Every year we put over a dozen sensitive baby wipe options to the test, evaluating them on ourselves and on newborns and toddlers. Our top 5 results are listed below, followed by in-depth reviews of nearly a dozen different options.
This year, to review and rank the best baby wipes for sensitive bums, we got together with 7 moms and dads. There were 5 babies to test, including two newborns, one 8-month old infant, and one 13-month old toddler.
For each brand, we felt and stretched the wipes, smelled them, and used them to clean up wet and soiled diapers. We also used them on ourselves to check out how they feel in terms of sensitivity, oils, and abrasiveness.
Pro-tip: If you run out of baby wipes, in a pinch you can use a paper towel dipped in warm water with a drop of baby soap and coconut oil!
Full disclosure: Some of these baby wipes, including the Bets and Emy, Dyper, Babyganics, and Honest versions, were sent to us as free test samples by the manufacturer.
We also investigated each and every ingredient included in the diaper wipes, checking its hazard rating in the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) SkinDeep database. For each of the best baby wipes we review, we detail any hazards associated with their ingredients. After a few weeks of research, we came to a verdict, and found the best baby wipes of the year! While you're at it, check out our reviews of the best diapers, and the most effective way to clean up a baby: the best baby bathtubs!
Here are the Best Baby Wipes of 2022!
About 7 cents per wipe and the closest thing to you'll find to a piece of cotton with water on it! With all the greenwashing surrounding baby wipes, WaterWipes are a breathe of fresh air. The wipes themselves are made from non-woven cotton and wool fibers, then doused with purified water and a bit of grapefruit seed and soapberry extracts. Grapefruit seed extract is made from the seeds and pulp of grapefruit, and typically includes vegetable glycerine. Soapberry extract is extracted from the Sapindus Saponaria tree, native to Georgia and Florida. Grapefruit seed extract has an EWG score of 1 (lowest risk) when used at recommended concentrations, and soapberry extract also has a score of 1 (lowest risk). Those two ingredients help preserve the wipes, preventing mildew, mold, and other bacteria growth, and can help a bit with clean-up. In our testing, the wipes were strong and soft, and clean-up was surprisingly effective given how mild the ingredients are. These are a perfect option for babies with sensitive skin, producing no irritation whatsoever in our 3 years of use. And that's exactly the intent of the WaterWipes - to provide you with highly sensitive, hypoallergenic, chemical-free diaper wipes. For wet diapers, they performed very well, cleaning nicely and leaving no detectable residue. For soiled diapers, we needed to double-up on the wipes to make sure we kept our hands clean, but they worked really well without excessive rubbing. To be honest, it was really nice not to have your hands and baby smell like chemicals and artificial fragrances after a diaper change.
Our only real criticism is the packaging, which makes it relatively difficult to retrieve a wipe, and only seals with a sticky-flap. Also, because these wipes are 99.9% water, the water does tend to settle a bit at the bottom of the package. This is easy to address by flipping the package over once in a while to let the water saturate the upper wipes. Here are the ingredients for the WaterWipes Baby Wipes, along with the EWG hazard rating (from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest hazard): purified water (1), citris grandis (grapefruit) seed extract (1), and soapberry extract (1). The manufacturer also notes that benzalkonium chloride is present in trace amount (< 0.01%), which is an antimicrobial that EWG gives a rating of 5 to (which is pretty bad!). Given that it's only present in less than 0.01%, we're not too concerned. Overall, these are an excellent addition to our best baby wipe list, aimed at parents who want the best and most sensitive wipes for their baby. Who else loves the WaterWipes? They are top pick by our friends at Babylist, Babygearlab, WhatToExpect, and The Bump! Impressed? You can check out the Water Wipes here!
About 7 cents each when you buy a larger box of wipes (like a 288-count box). The Honest Company is known for making very high quality and environmentally responsible products, but they also tend to be a bit more expensive than comparable products. These baby wipes are super soft and gentle, and they contain some great fruit and plant extracts to gently cleanse your baby's bottom. Importantly, we found these wipes to be very sensitive, and they did not cause any rashes on any of the babies, toddlers, or adults that we tested them on. In our testing, we thought the wipes were strong and soft, and had a very nice texture and size (7" x 8") to make clean-up more efficient. These baby wipes are not intended to be flushable, though they are biodegradable within 60 days. Out of the box, we loved the packaging. Like the new Aqua Pure wipes, the package uses a convenient plastic flip-top that does a great job dispensing and also holding the moisture in when you're not using them. The packaging comes in a few different patterns and designs, like the pictured Blue Ikat, but also a cute geometric pattern option, and one with rose blossoms. That's probably not so important to you, but some parents like that aspect. Some other things we noticed: the packaging is easy to use for one-hand dispensing, the smell is very mild and pleasant, the dotted texture is great for cleaning up poops, and they don't leave behind any noticeable oily film. That's probably because the Honest Company put a lot of thought into the ingredients, and were careful to exclude parabens, alcohol, chlorine (even in the making of the wipe cloth itself, which is made of natural cellulose fibers), phthalates/BPA, formaldehyde, phenols, ammonium, and lanolin. And no animal testing or animal byproducts (the glycerin is vegetable, not animal-sourced), for what it's worth. These hypoallergenic wipes contain only ingredients that are a 2 or lower on the EWG (1-10) hazard scale, which is extremely rare!
