Spunlace and air-through nonwoven for wet wipes and cosmetic pads

What a wipe needs from the fabric

A wipe is used wet, against skin or a surface, and then thrown away. The fabric has to stay strong when it is wet, hold and release its lotion, feel soft and leave no lint behind.

Spunlace is the usual base for wet wipes because its fibres are entangled by fine water jets rather than held together with a binder. The result is soft, strong and low-lint, with no binders in the fabric.

Choosing the fibre

The fibre mix sets how the wipe feels, how much liquid it holds and how strong it is. We make spunlace in polyester, viscose, cotton, Tencel and bamboo, and in blends of these.

• Viscose: soft and absorbent; widely used in baby and personal-care wipes.
• Polyester: adds strength, especially when the fabric is wet; often blended with viscose.
• Cotton: a natural fibre, for wipes and pads sold on a cotton claim.
• Tencel and bamboo: cellulose-based fibres for ranges built around them.
• Blends: a balance of softness, absorbency, strength and cost.

Fibre choice and market claims

If your market asks for wipes without plastic fibres, start from a blend without polyester, and tell us exactly what claim you will make on the pack. The specification can then be set to match it. Checking that a claim is allowed in your market remains with the brand owner.

Surface and finish

Spunlace can be made with different surfaces, which change how the wipe looks, feels and cleans:

• Plain: a smooth, even surface.
• Apertured: small open holes that give a textured surface and let lotion pass through.
• Embossed: a raised pattern that adds bulk and gives a premium texture and coverage.
• Printed: patterns or colours printed on the fabric.
• Treated: finishes applied for the end use.

Spunlace or air-through for cosmetic pads?

Cosmetic and facial pads are made from both. Spunlace gives a strong, low-lint surface in natural or blended fibres. Hot air-through nonwoven is bonded by passing heated air through the web, so it keeps its loft: it is soft and bulky, with an open structure that takes up liquid quickly, and is available hydrophilic or hydrophobic.

Choose by the feel you want and how your pad is made. We make both, so you can test samples of each on your own line.

How we supply

Our spunlace is made on French technology, with an annual capacity of 12,000 MT, and supplied as jumbo rolls or slit rolls. Hot air-through nonwoven is supplied as rolls slit to width, from 12 to 70 gsm. Both come from our own lines, and 5–6 different products can be combined in one 40'HQ container, so wipe and pad materials can ship together.