ingredients, with more “natural” products being offered. Brands like Yes To and La Fresh tout paraben-free claims, while Simple Skin Care Wipes and Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes feature no synthetic fragrances.

Although the word “natural” comes with its confusing statements, which makes using it a challenge, Rockline’s Deising says cleaner chemistries and fewer ingredients in the formulation is the positive. “Making claims that it’s high water content, few ingredients, good ingredients, ‘natural’ ingredients, that’s very positive in the facial category,” he explains.

In the baby care category, water wipes are becoming a trend, according to Bill Lutz, vice president sales & marketing, Premier Care Industries. “This product has minimal ingredients and a wipe that is heavily saturated with water,” he says. “Hospitals today are not recommending a standard baby wipe as they have in the past and are recommending a dry nonwoven or cloth and just add water. For convenience, there is a brand on the shelf currently with growing distribution, and we are starting to get inquiries concerning this item for private label.”

Lutz is likely referring to the brand WaterWipes, which are made with just two ingredients, 99.9% water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract, a natural antimicrobial agent. Meanwhile, Piyo Piyo, a Taiwanese baby products brand that manufactures “Pure Water” baby wipes made using just purified water, a moisturizing agent and plant extract, recently announced its line of products will be available at select Babies ‘R’ Us stores, adding another water-based baby wipe to the U.S. market.

Rookie Wipes
While baby, cosmetic, and feminine care wipes have dominated the market, niche wipes are finding their way into the personal care space. But entering the market doesn’t come without challenges for newcomers in the game.

“With all the task-specific wipes that have been introduced over the last few years, I continue to be amazed by the continuing plans for new, innovative wipes,” says industry consultant Susan Stansbury of Right Angle Concepts. “That being said, I have told at least two developers that I am concerned about the small size of the niche and ability to penetrate the target market.

“Personal care wipes often attract small players with ideas,” she continues, adding that these types of innovators tend to face some hurdles with regard to “pre-testing protocols, minimum production runs, and finding converter-manufacturers who can even produce these wipes meeting all the specialty configurations.”

Despite any difficulties for the little guys, the last few years have seen many new and unique product introductions. One of these is a flavored facial wipe targeting babies and toddlers.

Two Colorado moms founded NeatCheeks, which are flavored with stevia, a natural plant extract, in order to make wiping a little one’s face easier and more enjoyable. The wipes are also infused with purified water, aloe and honeysuckle.

CEO and co-founder Danielle Stangler and co-founder Julia Rossi came up with the idea about five years ago. The wipes first launched in regional Walgreens stores in Colorado in February 2014, but the ladies got an extra boost to their business when they appeared on the hit ABC reality television show Shark Tank last April. The show gives aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to pitch a panel of successful investors their unique innovations in hopes that they’ll secure an investment in return for a stake in their company. Stangler’s and Rossi’s unique wipes were good enough to close a deal with “shark” Barbara Corcoran, an American businesswoman. The ladies received $150,000 from Barbara for a 25% stake in their company.

Since the show’s airing, the company has launched its “Just Peachy” flavor at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas in October, and the wipes became available in Babies ‘R’ Us and Toys ‘R’ Us stores nationwide in the U.S. Last month, NeatCheeks began distributing in Canada and the company has plans to be in Australia by the spring.

Ironically, this isn’t the only new wipe product that has appeared on Shark Tank. Dude Wipes, which took home a 2013 Visionary Award for consumer product innovation from INDA, the association of the nonwoven fabrics industry, appeared on the television show in October. Marketed for men, Dude Wipes are used as an adjunct to toilet paper in the bathroom or as a wipe for faces, armpits, or any other area of the body. They’re made with aloe and are flushable and biodegradable, according to the company.

The founders, Sean Riley, Ryan Meegan and Jeff Klimkowski, sealed a deal with U.S.-based investor and entrepreneur Mark Cuban—a $300,000 investment for a 20% stake in the company.

Meanwhile, another “manly” wipe joined the specialty wipes market last year. Zekes Beard Wipes are a “mobile beard bath” made with essential oils, such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, and argan oil, specifically selected because they are optimal for cleaning and conditioning beards. Aloe in the wipes condition skin where it can be most irritated, especially for new beard growers. The 46-square-inch wipes are thick, durable, elastic and stretchy.

They’re currently available in a 10 pack or 30 pack of individual wipes at ZekesBeardWipes.com and Amazon.com.