Are Biom Wipes Non-Toxic? Full Ingredient Breakdown
If you found Biom while searching for a plastic-free alternative to conventional wipes, the honest answer to "are Biom wipes non-toxic?" is mostly yes, with caveats that depend on which Biom wipe you're holding. Biom makes five different wipes, and they don't all share the same ingredient story. This is an unbiased, ingredient-by-ingredient look at the whole line, using EWG's published ratings for every single ingredient.
TL;DR:
- Biom's baby wipes and hand-sanitizing wipes are the cleanest of the line — nearly every ingredient earns EWG's lowest hazard score (1).
- Biom's all-purpose wipes are reasonable, with a handful of moderate (EWG "C") preservatives and surfactants and optional essential-oil fragrance.
- Biom's disinfecting wipes are the outlier: they contain the only EWG "D" and "F" rated ingredients in the line and make germ-kill claims that, in the US, legally require EPA registration, which we could not verify in public EPA listings or on the product page.
Key Takeaways
- The wipe material is viscose, not cotton. Biom confirms its all-purpose and hand-sanitizing wipes are "100% viscose (a fancy word for blended wood pulp)," plant-derived and microplastic-free, but chemically regenerated rather than an unprocessed natural fiber.
- No Biom wipe is EWG VERIFIED. The favorable ingredient ratings come from looking up each ingredient individually in EWG's databases; the products themselves do not carry EWG's product-level certification.
- "Non-toxic" depends on the product. The baby wipes (all ingredients EWG 1–2) are very different from the disinfecting wipes (which include a "D"- and an "F"-rated ingredient).
What Are Biom Wipes Made Of?
Biom wipes are made from viscose or cellulose fibers, plant-derived materials that are biodegradable and free of the plastics found in most conventional wipes. According to Biom's own help center, the all-purpose and hand-sanitizing wipes are "100% viscose (a fancy word for blended wood pulp)," the flushable wipes are 100% cellulose, and the company says its wipes are made in the United Kingdom and the United States.
This matters because most disposable wipes on store shelves are made from polyester or polypropylene, plastics that shed microplastic fibers onto the surfaces they touch. Switching to a cellulose-based wipe genuinely removes that plastic-shedding problem, and it's Biom's strongest, most defensible claim.
One honest nuance: viscose (also called rayon) is plant-derived but chemically regenerated from wood pulp, not a fiber you'd find in nature. The Federal Trade Commission has repeatedly cautioned brands that fibers like this must be labeled "rayon" or "viscose" rather than implying they're a raw natural material, and notes there is no definitive evidence that "rayon from bamboo" retains the plant's natural properties or biodegrades as marketed (FTC, Bamboo Textiles). Biom's "biodegradable" framing is reasonable for cellulose, but viscose is a processed fiber, not cotton or unbleached pulp.
Are Biom Wipes Non-Toxic? What the EWG Ratings Actually Say
Most Biom ingredients score in the low-to-moderate hazard range, but you have to read two different EWG scales to interpret them correctly. Personal-care wipes (baby, flushable, hand-sanitizing) are rated on EWG's Skin Deep scale of 1–10, where 1–2 is low hazard and 7–10 is high. Cleaning wipes (all-purpose, disinfecting) use EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning scale of A–F, where A is best and F is worst. Mixing the two up is the single most common mistake in wipe "safety" articles, so here is each product on its own scale.
Biom All-Purpose Wipes
Rated on the cleaners A–F scale, the all-purpose wipes are solid but not spotless. Water and Sodium Citrate earn an "A"; the gentle cleansing agent Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, organic Aloe Vera, the preservative Benzyl Alcohol, and Sorbic Acid each earn a "C," EWG's middle "some concern" tier, largely for skin or allergy potential (EWG, Benzyl Alcohol). There are no "D" or "F" ingredients here.
The all-purpose wipes are also available either fragrance-free or scented with essential oils (grapefruit, santal, neroli, lavender). Essential oils are plant-derived, but they're still fragrance and can be skin sensitizers, so the fragrance-free version is the lower-risk choice for sensitive or reactive skin. Biom makes no antimicrobial claim for this product. It cleans; it doesn't disinfect.
