Sustainability and flushability have become key drivers for innovation within disposable wipes as the industry looks to lessen its impact on the environment. An increased focus on raw material alternatives and new process technologies has led to a suite of “greener wipes” across the entire market spectrum, but some companies are going a step further, taking a now you see it, now you don’t approach to wipes and creating a new sub-category—dissolvable wipes—within the personal care category.

These products go beyond biodegradability, offering a product option that is fully dissolved in water, within seconds after use, in some cases thanks to the use of PVOH, a water soluble film technology that has been used in many disposable applications to improve their environmental footprint.

“(The technology) can really be the next level of flushable technology,” says Kyra Dorsey, principal of Glory Consulting. “There is a lot of potential for dissolvable technology across a lot of markets—we see it in capsules, laundry pods, facial cleansers. The goal now is for people to begin understanding the technology and trusting it.”

Calling it its biggest innovation in facial cleansing in more than 20 years, and the fruit of a 10-year development process, in May Procter & Gamble launched Olay Cleansing Melts, water-activated cleansing squares that dissolve into micro-bubbles that remove excess oil and sweat from the user’s face. The patented formula includes eight ingredients that P&G says are spun into nearly two miles of threads and woven into one unit that offers a single-use wash per square.

“Our scientists knew they wanted to have ingredients that effectively cleanse but, when in a dry format, are stable until ready for use,” says Dr. Rolanda Wilkerson, senior scientific communications director and fellow, global skin care at P&G Beauty.

And, P&G appears to be using similar technology in the laundry care market. Last year, the company launched Tide evo, a revolutionary laundry tile exclusively at stores in Colorado.

Like Olay Cleansing Melts, Tide evo is described as the culmination of years of extensive research and development, introducing a revolutionary laundry tile form – unlike anything offered in laundry today. This new category of clean leverages tens of thousands of minuscule fibers, creating layers of soap without unnecessary liquid and fillers. Its instant activation in water ensures efficient cleaning.

Tide evo is the first detergent to incorporate six powerful layers of 100% concentrated cleaning ingredients in each fiber, offering superior cleaning power. Tide evo is five times more effective at removing common stains than the leading competitive brand bargain detergent, delivering on the Tide promise of superior cleaning in the newest evolution in laundry, according to P&G researchers.

“Today marks a significant milestone for Tide, as we launch Tide evo in Colorado, marking a new phase of innovation in laundry care,” says Sundar Raman, CEO, P&G Fabric & Home Care at the product launch during the SXSW festival. “Tide evo embodies over a decade of research and development, signifying a major advancement in how we approach cleanliness and efficiency in our daily lives.”

Melting With You

The end of life discussion surrounding wipes—whether they are disposed in the toilet, the trash can or in the environment—influenced Scottish entrepreneur Brian McCormack to develop a product that could dissolve quickly in water. The inspiration came to him while he was prepping for a bowel cancer screening and realized that a better solution was needed. He collaborated with an Ohio-based soluble paper specialist to develop dissolvable technology which has been awarded the Fine to Flush certification from Water UK.

“After a lot of hard work, I discovered I could venture into making a dissolving wipe—one that was wet that could do the job that needed to be done and dissolve,” he says. “I could see an opportunity to make a wipe that was environmentally friendly. This was not easy. It must have taken me a year-and-a-half to get that perfect.”

McCormack has forged a licensing agreement with Conserving Beauty, a Melbourne, Australia-based cosmetic company known for its efforts in waterless beauty and sustainable cosmetics. This partnership led to the creation of Conserving Beauty’s Instamelt technology, which is  used in several Conserving Beauty products, like the Day Dissolver Wipes,  two-in-one oil cleanser and makeup remover wipes that effectively remove all traces of makeup and SPF while “moisturizing and protecting” the skin barrier. After use, they dissolve instantly in water or biodegrade within 14 days.


Additionally, Conserving Beauty has partnered with Fig.1 Beauty, a New York-based affordable skin care brand, to create micellar oil cleansing wipes. “Partnering with the Conserving Beauty team to bring the InstaMelt technology to the U.S. market was a no-brainer,” Diana Markman, general manager at Fig.1 Beauty  said in a WWD interview. “We were already big fans of their dissolvable makeup wipes, [so] infusing them with our own Micellar Oil Cleanser was truly a dream collaboration.”

Outside of wipes, Conserving Beauty has built on the success of InstaMelt, to create nanoDOTE, a dissolving technology that is primarily used for the brand’s dissolving zit strips, which retail for $22. These zit strips deliver a “highly targeted delivery” of active ingredients, including salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, which deeply penetrate the skin to help reduce the appearance of blemishes. The product also helps prevent future breakouts.

“NanoDOTE technology electro-spins active ingredients into small molecular size to penetrate one’s skin deeper and faster than standard creams and patches,” Conserving Beauty founder Natassia Nicolao Grace says. “So, instead of a fabric that you dispose of after one use, you’re dissolving this product into your skin, providing a plastic-free approach to tackling zits.”

Cool to Be Kind

A beneficial partnership between a nonwovens producer, a polymer specialist and a formulation specialist has led to the creation of Kindcloth, a fully dispersible wipe technology that disappears completely in under 60 seconds. The Kindcloth technology takes issues like sustainability and flushability that have been driving wipes innovation in recent years a step further by offering a product that is made from green materials and leaves little to no impact behind.