About 4-5 cents per wipe. Babyganics has a great line of gentle baby products, including top-rated sunscreens, baby washes, and now baby wipes! In our testing, we thought these baby wipes were soft, sensitive, durable, and effective. In most cases, we didn't need to double-up on these to clean up a pee-pee diaper, but we did find them somewhat small and thin. Nowhere near the thickness of the Bloom wipes, or even the Huggies or Pampers wipes. We also found them to leave a nice moist residue without any oily film left on the hands or bum, which is more than we can say for most other options. They also seemed to be very gentle on even the most sensitive cheeks and bums, and we didn't notice any increase in diaper rash or other symptoms of sensitivity. Not so surprising given the high quality, fragrance-free sensitive ingredients, including chamomile and several natural seed oils. Check out our hazard analysis of the ingredients at the end of this paragraph. We didn't really love the odor; we got used to it with time, but the lack of fragrances made for somewhat odd-smelling wipes, likely from some of the seed oils. Overall, we think these are excellent and highly effective (but maybe a bit smelly) baby wipes that will suit most families perfectly!
About 2-3 cents per wipe. These were the go-to wipes for three of the five moms who did this hands-on test. All of them swore by these baby wipes for their mildness, softness, thickness, durability, and scent. And you can't go wrong with the price either when you buy them in decent quantity. You only need one wipe to get the wet jobs done, and likely 2 to get the dirty jobs done. That's because you can wipe then fold and wipe again. Not many other wipes are capable of that without worrying about things soaking through the wipe and getting on your hands. They are about 20% thicker than the Pampers Natural Clean variety, by the way. We also liked how they are very moist which makes clean-up easier. Some options like the Target Up&Up wipes are somewhat dry and rough. The Huggies sensitive are similar to these but not quite as thick, so even though they are cheaper you end up using more. Now for the negatives. First of all any sensitive wipe just isn't going to clean as well as the non-sensitive version; for example, the Pampers Baby Fresh wipes clean better than these, but they're not sensitive and don't do as good of a job preventing diaper rash. Second, we found these #3 best baby wipes among the oiliest wipes on the list. What we mean by that is they leave a thin oily film after wiping, which we are assuming is the castor oil or another moisturizer. Nothing terrible, but in comparison to the Bloom or WaterWipes, it's worth mentioning. So if you're looking for a great, thick, sensitive wipe without any strong odors, the Pampers Sensitive is a good choice.
About 2 cents per wipe. These are new to the market and are getting some excellent reviews from consumers. This was our first year trying them out, and we were very impressed! These wipes are marketed as sensitive and high transparency for ingredients and ingredient sourcing. The wipes contain about 98% purified water, chamomile flower extract to help soothe sensitive skin, two cleansers (one derived from coconut oil, one unnatural), some pH balancers, and some preservatives to reduce bacteria growth. Note that one of the preservatives is phenoxyethanol, which is also in the Pampers and Huggies, and a potentially irritating ingredient. They do not contain any parabens, alcohol, dyes, phthalates, methylisothiazolinone, and a few other particularly harmful ingredients. So in terms of ingredients, they are quite similar to the Pampers and Huggies, though check out our ingredients list at the end of this paragraph for more details. They are also similar to the Pampers in terms of odor (or lack thereof), size, texture (a subtle dot pattern), and effectiveness. In our tests, we really liked these wipes and think they are on par with the Pampers. However, they were a bit on the thinner side, which was the only drawback relative to ones higher on this list. But overall pretty great for the price, unless you want to move toward a more natural wipe alternative, like the WaterWipes or Seventh Generation wipes.
