Two Wipes Products to Try This Summer (And One You Can’t)

Summer is here, which means that it’s the season for backyard barbecues, camping, and travel, as well as trips to the beach, the pool, and the park. This also means that it’s time to stock up on sunscreen and insect repellent, and perhaps to apply some bronzer to get that suntanned look right from the start. Here are two types of summertime products to consider using in the form of a wipe (and one that you’ll be hard-pressed to find on store shelves).

Insect Repellent Wipes: Protect Yourself from Infectious Bug Bites

Summer is the season for outdoor activities, but biting insects such as mosquitoes and ticks can quickly ruin such an outing. What’s more, it’s important to protect yourself from insect-borne illnesses, such as Zika, West Nile, and Lyme disease.

Insect repellents come in a variety of formats, including aerosol sprays, pump sprays, candles, coils, lamps, clip-on fans, and wipes. The benefits of the wipe format, compared to these others, include:

• direct application to the skin (unlike candles, coils, lamps, and fans)
• easily controlled application (which might be difficult with sprays)
• small, flexible, and easily portable packaging

Some of the most popular insect repellent brands, including Off! and Repel, offer insect repellent wipes.

Sunless Tanning Wipes: An Alternative to Sun Tanning and Bottled Bronzers

A sun-kissed look is a big part of the look of summer, but the sun presents its own dangers, so many look to bronzers to get that look. However, lotion, cream, and spray versions can be difficult to apply properly.  So whether you want an early “tan” or are concerned about the potential dangers of traditional sun tanning or indoor UV tanning, you might try sunless tanning wipes -- basically, bronzer in wipe form.

The benefits of sunless tanning wipes, compared to traditional, bottled bronzers, include:

• even, streak-free application, for a natural looking tan
• no-mess packaging, which means no spills or stains

Sunless tanning wipes are offered by major beauty brands, such as L’Oreal Paris, as well as specialized brands like TanTowel.

Sunscreen Wipes: Why You Won’t Easily Find Them

Because summer is a time for playing in the sun, it’s important that you protect your skin from an excess of UV radiation, which can cause skin cancer. You might think that all the major sunscreen brands would offer their products in convenient, travel-size wipe formats, but you’d be wrong.

Sunscreen wipes were initially offered by several companies until FDA labeling rules made their status uncertain. The FDA regulates the manufacture and sale of over-the-counter sunscreens to ensure their safety and effectiveness. The agency has yet to authorize wipe formulations, under contemporary labeling requirements, citing a lack of sufficient testing on the appropriate dosage amounts to deliver enough sunscreen to support the SPF claims. Until this gets sorted out, sunscreen suppliers are unlikely to offer sunscreen wipes, so don’t expect to find them on store shelves any time soon.

Want to Learn More?

Insect repellent wipes and sunless tanning wipes represent two small but fast-growing markets for wipes. These are just a couple of the many specialty consumer wipes that are expected to post strong sales gains in the coming years.

For more insight into the state of the wipes industry, see Wipes Market in the US, by the Freedonia Group. This comprehensive report provides the following:

• Historical demand data and forecasts
• Market environment factors
• Industry structure
• Company market share

About the Author:

Matt Breuer is an industry analyst at The Freedonia Group, where he writes industry studies focused on the US chemical products and consumer products markets.