Biom Baby Wipes
These are the cleanest wipes Biom makes. On the Skin Deep 1–10 scale, every ingredient scores a 1 except Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate), which scores a 2: Water, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Aloe, Glycerin, Citric Acid, and Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate. The formula is roughly 99% water, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, and the brand states it's dermatologist-tested and pediatrician-approved. For a wipe designed for diaper changes and newborn skin, this is a genuinely low-hazard ingredient deck.
Biom Disinfecting Wipes
This is the product where "non-toxic" gets complicated, on two fronts. First, the ingredients: on the A–F cleaners scale, the disinfecting wipes contain the only "D" and "F" ingredients in Biom's entire line. Pelargonic Acid earns an "F" (EWG, Pelargonic Acid), and C12-15 Alcohols Ethoxylated earns a "D" (EWG, C12-15 Alcohols Ethoxylated). Ethoxylated ingredients are also flagged because the ethoxylation process can leave trace 1,4-dioxane, which the FDA identifies as a potential contaminant that can appear as a trace impurity in ethoxylated ingredients (FDA, 1,4-Dioxane in Cosmetics). To be fair, this is still a very different formula from quat-based conventional disinfecting wipes, and Pelargonic Acid is a naturally occurring fatty acid. But on EWG's own scale, these are the highest-concern ingredients Biom uses.
Second, the claims. Biom states the wipes "kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2" in about 30 seconds. In the United States, any product that makes germ-kill or disinfecting claims is regulated as an antimicrobial pesticide and must be registered with the EPA, which reviews the supporting data and approves the exact label language before sale (EPA, Determining If a Cleaning Product Is a Pesticide Under FIFRA). We could not find an EPA registration number for Biom's disinfecting wipes in public EPA listings (EPA, Selected EPA-Registered Disinfectants) or on the product page. That doesn't prove the product is unregistered (registration numbers live on the physical label), but if you're buying a wipe specifically to disinfect, look for an "EPA Reg. No." on the packaging before you rely on the kill claim.
Biom Flushable Wipes
On the Skin Deep 1–10 scale, the flushable wipes are mostly low-hazard 1s and 2s, with one ingredient standing out: Benzyl Alcohol, which scores a 4 (moderate) as a personal-care ingredient (EWG, Benzyl Alcohol). The wipes are unscented, 100% cellulose, and Biom says they're certified to IWSFG flushability standards. Independent testing by The Quality Edit reported they "actually flushed" and broke down without clogging, a meaningful point since most "flushable" wipes are notorious for the opposite.
Biom Hand-Sanitizing Wipes
The hand-sanitizing wipes are about as simple as a sanitizing wipe gets. Just four ingredients, all scoring a 1 on Skin Deep: 65% organic ethanol, water, aloe, and glycerin. The 65% ethanol level clears the threshold health agencies recommend for effective hand sanitizer (health agencies advise alcohol-based sanitizers contain at least 60% alcohol to be effective, FDA, Safely Using Hand Sanitizer). Clean, effective, no surprises.
How Do Biom Wipes Perform in Real Use?
Reviews are largely positive on sustainability and cleaning power, but durability and saturation are recurring complaints. A three-month hands-on review at mindbodygreen found the all-purpose wipes "absorb well without feeling flimsy," handled cemented-on stovetop messes, and would be repurchased, with the one knock being some streaking on stainless steel. The Quality Edit praised the flushable wipes for genuinely breaking down.
On the other side, aggregated customer reviews flag the most common gripes: wipes that tear while dispensing, formulas some users find under-moisturized or dry, resistance pulling wipes from the canister, and a premium price relative to conventional wipes. None of these are safety issues. They're value and usability trade-offs worth knowing before you subscribe.
