The people at Adcock Ingram – the company who brings you a wide range of TLC facial cleansing wipes – have joined forces with WESSA (the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa) to help promote saving SA’s precious water resources.

According to a study done by the WWF, by 2025 our country’s water supply will not match up to our water demand.  I must admit, I myself am guilty of taking water for granted.  I love long hot baths and I stay in the shower probably longer than I should.  But what if the option of having a bath or shower just wasn’t there any longer?  That’s a pretty scary thought.  And sadly something plenty of people already have to live with day to day.

The Adcock Ingram folks have found that by using a cleansing wipe instead of the normal cleanser & water method, you could save 7 litres of water per wash.  That’s pretty insane, isn’t it?  Never even gave my morning & evening ritual a second thought.

They have launched the “TLC Save Water Challenge” and are encouraging all SA women (and men – come now you boys need clean faces too!) to support the cause by switching to cleansing wipes.  50 cents form the sale of every pack of wipes will also be donated to WESSA to help support their water saving initiatives.

TLC wipes come in 6 variants, 4 of which have been on the market for a while:

• Deep Cleanse make-up remover wipes for normal & combination skin (40s and 60s packs available) – R59.99 for pack of 60
  Deep Cleanse make-up remover wipes for sensitive & normal skin (40s and 60s packs available) – R59.99 for pack of 60
• Spot Fighter cleansing wipes (40s pack) – R39.99
• Exfoliating Oil-free wipes (40s pack) – R39.99

And then 2 new variants:

• Coenzyme Q10 cleansing facial wipes (25s pack) – R42.99
  - Aimed at women over the age of 30
  - They containt the antioxidant Coenzyme Q10 which helps boost skin repair & regeneration.
• Acne Wash cleansing facial wipes with Salicylic Acid (25s pack) – R42.99
  - Aimed at teenagers,
  - They contain Salicylic Acid which promotes the shedding of dead skin cells which in turn prevents clogged pores.

Other good things to know:

• All the wipes are dermatologically tested
• And they do not make use of animal testing (a non-negotiable item for me)

The only thing I felt I needed to point out is that this is not a recyclable product.  This means that your wipes will end up in a landfill, which is the same problem with many other products we use on a daily basis.  This was a concern to me personally as I had made a promise to myself to do more with regards to recycling this year.  BUT I quizzed the Adcock Ingram guys about it and they were very open and honest saying that they do not claim to be green at all, but what they are trying to do is promote a green behaviour.  To them they felt that instead of sitting back and doing nothing, they could at least do some good by addressing a very important environmental issue.

So the choice is up to you as to which you feel is worse:  A cleansing wipe on a landfil or 7 litres of water wasted with each wash?

I battled with it myself for a few days.  In the end I’ve decided that I would still amp up my efforts with regards to recycling the paper & plastic products which I use which can be recycled and then I would also introduce the wipes into my routine, maybe not twice a day, every day, but at least on a regular basis to still contribute to the water saving efforts.

As I’m a facial wipe “virgin”, I opted to give their Coenzyme Q10 cleansing wipes a test run as I’m now a woman over the age of 30 (sob sob sob…):

Love the plastic resealable lid thingy which ensures your wipes don’t dry out.

I’m someone who’s not that clued up on skin stuffs, especially anti-aging products PLUS I’m super basic when it comes to my beauty regime.  So I love the fact that this is giving me a little extra boost without much effort at all.  It also left my skin feeling fresh, soft and slightly moisturised.  I have quite a dry skin, so that was also a nice added bonus.

I’m interested to know how other people feel with regards to the recycling vs water saving issue.  So if you feel like sharing, leave a comment below.  Would love to hear from you guys.

xxx