About 2 cents per wipe, which is a great price for this level of quality and sensitivity. Aveeno calls these "all over" wipes, meaning that they intend for them to not only be used on private parts but everywhere else - face, hands, feet, you name it, and this wipe is ready to tackle the stickiest of messes. These baby wipes are fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, with what they consider a 99% naturally derived formulation. The ingredients are below - basically what that means is it is 99% water and then several chemicals (though they are really low risk and low concentration). In our testing, the packaging was easy to use and had a sticky peel cover (like the Bloom Baby Wipes). The wipes actually pulled out one at a time, which means that the next wipe didn't pull up a bit when one was pulled out. We actually like this technique for messes that only need one wipe because it decreases the frustration of needing to push the next wipe back into the package before resealing, and the risk of that wipe being left out to dry (literally). But for messes that need more than one wipe, which in our experience is most messes, this can be a little frustrating because you need to dig in with your fingernail a bit to grab the next wipe. Not a huge issue but worth mentioning.
About 2 cents per wipe. These are a direct competitor with the Pampers Sensitive wipes, and these Huggies Wipes do quite a good job in that role! One big difference 2 of the 5 moms noticed was the smell. Though they are fragrance-free, there is a faint odor that 2 moms mentioned as a negative; the other 3 didn't notice it. The odor is a bit of a chemical smell, though we have found them generally very sensitive on bums. The sensitivity is due to them being paraben-free, fragrance-free, alcohol-free, hypoallergenic, and very thick. But they do have some other concerning ingredients, including cocamidopropyl betain (an irritating cleaning agent) and phenoxyethanol (a preservative/bactericide); these ingredients have a relatively low allergen profile, but your baby might show sensitivity to them. To be fair, the Pampers wipes also contain phenoxyethanol, and some other potentially concerning ingredients. They do include some aloe and vitamin E to promote soft skin and healing of any mild skin irritation.
About 4 cents each. These were new to the baby wipe market last year, and they've been making quite a splash. These wipes seem to be direct competition with WaterWipes, emphasizing the fact that they are 99% water, made from cotton, and free of many common irritant ingredients found in baby wipes (like phenoxyethanol). When we received them for testing we were pretty excited by them! The packaging itself is excellent: they use a typical pouch but with a plastic flip-top dispenser. And it dispenses one at a time, leaving a tiny bit of the next wipe hanging out of the package. If all baby wipes came in this packaging, with this folding/dispensing technique, life would be so much easier! Our first impression of the wipes after pulling them out was that they seemed lightweight and thin, and sized just about the same as most major brands. So not as large as the Bloom Baby Wipes, but not as long and narrow as the Babyganics Wipes. Our second impression was that there was clearly no fragrance added, and what you're left with is a mild chemical smell. Nothing too off-putting, but definitely noticeable. In our testing, they were sensitive and none of our test babies developed any rashes or irritation after use. They were pretty decent with cleanup, especially for number 1. For number 2, they left something to be desired.
About 4 cents each. You can trust Seventh Generation to produce high quality, safe, natural alternatives to major brand baby wipes. These are the original Seventh Generation wipes which had a brief pause due to the release of the Thick and Strong version, which were not well-received by consumers. The Thick and Strong wipes were nice and thick, but people did not like the coarse texture or lower durability. Seventh Generation brought back these original Soft and Gentle wipes, and we're really happy about that. Like most others on this list, these wipes are free of dyes, parabens, fragrances, and alcohol. They are also hypoallergenic wipes and sensitive for baby bottoms. For cleaning it contains coconut acid and citric acid, and to keep things sensitive it contains aloe. It also has some natural preservatives. Our moms noticed that these wipes had a pleasant odor, a nice texture, and they felt good about using something with ingredients derived from natural sources. So why is it not higher on our list? Well, two primary reasons. First, they are not as thick as many of the other options, and one of our moms said that some poop was able to get through during a dirty clean-up, so they had to use more wipes than they wanted to. Of course, this increases the cost when you're required to use more wipes for a single cleaning. Second, given that you have to use more, you would want them to be less expensive. However, they are a bit more expensive than the Pampers or Huggies options, and nearly as expensive as the WaterWipes.
