With hundreds of thousands of baby products on the market, new parents will often find themselves having to choose between this and that.
This comparison between WaterWipes vs Pampers Pure is meant to make things a bit easier with an honest unsponsored look at both wet wipes.
We’ve used several different kinds of wipes with our girls including:
- WaterWipes
- Pampers Aqua Pure
- Pampers Sensitive
- Honest Company
- Aleva
- Babyganics (these dried out my oldest’s skin)
- Huggies Natural Care
- Hello Bello
The two we’ll be discussing here are our favorites though.
Keep reading to learn about:
- whether WaterWipes and Pampers Pure are the same
- differences between the two products
- WaterWipes ingredients
- Pampers Pure ingredients
- where both kinds of wipes are made
- an overview of each products’ packaging, fabric, ease of use, and eco-friendliness
- which baby wipes are best
Let’s get started with a few questions new parents often ask.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I could earn a commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase using them.
WaterWipes vs Pampers Aqua Pure (Unsponsored Review)
My first daughter had incredibly sensitive skin as a baby and the wrong wipes and diapers would leave her skin feeling dry and sore.
As a result, we tried A LOT of different baby wipes and diapers.
For her delicate skin, we had reaction-free experiences with a combination of cloth diapering at home (and Bambo Nature Diapers on the go) plus WaterWipes and Pampers Aqua Pure!
Are WaterWipes and Pampers Pure the same?
WaterWipes and Pampers Pure wipes are very similar but they are NOT the same.
In terms of ingredients lists though, both WaterWipes and Pampers Pure boast an incredible 99% or more water in their formulation.
They’re also both safe to use on bottoms, hands, AND faces!
Both wipes are high-quality and manufactured in Europe!
What is the difference between WaterWipes and Pampers Aqua Pure wipes?
There are several differences between these wipes including:
- purity
- liquid ingredients
- wipe fabric
- packaging
- where they are made
Arguably, WaterWipes also have a slight edge over Pampers Aqua Pure when it comes to sensitive skin because they’re 99.9% water-based.
That’s 0.9% more water than Pampers Pure.
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What is the difference between WaterWipes and baby wipes?
WaterWipes are a brand of baby wipes.
In comparison to traditional baby wipes, they contain significantly more water and fewer additives like fragrances, dyes, and preservatives.
What is the difference between Pampers Pure and Pampers Sensitive wipes?
Pampers Pure wipes are Pampers’ answer to WaterWipes with their 99% water-based formulation.
Pampers Sensitive wipes have a formulation of 97% water and 3% other ingredients including:
- citric acid
- PEG-40 Hydrogenated castor oil
- Sodium citrate
- Sorbitan caprylate
- Sodium benzoate
- Disodium EDTA
- BIS-PEG/PPG-16/16 PEG/PPG-16/16 Dimethicone
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- Xanthum Gum
Both Pampers Pure and Sensitive wipes are fragrance, alcohol, phenoxyethanol, dye, and paraben-free but Pampers Sensitive prioritizes pH balance.
Because of this, Pampers Sensitive wipes also have a few extra additives and the fabric of the wipes is a bit thicker.
According to Pampers’ website, Pampers Pure wipes are:
- 99% Pure water
- Ultra-purified water for our simplest formula
- Soft fabric
- Made with premium cotton, regenerated cellulose and polyester for a soft and gentle clean against baby’s skin
- 1% Gentle skin protectors
- Made with gentle cleansers, pH balancing ingredients and preservatives (to help protect your wipes from contamination)
Based on customer reviews, Aqua Pure wipes score 4.7 or higher among all categories including:
- cleans well
- scent
- softness
- gentle cleaning
- good value
Pampers’ website describes their Pampers Sensitive wipes as:
- pH balancing lotion
- Helps maintain skin’s natural pH
- For healthy skin
- Use together with Pampers Swaddlers Diapers
- 0% Phenoxyethanol, paraben, perfume & alcohol
- Specifically designed with your baby’s skin needs in mind
- As mild as washcloth and water
- Ideal for baby’s sensitive skin
Based on over 16,000 reviews, Pampers Sensitive wipes score a 4.6 or higher in:
- scent
- gentle cleaning
- softness
- good value
WaterWipes vs Pampers Aqua Pure
Let’s compare the following criteria one point at a time:
- Packaging
- Wipes
- Fabric
- Clean up
- Where they’re made
- Ingredients
- Price
Packaging
I’ll break this first section into two categories: Sealing and Dispensing
WaterWipes: features the same traditional baby wipes packaging parents have come to know.