How Do the Five Biom Wipes Compare?
| Biom Product | Material | EWG scale | Highest-concern ingredient | Disinfectant? | EWG Verified? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Purpose Wipes | Viscose | Cleaners A–F | Several "C" (preservatives, surfactant) | No | No |
| Baby Wipes | Cellulose | Skin Deep 1–10 | Vitamin E (2) | No | No |
| Disinfecting Wipes | Cellulose | Cleaners A–F | Pelargonic Acid (F) | Claims yes* | No |
| Flushable Wipes | Cellulose | Skin Deep 1–10 | Benzyl Alcohol (4) | No | No |
| Hand-Sanitizing Wipes | Viscose | Skin Deep 1–10 | All ingredients (1) | Sanitizer (65% ethanol) | No |
| Scrunchy All-Purpose Wipes (cotton, for reference) | 100% cotton | Cleaners A–F | — | No | Yes |
*Disinfecting kill claims in the US require EPA registration; verify the EPA Reg. No. on the label.
How Do Biom's All-Purpose Wipes Compare to a Cotton Wipe Like Scrunchy?
The only fair head-to-head is Biom's all-purpose wipes against another all-purpose surface wipe. Biom's baby, flushable, disinfecting, and hand-sanitizing wipes don't have a Scrunchy equivalent. On the all-purpose category specifically, the main differences come down to substrate and certification. Scrunchy All-Purpose Wipes use a 100% cotton substrate (an unprocessed natural fiber that gets stronger when wet) and are EWG VERIFIED, fragrance-free, alcohol-free, and dye-free; like Biom, they're not a diaper wipe and should be rinsed off surfaces before food contact. Biom's all-purpose wipes, by contrast, use processed viscose, offer essential-oil scent options, and are biodegradable and home-compostable, but are not EWG Verified.
The honest trade-offs: Biom is meaningfully cheaper per wipe (its canister and refill formats run well under a dime per wipe), comes in a much broader range of formats, and is compostable. Scrunchy costs more per wipe and isn't flushable or compostable, but offers a natural-fiber substrate and a third-party EWG product audit. Neither is "the toxic one." They're built for different priorities.
FAQ
Are Biom wipes actually non-toxic?
For most of the line, the ingredients are low-to-moderate hazard by EWG's published ratings, and all the wipes are free of the plastics, parabens, phthalates, and triclosan found in many conventional wipes. The baby and hand-sanitizing wipes are the cleanest (nearly all ingredients score EWG 1). The disinfecting wipes are the exception, containing the only "D" and "F" rated ingredients in the line. "Non-toxic" is fair as a general description, but it's product-specific, and no Biom wipe carries an independent EWG VERIFIED certification.
Are Biom baby wipes safe for newborns?
By ingredient hazard, they're among the cleanest baby wipes available, roughly 99% water, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, and every ingredient scores a 1 or 2 on EWG's Skin Deep scale. Biom states they're dermatologist-tested and pediatrician-approved, though it's worth knowing those are marketing terms rather than regulated certifications. As with any product used on broken or irritated skin, patch-test first and check with your pediatrician if your baby has a specific skin condition such as eczema or a known contact allergy.
Do Biom disinfecting wipes really kill germs?
Biom claims they kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, in about 30 seconds. In the US, that kind of claim legally requires EPA registration and EPA-approved label language before the product can be sold; the EPA reviews efficacy data and approves the exact wording (EPA, Determining If a Cleaning Product Is a Pesticide Under FIFRA). We could not confirm an EPA registration number in public listings or on the product page, so if disinfection is your primary goal, look for an "EPA Reg. No." printed on the physical packaging before relying on it. And note that the disinfecting wipes contain the highest-concern ingredients in the entire Biom line, including an EWG "F"-rated ingredient and an ethoxylated surfactant associated with potential 1,4-dioxane contamination.
About the Author
Jenn Smith, RN BSN, is a registered nurse, mom, and co-founder of Scrunchy Living. She writes evidence-based guides to non-toxic living, pregnancy-safe products, and clean home practices for modern families.
⚠️ Medical Disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Product formulations and certifications can change — always check the current label. Consult a qualified professional before making changes to your family's health or wellness routine.