About 8 cents per wipe, which is one of the more expensive options on this list. Which begs the question - are they worth it!? We got our hands on the Dyper wipes to answer this very question late last year (thanks for the samples, Dyper!), and are happy to say that we're impressed with their effectiveness and ingredients. Starting with the basics, the Dyper wipes are sustainable, biodegradable, compostable, hypoallergenic, and made from plant-based bamboo viscose fibers. A bit smaller than some of the big wipes on our list (like the Amazon Elements and Aveeno wipes), each is about a 8" by 6" square. That's about 1 inch narrower than most others, which you might notice especially if you have bigger hands! They come in packs of 80 and use the convenient plastic top flap. We prefer the plastic door to the sticker-style flap, but also realize that it's a lot of plastic waste! In our testing, we found the Dyper wipes to be very soft (as expected given the bamboo content) and effective at clean-up. They were a little on the thinner side relative to others. When you combine the thinness with the smaller size, you might find that you're using more wipes than you would with other brands. They are moist and effective at clean-up, though you might find yourself folding it in half for cleaning up number 2. The good news, however, is that the wipes are completely compostable (though the plastic packaging is not!), so you can throw them right into your bin. Of course, you may or may not want to be putting human waste into your compost, so be sure to look into that first. We found the wipes to be very sensitive, producing no irritation or rashes on us or our children, and they have no discernable odor (even our super-sniffer son said they just smell like plain tissues). They did leave a bit to be desired in the thickness and size factors, but if you value the softness and compostable aspect they might still be worth the purchase!
Here are the ingredients for the Dyper Baby Wipes, along with the EWG hazard rating (from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest hazard): water (1), glycerin (2), chamomilla recutita flower extract (1), tocopheryl acetate (3), aloe barbadensis extract (1), decyl glucoside (1), benzethonium chloride (5), and citric acid (2). We are mostly concerned about the benzethonium chloride, which is a quaternary ammonium salt most commonly used as an antimicrobial agent. According to the EWG, it has high potential as an allergan and may produce reproductive toxicity. Is Dyper guilty of a bit of greenwashing? Maybe, considering how much of their marketing materials are centered around how safe and gentle these wipes are. Not worse than other wipe companies, of course, but worth pointing out. They are still pretty decent wipes overall, and worthy of also being a top pick by our friends at Babylist! Impressed? You can check out the Water Wipes here!
About 4 cents each. This is a new WaterWipes alternative that recently entered the market. We got our hands on these for testing last year (thanks, Bets + Emy!), and were impressed with several things. First, they are made right here in the USA by a company founded by a mom, Emily Frazer, who was sick of all the nasty ingredients found in most baby wipes. Second, they are free of all that nasty stuff - no parabens, fragrances, oils, alcohol, phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate or methylisothiazolinone. Instead, they use two simple ingredients: water (99.9%) and citrus extract (0.1%). Sound familiar? That's right, it's the same ingredient profile as the original WaterWipes, without the new anti-microbial that WaterWipes added a couple years ago. Third, these wipes have received certification from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the National Eczema Association, and has won several awards for quality and innovation. So these wipes have a lot of great stuff going for them, but how did they fare in our hands-on testing? As a teaser, they performed reasonably well, just like the original WaterWipes. Out of the box, they come in packs of 60 wipes, with each wipe measuring just under 8" by 7" in size. Pulling the wipes out of the package, they are a bit of a pain. Each wipe comes out completely independently, meaning that it isn't folded into the next wipe at all. There are pros and cons of this design: a pro is that you won't risk leaving a wipe sticking out after use, possibly becoming dried out. But a con is that for each wipe you need to stick your fingers in the package and pinch, trying to pull up only one wipe and not a clump of them. This was a challenge for us.
Conclusions
Testing baby wipes is one of the most rewarding tasks we do, since we can ues them for not only cleaning up after our children but also after our animals, cleaning up little messes around the house, wiping a toilet seat, and more. Because they're relatively gentle, baby wipes are super versatile around the houes!
Greenwashing Baby Wipes?
Baby wipe ingredients have engendered some controversy over the past few years, with parents accusing companies of greenwashing, concealing ingredients, and using ingredients that are known irritants or carcinogens.
From the parent's perspective, they want only the simplest and most natural and sensitive ingredients for their baby. From the perspective of a baby wipe manufacturer, it's a bit more complex than that. Their challenge is to produce a wipe that can sit around in room-temperature for weeks or months, retain moisture and not dry out, not grow bacteria or develop odors, be soft and sensitive, not use any artificial ingredients or potential irritants, be hypoallergenic, and maintain effective and efficient cleaning capabilities. That's a very tall order!
We want to be clear that this is basically impossible unless you're willing to compromise on at least one of those factors. Even the simplest baby wipes, the popular WaterWipes, need to have ingredients (fruit extracts) to stop bacteria growth when the wipes sit around all day. If you're truly concerned about any possible ingredients other than water, you might consider making your own baby wipes as a simple and budget-friendly alternative.
