Consumer Reports says these baby wipes have harmful ingredients—but not everyone agrees

Do you know what’s in your baby wipes? As it turns out, a lot of baby wipes — a product we trust to come into frequent contact with our babies’ most sensitive skin — can contain potentially harmful ingredients and materials. And even if wipes aren’t bad for people, they can be bad for the planet. Thankfully, Consumer Reports tested and analyzed a ton of baby wipe brands and released a list of wipes that are safe and good for the planet — and a list of wipes you should avoid using.

Before we get to the lists, let’s talk about what to look for in a baby wipe. According to scientists and testers, baby wipes don’t need much more in them but water to work effectively. Still, many of them end up packed with other chemicals — including some that can be harmful.

In particular, Consumer Reports‘ testing looked for Ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane, two known carcinogens that aren’t required to be listed on product ingredient lists; quaternary ammonium compounds, chemicals commonly used in personal care products (including baby wipes) that can trigger asthma or skin allergies in some people; and polypropylene and PET, which isn’t dangerous to humans on the surface, but would indicate that the wipes are made of non-biodegradable plastic in disguise, which can turn into microplastics that later make their way into food, drinking water, and our bodies. Plus, plastic products are a major environmental concern.

With all that out of the way, here are the top six baby wipes (listed alphabetically):

• Caboo Bamboo Baby Wipes
• Caboo Bamboo Flushable Wipes
• Healthybaby Wet Wipes
• The Honest Company Clean Conscious Wipes
• Natracare Moist Tissues – Safe to Flush
• Natracare Organic Baby Wipes

If those aren’t available, these wipes aren’t among the best, but they still pretty good, according to Consumer Reports‘ testing:

• Kirkland Signature (Costco) Baby Wipes Fragrance Free
• WaterWipes Baby Wipes

Because many of the “to be avoided” baby wipes brands are among the most popular and widely available baby wipes, this latest report did receive some backlash among members of the medical community and fellow moms.

There will always be conflicting information out there when it comes to making our parenting choices. Do what’s best for you and your baby, and that’s all that matters.