____________________________________________

The demand for wipes is forecast to increase by 6.1%/yr to $1.7 billion in 2007. With new types of wipes being continually introduced to the consumer, from pet care, household cleaning wipes, and personal care - to self-tanning and freshen-up wipes. From wet wipes to dry wipes, the market is flooded with even more synthetic cloth-like materials destined to the ever growing mountain of waste shifted out into the land year after year.

With their synthetic pedigrees being concealed from consumers’ enquiring minds by comforting terms such as “Cotton-like”, the increasing volumes of polymers pass silently into the landfill sites and septic tanks of the nation in the name of convenience, leaving behind them the vast array of plastic tubs and tubes they are sold in.

Putting environmental issues aside, and looking at personal care alone, what is that liquid we gratefully wipe across our bodies to cleanse and refresh every day? Take a closer look at the ingredients that claim to keep women fresh, clean and confident every day. The array of solvents, surfactants (largely derived from petroleum), chemical fragrances and preservatives are endless, but most disturbing is the long list of Parabens used to prevent bacteria and moulds growing in the liquid and the wipe.

Parabens are just one of a large group of toxic chemicals that science has no answers to with regards to the long term effects of using them every day on your skin.

Dr Philippa Darbre and colleagues at the University of Reading in the UK carried out tests on samples of 20 different human breast tumours.  Writing in the Journal of Applied Toxicology, they say they found traces of parabens in every sample. Their tests suggested the chemicals had seeped into the tissue after being applied to the skin.

"This is the first study to show their accumulation in human tissues," said Dr Darbre.  "It demonstrates that if people are exposed to these chemicals, then the chemicals will accumulate in their bodies."

So why use a personal care item like a baby wipe or a feminine intimate wipe that contains so many petroleum-derived chemicals and endless parabens? Look at the ingredients lists of the wipes women are using that make up part of that multi-billion dollar business, and you will find multiple parabens being plied to the skin. And do not let the term “food-grade parabens” fool you, they are all the same.

Natracare has produced a feminine Intimate Wipe that considers the health of women and the care of the environment.  Natracare feminine Intimate wipes are made from only certified organic 100% pure cotton (who needs cotton-like when you can have real cotton?) and natural ingredients including the organic essential oils of Chamomile and Calendula.

Say NO to parabens, benzoic acid, phenoxyethanol, petroleum derivatives, and synthetic perfumes/fragrances.

Say YES to certified organic cotton and natural and certified organic plant extracts.

Natracare organic cotton feminine Intimate wipes are certified by ICEA and IMO.

Biodegradable

Available in packs of 12 wipes