Sealing
Unfortunately, the seal is a simple piece of plastic with sticky edges though. Meaning if the seal gets wet or is left open for extended periods of time, the adhesive may start to diminish.
You’ll want to make sure you carefully close your WaterWipes every time you use them otherwise, you’ll risk the package not closing and your wipes drying out.
Dispensing
Sometimes, pulling out a single wipe can also be a TOTAL pain!
The wipes are stacked on top of one another but you’ll need to pinch them JUST right to pull out a single wipe without (a) pulling out additional wipes or (b) tearing the package open!
And, as we’ve already noted, the lack of a plastic cap to seal the wipes can make them difficult to close.
This paired with a rip in the package can expose your wipes to a lot of air and therefore, dry them out!
How many wipes are in a package of WaterWipes?
There are 60 wipes in a package of WaterWipes.
Pampers Pure: utilizes the same traditional baby wipes plastic packaging as most brands.
Sealing
The seal is a plastic lid that requires light pressure to open and clicks when you shut it.
Since your not pulling a sticker to open and shut the wipes every time you use them, your packages are also much less likely to tear – yay!
Because of this, Pampers Pure wipes are less prone to drying out than WaterWipes.
Dispensing
Pampers Pure wipes packages utilize the company’s “exclusive one-wipe dispensing pop-top” to prevent wasting additional wipes when you don’t need them.
This makes tidying up after your clean-up a bit easier.
You won’t need to worry about stuffing wipes back into the package if you accidentally pulled out too many!
How many wipes are in a package of Pampers Aqua Pure wipes?
There are 56 wipes in a package of Pampers Aqua Pure wipes.
Wipes
WaterWipes: if you like more of a damp wipe for clean-up, WaterWipes are great!
This is my preference for cleaning up large messes like diaper blowouts.
WaterWipes are almost a perfect square and measure at 6.5″ x 7″ when laid flat.
Pampers Pure: this is more of a damp wipe compared to other traditional baby wipes. Pampers Aqua Pure wipes are just slightly less damp than WaterWipes.
They’re also great for enormous clean-ups!
I pair my wipes with Honest’s soothing bottom wash for REALLY big messes.
Pampers Pure wipes are slightly larger than WaterWipes and measure at about 6.5″ x 8″.
I did find that they’re more prone to stretching though and some may seem a little bigger than others (at the cost of the fabric being pulling and thinning out).
Fabric
WaterWipes: made of 80% polyester and 20% viscose – this also makes them 20% biodegradable!
Pampers Pure: made with soft premium cotton
Pampers Pure wipes are slightly softer than WaterWipes.
Clean Up
WaterWipes: big messes are no match for these baby wipes!
You won’t need more than one for a small wipe and personally, I found that 4 normally do the trick for a BIG job!
Pampers Pure: you and your baby will both feel comfortable when using these gentle baby wipes.
Again, one wipe is more than enough for a small clean and 4 will usually take care of even the biggest messes.
Where are Pampers Aqua Pure wipes made?
Pampers Aqua Pure Water Wipes are made in Poland.
Where are WaterWipes made?
Water Wipes are made in Ireland.
Ingredients
Are WaterWipes really just water?
WaterWipes are made of:
- 99.9% water
- 0.1% of fruit extract
- traces of benzalkonium chloride
What is benzalkonium chloride?
Benzalkonium chloride (BAK) is a non-toxic substance most commonly used as an antimicrobial agent and preservative.
Benzalkonium chloride ranks Fair (with a score of 5) on EWG’s Skin Deep.
According to this study, BAK concentrations of up to 0.01% were found to be non-toxic in ophthalmic solutions.
This an interesting observation especially when you consider the fact that our eyes are much more sensitive organs than our skin – 10x more sensitive to UV light, for instance.
