Vietnam announces wet wipes standards for the first time

Disposable wet wipes have been available in Vietnam for more than 10 years, but national standards have only recently been issued.

Today, the Vietnam Standards and Quality Institute announced national standard TCVN 11528:2016 for disposable wet wipes.

Ms. Thai Quynh Hoa, Head of the Institute's Consumer Product Standards Department, said that disposable wet wipes have been a popular product in Vietnam for more than 10 years, with about 53 domestic and imported brands.

Currently, Vietnam has 53 wet towel brands.

However, for a long time, this product was not classified as a cosmetic product, there were no specific standards, and manufacturing and trading enterprises self-published basic standards and were responsible for the quality of their products. This reality caused the quality of disposable wet wipes to be left unchecked, mixed with gold and copper, and consumers were confused about which product was safe to choose.

Ms. Ngo Thi Ngoc Ha - Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Standards and Quality said that because this is an item with many impregnation solutions, preservatives, fragrances, and colorants that come into direct contact with the feet, hands, mouth, genitals... of both adults and children, there are many risks of causing unsafety, so it must be strictly managed.

Therefore, since the beginning of 2016, the Institute and its technical committee members, including many experts, research institutes, and specialized associations, have begun to survey and consult regulations of many countries. During the sampling process, the authorities discovered that some wet wipes contained skin irritants.

“This national standard will be a reliable scientific orientation for businesses to apply, ensuring quality products are brought to the market, helping consumers have a basis to choose safe products,” said Ms. Hoa.

TCVN 11528:2016 stipulates that disposable wet wipes must be free of stains, free of foreign impurities, juice pH at 4.5-7.5, formaldehyde content not greater than 30 ppm, free of optical brighteners, free of pathogenic microorganisms, total countable microorganisms not greater than 500 CFU/g, insignificant skin irritation...

According to Kienthuc