Should You Ditch The Makeup Wipes?

After a long day at work, there’s nothing like the feeling of coming home and wiping away your makeup. For many people, grabbing their favorite face wipes to wipe their face clean is part of their daily skincare routine.

We all know the importance of removing our makeup every day. And while the most convenient way to remove our daily war paint is reaching for a pack of face wipes, this isn’t the best option for our skin or the planet.

While face wipes may seem to remove most of our makeup and grime, they aren’t as good for the skin as one may believe.

Need more convincing? Here’s why it’s time to ditch the daily makeup wipes and practice a more effective and sustainable skincare routine.

How Makeup Wipes Affect Your Skin

We’re just going to say it bluntly: makeup wipes are terrible for your skin. In most cases, makeup wipes simply smear makeup around your face and clog your pores, contributing to acne, redness, and inflammation. This, of course, is certainly not what you’re looking for in your daily cleansing routine.

Not only are wipes bad at taking off makeup, but they also strip the skin of its natural oils. This dries out the skin and contributes to premature aging and wrinkles.

While the makeup wipe may seem to show the aftermath of your war paint evidently, they often leave a whole load of residue, dirt, and grime lingering on your face. Usually, makeup wipes only remove makeup and bacteria that sit on the skin's surface. Don’t let the wipe deceive you!

Likewise, for wipes to remain contamination-free and to increase their shelf life, most are loaded with a ton of preservatives and chemicals that are harsh on your delicate skin.

Plus, most people don’t rinse their faces after using a wipe, so these nasty substances linger on the skin, drying it out. This can irritate sensitive skin, causing other types to dry out.

Not only that, but many people tend to scrub and rub at their skin with wipes, too.

How Makeup Wipes Affect the Environment

That’s not all. Sadly, makeup wipes are also awful for the environment.

Makeup wipes are made of polyester, a type of plastic that can’t break down. Many people flush their wipes down the toilet, unknowingly polluting our planet.

Some companies may claim that their wipes are flushable, but this doesn’t mean that they break down easily.

It’s estimated that 20 million pounds of single-use wipes are disposed of every day in the United States. This includes baby wipes and disinfecting wipes.

Many wipes are thrown in landfills, and as most aren’t biodegradable and don’t rapidly break down, this creates too much trash to fit in our landfills.

How Should You Cleanse Instead?

We know – waving goodbye to the convenience of makeup wipes is sad. But your skin and our lovely planet will thank you for it in the long run.

A great idea is to opt for reusable cotton pads and some type of cleanser, whether that’s oil, foam, or gel.

The GlyMed Plus Cell Science Mega Purifying Cleanser is packed full of age-defying antioxidants like ester C, vitamin A, and vitamin E to treat dryness and premature aging.

The cleanser instantly dissolves makeup, oils, dirt, and other debris on the skin in a matter of mere seconds, leaving the skin ultra-clean and free of pollutants.

Another excellent option is the Bioelements Sensitive Skin Cleansing Oil . The 2-in-1 makeup remover and cleanser contains soothing, reparative plant and olive oils to help treat a weakened skin barrier, reduce inflammation, and combat free radicals, leaving the skin clean and soft.

As well as plant and olive oils, the cleansing oil contains barrier-strengthening fatty acid-rich hemp seed oil and the antioxidant vitamin E.

Or, reach for the CosMedix Benefit Clean Gentle Cleanser . This cleanser gently purges the skin of makeup, grime, heavy metals, and environmental pollutants, containing rich shea butter and zeolite, a unique ingredient from volcanos.

The cleanser is safe and gentle enough to protect all skin types, whether you have dry and thirsty skin or an acne-prone complexion.

An alternative method of cleansing the skin is using the innovative Foreo Luna Fit Set for a squeaky-clean complexion.

Designed for use after working out, you’ll love treating your skin to a deep yet gentle post-workout cleanse with the Foreo Luna Fit Set. Designed with ultra-hygienic silicone, this soft and effective facial cleansing device uses T-Sonic pulsations to rid the skin of sweat, dirt, and oil for a fresh and glowing complexion.

Do you want more skincare advice? Here are the ingredients you should avoid .