Water Wipes is the cleaner choice
They pride themselves on being made of 99.9% water and a drop of fruit extract – Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) seed extract 0.1% (with a trace of benzalkonium chloride)
Pampers Pure Ingredients
Although not quite as pure as Water Wipes, Pampers Pure boast an impressive ingredients list composed of 99% water and 1% of the following:
- citric acid (a naturally occurring substance found in citrus fruits like lemons and limes)
- PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil
- Sodium citrate
- Sorbitan caprylate
- Sodium benzoate
- Disodium EDTA
And while some of the ingredients sound a bit scary, their formal chemical compound names actually sound more intimidating than they are.
All ingredients listed above score between a 1 and 3 on EWG’s data chart.
Pampers Pure wipes are also free of the following undesirable add ons:
- phenoxyethanol
- parabens
- perfume
- dye
- alcohol
Price
WaterWipes: on Amazon and most other major retailers, WaterWipes are priced between $0.05 to $0.06 USD a wipe.
Pampers Pure: on Amazon and at other major retailers, Pamper Pure wipes are priced between $0.03 to $0.04 USD a wipe making them slightly less expensive than WaterWipes.
Are WaterWipes flushable? What about Pampers Aqua Pure?
No, neither of these wipes are flushable.
If you prefer a flushable wipe, we suggest Cottonelle flushable wipes.
They’re the best-selling biodegradable wipes around and start to break down when flushed.
You can also find them on Amazon and other major retailers like Walmart and Costco.
Does WaterWipes have a rewards program? What is Pampers Rewards?
No, WaterWipes does not currently have a rewards program at this time.
You can save some money on them by shopping when they’re on sale or adding them to your Amazon subscriptions.
When you add 5 or more monthly subscriptions to your Amazon account, you’ll save up to 15% off every item – which means your wipes will cost a bit less!
Pampers Rewards
Love to get rewarded for your purchases?
Then Pampers might win you over with this one!
Pampers offers a Pampers Club program that you can collect Pampers Cash for with the purchase of any of their products, including wipes, diapers, and their new Lumi Smart Sleep System.
You can redeem for things like coupons, gift cards, diapers, photobooks and other keepsakes, or even donate your Pampers Cash to a cause of your choice.
Final Thoughts on WaterWipes vs Pampers Pure Wipes
After trying nearly a dozen different types of baby wipes, we found WaterWipes and Pampers Aqua Pure to be a step above the rest.
We love that both WaterWipes and Pampers Pure are made with 99% or more water and that they’re safe on sensitive bottoms, hands, and faces – it makes life as a parent SO much easier!
The quality of both products is also REALLY similar – the major difference lies in their unique formulations.
Both WaterWipes and Pampers Aqua Pure baby wipes are easy to use because they don’t require any additional liquid to use for your baby.
However, since Pampers Aqua Pure comes from a well-known and trusted brand, they have a slight edge over WaterWipes in terms of reputation.
But as more and more stores have started stocking WaterWipes (in the United States and especially Canada), this brand’s popularity has exploded in recent years.
I almost exclusively used WaterWipes with my first daughter since her sensitive skin reacted to a lot of other popular wipes brands on the market.
At that time, you also couldn’t find WaterWipes anywhere besides Amazon (in Canada)!
So when Amazon had supply issues (and we used the last wipe in our stockpile), we were forced to try other brands like Honest Company, Aleva, Babyganics, and Huggies Natural Care – most of which were too dry for our liking.
Then Pampers Aqua Pure wipes launched in 2018 and made for a wonderful alternative!
Pampers Aqua Pure is a damp primarily water-based wipe that’s slightly drier than a WaterWipe.
But as someone who prefers a damper wipe, I can tell you that it isn’t a deal-breaker.
Which baby wipes are best?
I’ll be 100% honest with you, these wipes are as similar as it gets.
So, what do we use? Whatever’s on sale 🙂
Enjoyed this comparison? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Happy diapering, friend!
Nikki Slivarich
Blessed mama of two beautiful little girls. I’m a full-time blogger and social media content creator who teaches moms and boss babes how to start an online business. Follow me on social for clever ideas to make money using the platforms you already love!
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