Neutrogena Makeup Wipe Reactions in 2018: What Happened

Originally published 2018-06-10.

In spring 2018 a Facebook post from a mother named Jaimie Potts went viral. It showed a red, blotchy rash spreading across her daughter's neck next to a pack of Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes, with a warning to other parents not to use them. Within days, other customers were posting similar pictures and leaving one-star reviews describing burning, itching and swollen eyes. Neutrogena responded that the formula had not changed and that it was investigating, and offered affected customers a way to return the product.

No recall followed, and no single cause was ever publicly confirmed. What the episode does show clearly is how common skin reactions to cosmetics are, and what to do if a product suddenly seems to disagree with you.

What happened in 2018

Potts wrote that her daughter, Alyssa, had used the wipes for months without trouble, then opened a brand-new pack and woke up with the reaction shown in the photos. The post was shared tens of thousands of times and drew a flood of comments from people who said the same thing had happened to them.

The screenshot above shows the original post as it circulated. Below are the photos that accompanied it: the pack of towelettes and the rash on the young woman's neck and upper chest.

The pattern of small, raised red patches merging into larger blotches is typical of contact dermatitis, the skin's reaction to something it has touched. A photo cannot show which ingredient caused it, or whether the wipes were the trigger at all, but the timing described by Potts fits the way allergic reactions often appear a few hours to a day after exposure.

What other customers reported

Around the same time, the product page on Neutrogena's own website collected a cluster of one-star reviews. Many came from long-time users who said a new pack had suddenly caused problems. One night-shift worker said she "woke up looking like I had the measles."

This reviewer described a rash and intense itching after buying a new pack of a product she had used for years, and said customer service had not been able to help.

Another long-time user reported itching and redness the day after using a fresh pack, and urged others to avoid the wipes.

This review stands out because it describes a medical visit. The writer said a dermatologist identified the towelettes as the likely cause of a rash around her eyes and cheek, and prescribed treatment. She also noted that she had bought a fragrance-free version, a reminder that "fragrance-free" does not mean free of all potential allergens.

Swollen, sensitive eyes were a recurring complaint. The skin on the eyelids is among the thinnest on the body, which makes it especially prone to irritation.

Here a reviewer described burning and drying under the eyes severe enough to need urgent care, after about two years of using the product without trouble.

This reviewer traced an itchy, flaking patch that started under one eye in December 2017, and only linked it to the wipes after stopping her other products one by one and reading similar complaints.

The same review appeared twice on the page, a sign of how quickly complaints were being copied and shared.

A final review tells a similar story: swollen eyes and dry skin starting in late 2017, improvement after stopping all products, and a flare-up the first night the wipes were used again. Reintroducing products one at a time like this is, in fact, a sensible way to find a trigger.

How Neutrogena responded

Neutrogena, a skincare brand founded in 1930 and owned at the time by Johnson & Johnson (it is now part of Kenvue), replied to customers publicly. In a long message it apologised, said it was carrying out a full investigation and stated that "we can confirm that there have been no changes to the formula of the wipes people have contacted us about." The company asked affected users to call its consumer line, offered a way to return the wipes and said all its products met its quality and safety standards.

We found no record of a recall of these towelettes, and the company did not publish the results of its investigation. That leaves the cause open. Possibilities include a problem with particular batches, an ingredient that some users had become sensitised to over time, or simple coincidence amplified by a viral post. It is worth noting that Neutrogena has recalled other products in later years, including certain aerosol sunscreens in 2021 after benzene was found in some samples, so the company has acted when it confirmed a problem.

Why makeup wipes can irritate skin

Wet wipes are soaked in a liquid that must stay free of bacteria and mould for months in an opened pack, so they rely on preservatives. They are also designed to be left on the skin rather than rinsed off, and they are often rubbed over the delicate eye area.

Some preservatives are well-known allergens. Methylisothiazolinone (MI), for example, caused such a rise in contact allergy across Europe that the American Contact Dermatitis Society named it "Allergen of the Year" in 2013, and the European Union banned it from leave-on cosmetics in 2017. We have no evidence that MI was involved in this case; it simply shows how an ingredient that most people tolerate can trigger reactions in a growing minority.

Fragrances, plant extracts and the rubbing action itself can also irritate. And allergies can develop after years of use, which explains why so many reviewers said a product they had trusted suddenly caused a rash.

Irritant or allergic reaction?

The NHS describes two main types of contact dermatitis:

• Irritant contact dermatitis is the most common. A substance directly damages the outer layer of the skin, and anyone exposed enough can be affected.
• Allergic contact dermatitis happens when the immune system reacts to a substance. Only people who are sensitised react, but they may react to tiny amounts.

Both can cause itchy, dry, cracked or blistered skin. On lighter skin it looks red; on darker skin it may look dark brown, purple or grey. Symptoms usually appear within hours or a couple of days.

What to do if a skincare product causes a rash

• Stop using it straight away, along with any other new products.
• Wash the area gently with lukewarm water and use a plain, fragrance-free moisturiser.
• Keep the packaging so you know the batch number and ingredient list.
• See a pharmacist or doctor if the rash is severe, near the eyes, spreading or not improving. Get urgent help for swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing.
• Ask about patch testing if reactions keep happening. A dermatologist can test you against common allergens to pin down the culprit.
• Report it to the manufacturer and, in the US, to the FDA, or in the UK to the relevant authority, so patterns can be spotted.

Before trying a new product, a simple test on a small patch of skin, such as the inner arm, for a day or two can warn you of a problem. If you prefer to avoid wipes altogether, a gentle cleanser or micellar water on a reusable cloth, followed by rinsing, leaves less residue on the skin.

The family behind the viral post

This family photo circulated with the story and reportedly shows Jaimie Potts with her daughters. Her warning was shared so widely because it spoke to something many people had felt: the surprise of a familiar product suddenly turning on you. Whether or not the wipes were to blame in every case, the advice that came out of it is sound. Pay attention to your skin, stop what hurts, and talk to a doctor when a reaction is severe or keeps coming back.

Sources: NHS: Contact dermatitis; Wikipedia: Methylisothiazolinone; Wikipedia: Neutrogena; story first reported by Viral Thread; photos from Jaimie Potts's Facebook post and customer reviews on Neutrogena's website.