It's a difficult compromise between how effective a wipe is versus the number of potentially harmful chemicals in its ingredients, like chemical preservatives, fragrances, parabens, harsh cleansers, and more. The most effective baby wipes at cleaning up #2 and making your baby smell fresh, tend to also include more chemicals that might ultimately irritate your baby and cause rashes.
In terms of the best baby wipes reviewed above, we counted the frequency of "moderate hazard" ingredients (based on EWG guidelines). The Honest Company, Bloom, Babyganics, Seventh Generation, Aqua Pure, and WaterWipes came out as clear winners, each only having a couple moderately hazardous ingredients. In contrast, the Amazon Elements Baby Wipes had 3, the Huggies wipes had 4, and the Pampers had 5.
So why do we list those options as relatively high on our list? Because they have great performance and passed our tests with flying colors. But if your baby has extremely sensitive skin, you might want to keep those ingredients in mind when picking the perfect baby wipe for your child. In most cases, none of the sensitive baby wipes on this list will cause any issues, as even when they contain certain ingredients they tend to be present in much lower concentrations (that's part of what makes them "sensitive"). Furthermore, none of the baby wipes reviewed on this list include any hazards greater than a 5 on the EWG SkinDeep 1-10 scale, and none are included in the EWG's "high hazard" category. We can't say the same about other wipes on the market!
Cheap Baby Wipes - Saving Money
We have three pieces of advice. First, once you find a good baby wipe for your family, purchase then in bulk to save cash. Second, when you use wipes, don't just wipe once and toss, try to fold the wipe and use it again. Finally, consider making your own baby wipes; we include some information on how to do exactly that in our What Are Baby Wipes? article.
We want to point out that some wipes do indeed market themselves as "flushable" or "septic safe." These particular wipes do tend to decompose a bit more readily than others, but we want to be clear that any baby wipes can clog your toilet, pipes, and sewer main, particularly at intersections and turn points. This applies regardless of how a company markets their product. In other words, we suggest always placing your dirty wipes in the garbage, or perhaps in one of our best-rated diaper pails!
This is really important. When you are changing nearly a dozen diapers a day, you are also exposing your baby's bum to the chemicals and fragrances of each wipe you use. The fewer chemicals and fragrances, and the softer (less abrasive) the baby wipe, the better off you'll be. Using the best sensitive baby wipes will reduce the chances of developing diaper rash, bumps, and redness on the bum and privates. It will also make you feel better that you're not repeatedly exposing your baby to any harmful chemicals each time you clean them up. Also related to sensitivity is how sensitive your baby might be to the feeling of cold baby wipes against their little tooshy! If you think your baby might appreciate it, be sure to check out our reviews of the best baby wipe warmers!
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions about the Best Baby Wipes and our Test Results
What baby wipe should I use on newborns? The best wipes for super sensitive newborn skin would be the WaterWipes, which are made of 99.9% water plus a touch of fruit extracts.
What is the best overall baby wipe? The Water Wipes baby wipes are super sensitive, effective and efficient with cleanup, contain thoughtful ingredients, and are reasonably priced. They passed our testing and reviews with flying colors.
Are there septic safe baby wipes? No, any baby wipes can clog your toilet, pipes, septic system, or sewer main, particularly at intersections and turn points. Use a diaper pail instead of flushing them!
Which baby wipes do not have harmful chemicals? After researching the EWG databases and ingredients lists, all of our top 5 baby wipes do not contain harmful chemicals.
Can you use baby wipes on your baby's private parts? Of course! Just make sure the wipes are sensitive and do not contain any harsh chemicals that might cause stinging or irritation to these sensitive girl and boy parts.
What are the best organic baby wipes? According to our testing, there really is no such thing as a fully organic baby wipe, but there are plenty of all-natural options to choose from. The issue here is that the wipes themselves, including all fibers and binding agents used to make the wipes themselves would need to be organic, and all ingredients and preservatives would need to be organic as well. Most companies marketing "organic baby wipes" are using only organic cotton or organic ingredients, and are not completely organic for the wipe itself and all added ingredients. If you find something that meets these criteria, please let us know by commenting below!
Which baby wipes are the safest? In addition to hypoallergenic and all-natural ingredients, look for an ingredients list that scores all ones (lowest risk) in the EWG database. All of our top-rated baby wipes are contain generally safe ingredients for use by newborns, infants, and toddlers without severe allergies or sensitivities. If you have any doubts, ask your pediatrician.
What is the best sensitive baby wipe? The Honest Company Sensitive Baby Wipes are hypoallergenic and only contain ingredients that score a 2 or lower in the EWG database, with no harsh irritants, no common allergens, and no dangerous chemicals.