“Our main focus was creating and developing a new category in the wipes area—it’s not just about flushable versus non flushable. We are creating a new category,” says Zander Roussow, managing director of Kindcloth.
Kindcloth’s proprietary uses of green polymer technology is already used in areas like dissolvable capsules and eye drops, while remaining strong during usage. 

The company behind Kindcloth discovered the technology a few years ago and at the peak of the pandemic saw that opportunity for wet wipes.“We have got this very interesting solution that is completely sustainable and has an enormous footprint,” says Roussow. “Our goal is to create the most sustainable wipe on the planet that every major manufacturer in the world incorporates into their cloth in one shape or form.”


Recently, Kindcloth introduced an insect repellent wipe in South Africa, a perfect application for a sustainably minded company because this type of wipe has a stronger chance of ending up as litter. If that happens, the substrate will dissolve once it comes in contact water.

“Now that we are commercially available, the next step is to serve the niche markets and ensure that we are able to scale production as demand calls,” Roussow says. “Hand in hand with this, is the education piece to ensure that the technology is thoroughly understood. Then we expand into other use cases.”

In addition to insect repellent wipes, Kindcloth has introduced a makeup removing product commercially. Additionally, a likely future market for the technology is moist toilet tissue where rapidly dissolving technology could help ease concerns over sewage clogs and other environmental issues.

“We are currently working on a product in the MTT category and with regards to the regulatory aspect, it really ties up nicely with the current environment,” he adds. “It has been a challenge to ensure everyone is aligned with the science and that the technology is supported. We are all trying to achieve the same end.”

While Kindcloth was able to create the lotion technology, to achieve a wipe that could remain effective while also being dissolvable, the makers of Kindcloth worked very closely with its partners including meltblown manufacturer Innovatec and polymer specialist Aquapak to develop a hydropoly nonwoven that can remain stable with liquid or lotion formulations while also being able to dissolve quickly in water.

Aquapak’s water-soluble, marine-safe, non-toxic polymer, Hydropol, in combination with Innovatec’s meltblown technology, has created a dissolvable nonwoven substrate that can handle Kindcloth’s technology to offer a truly sustainable option to the disinfectant wipes market. This is thanks to the development of a revolutionary new dissolvable nonwoven material made using Hydropol instead of conventional plastics.

By replacing plastic with Hydropol, wipes manufacturers can maintain functionality without harming the planet. Unlike plastic, tests prove that it is completely dissolvable and flushable, thanks to its water solubility. This means that when it is flushed down the loo, the Hydropol fibers absorb water and swell but do not fragment into microplastics. The fibers continue to dissolve and biodegrade—which means it safely and effectively disappears without a trace into domestic wastewater systems.

“We have worked closely with leading nonwoven material manufacturers to develop an environmentally friendly alternative which does not rely on conventional plastic for its functionality and is set to revolutionize the nonwovens sector,” says Mark Lapping, chief executive officer, Aquapak. “The new material is being used to develop next generation hygiene products such as wet wipes which will not release microplastics or block sewers. This solves one of the biggest consumer pollution problems facing us today.”

In addition to wet wipes, Aquapak’s technology has proven to offer the feminine hygiene market a flushable material. Planera’s Fluus flushable sanitary pad uses a different technology than the dissolvable wet wipe, demonstrating the versatility of Hydropol technology. Here a Hydropol coating or film is applied to nonwoven materials in place of conventional plastic which then dissolves when the pad is disposed.

The pads, which were in development for three years, feature the UpFlow Barrier—a sustainable barrier made up of multiple layers each playing an important role to protect from any leakages and be safe to flush. The top of the barrier is impervious to blood and the bottom absorbs any sweat during use, reducing humidity. 

Planera was founded by CEO Olivia Ahn and engineer Aaron Koshy who were frustrated with companies forcing their responsibility of waste onto consumers—Planera believes that it is the companies’ responsibility to create disposables for use and disuse.

“Planera was created as both myself and Aaron were immensely frustrated at the volume of landfill waste that sanitary pads generate each year,” Ahn says. “Corporations who produce hygiene products should be taking greater responsibility for how their products are disposed of—putting any hygiene waste in a bin is not the end of its impact on the environment. Sanitary pads are an essential part of  people’s monthly healthcare routine—at Planera we are helping everyday be easier.”


Planera’s pads have been successfully and independently tested in accordance with WIS 4-02-06, the water industry specification for flushability testing. The pad breaks down in two parts. First, the hydraulic action of the toilet flush pulls the layers of the pad apart allowing it to start making its way down the drain line. Then, the 3mm cellulose fibers loosen and break apart. These steps ensure that the sanitary pad disintegrates by the time it reaches the wastewater treatment plant and can be treated along with toilet paper and sewage.

With Planera and other dissolvable products, education will continue to be key as manufacturers look to expand these products into new areas.

“Anything new starts out as niche but the biggest challenge for niche applications is to go out into the industry and change hearts and minds,” says Kindcloth’s Roussow. “Any industry relies on certain safe elements and it’s a process of education to gain acceptance. In our case the sky is the limit once we do that.”

McCormack feels the same way about his innovation. In addition to working with the University of Dundee on a range of dissolving wound care products, which is funded by the Scottish Funding Council, he is working with the European Space Agency, which is currently testing his wipes for potential use in deep space.

“Thousands of wipes are used in space on the International Space Station, mostly in personal care,” he explains. “That waste is currently taken away from the station around every seven or eight weeks.”