Alcohol Wipes Market

Market Overview

There is increasing consumer preference for online ordering of alcohol wipes due to the boom in demand for preserving personal hygiene. Wipes are not only used to do away with stains from floors, mirrors, and skins but additionally to save from infection of household surfaces and appliances from fungus, dirt, oil grease, and bacteria. They are also used to get rid of grease and stubborn stains that are built up on cabinets, countertops, and stoves.

Market Dynamics

Regulatory Framework for Disinfectants and Sterilants

In the U.S., chemical germicides formulated as sanitizers, disinfectants, or sterilants are regulated in interstate commerce by the Antimicrobials Division, the office of Pesticides Program, EPA, under the authority of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) of 1947.

Under FIFRA, any substance or combination of substances intended to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate any pest must be registered earlier than sale or distribution. FIFRA also requires users of the product to observe the labeling directions on each product under “Directions for Use”.

The U.S. Environment Protection Agency regulates disinfectants, and sterilants use on environmental surfaces sand also on important medical devices. The process of sterilization destroys all microorganisms on the surface of an object or fluid and helps in the prevention of any disease transmission through it. So this is basically used as a medium for safety.

At the Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), their task is to guide the general public on how to save you and respond to infectious illnesses in both healthcare settings and at home. They inform the public of current scientific evidence concerning the products and their safety and efficacy.
Two generally used neutralizing media for chemical disinfectants are Letheen Media and D/E Neutralizing Media used for neutralizing quaternaries, phenolics.

Various Application Areas of Alcohol Wipes

• Healthcare

The primary use of alcohol wipes is in the healthcare sector, where it is used for cleaning medical equipment, especially in intensive care units (ICUs) and operation theatres (OTs), to destroy bacteria that could harm the patient’s health.

• Food and Beverage Industry

Alcohol wipes find excellent application in the food and beverage industry, mandatory under certain rules and regulations. They are often included as a part of a sealed cutlery package offered in restaurants or with airline meals.

• Industrial Wipes

Soaked industrial wipes have the ability of powerful cleaning fluid, that cuts through the dirt as the high-performance fabric absorbs it. They are widely used for cleaning a range of substances from tools and surfaces, hand, and removes dirt, oil, grease, grime, and water-based paints and coatings, adhesives, poly-foam, epoxy, oil, etc. People prefer the packing of alcohol wipes in cylindrical forms to enhance durability.

• Personal Care and Hygiene

Alcohol wipes are widely used in cosmetics for removing makeup and cleaning makeup-kits. They are also used as baby wipes, which are wet wipes used for cleaning the sensitive skin of infants. These are saturated with solutions from gentle cleansing ingredients. They usually come with dispensing mechanisms. These can also be found in toilets of restaurants, service stations, offices, and other places of public use. The alcohol-wet wipes are suitable for outdoor music festivals and communal facilities.

• Pet care

Wet wipes are used as dental cleansing pads with potassium chloride, zinc sulfate,  sodium borate, boric acid for dogs, cats, horses, and birds. Alcohol wipes can help remove ticks from the body of pets.   

The general composition of alcohol wipes in given in the table below:

The isopropyl content in alcohol wipes ranges from 60% to 90%, which should be handled with care and kept away from children. Along with it, there are other ingredients used in the making of alcohol wipe, considering the effects that be caused due to exposure to skin.

Export Scenario for Disinfectants and Sterilants

Alcohol wipes are widely used as disinfectants and sterilants in healthcare services and can help kill various organisms such as fungi, bacteria, etc. In 2018, medical, surgical, and laboratory sterilizers were worth 1.17 billion dollars. Their export grew by 11.9% from 2017 to 2018.

The top exporters of medical, surgical sterilizers are Italy, the U.S., Germany, China, and Mexico.

Regional Analysis

North America: The Most Lucrative Market for Alcohol Wipes

The market of alcohol wipes is expected to hold maximum revenue share in North America during the forecast period. There is high demand in the region due to more awareness about personal hygiene and maintaining household cleaning in the region. Americans have recognized the need for personal care products as well as its industrial use. There are many product launches that are taking place by a number of companies on account of their continuous growth of skincare industry.

Asia-Pacific’s Flourishing Healthcare Industry

The Asia-Pacific alcohol wipes market is expected to expand during the forecast period due to rising consumer awareness and the developing healthcare industry.  There is regional demand for alcohol wipes due to rising expenditure in both the private and public sectors. In countries like India and China, there is an increase in disposable income and spending power of people.

Segmental Analysis

Myriad of Synthetic Material Features

The synthetic material of alcohol wipes accounts for the highest market share in the alcohol wipes market. There are several features of synthetic wipes such as softness, heat resistance absorbance, and lightweight that propels its growth in the market. Factors like premiumization play a significant role in the sensitive sanitizing alcohol wipes segment growth.

Supermarkets and Hypermarkets’ Diverse Product Range  

There are diverse products available in supermarkets with different brands. There are changing consumer preferences that can be satisfied at a larger retail space. A slew of supermarkets take into consideration consumer desires for variability in products, thereby boosting the demand for alcohol wipes market.