ICS 71.100.70  
 
Reference number  
DRS 439: 2020  
© RSB 2020  
  
 RWANDA 
STANDARD               DRS   
             439 
 
                                 First edition  
                               2020 -mm-dd 
 
Non-woven skin care wet wipes –
Specification  
   
DRS 439: 2020  
©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved                  ii 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep  continuous progress in industries, 
standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2020  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be re produced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without 
prior written permission from R SB. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to : 
Rwanda Standards  Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
KK 15 Rd, 49  
Tel. +250 788303492  
Toll Free: 3250  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  
ePortal: www .portal.rsb.gov.rw   DRS 439: 2020  
iii                ©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved  
 Contents   
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  iv 
Non-woven skin care wet wipes –Specification  ................................ ................................ .....................  1 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  2 
3 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  2 
3.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  2 
3.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  3 
3.2.1  Physical and mechanical requirements  ................................ ................................ .....................  3 
3.2.2  Chemical requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  3 
3.2.3  Microbiological requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 4 
4 Packaging and labelling ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  4 
4.1 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 4 
4.2 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  5 
4.2.1  Primary package  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  5 
4.2.2  Secondary packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  5 
5 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 6 
Annex  A (normative)  Determination of length and width  ................................ ................................ ..... 7 
A.1 Apparatus  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 7 
A.2 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 7 
A.2.1  Procedure for width  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  7 
A.2.2  Procedure for length  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  7 
Annex  B (normative)  Determination of moisture content  ................................ ................................ .... 9 
B.1 Principle  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  9 
B.2 Apparatus  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 9 
B.3 Sample  preparation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  9 
B.4 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 9 
B.5 Calculations  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  10 
 DRS 439: 2020  
©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved                  iv 
 Foreword   
Rwanda Standard s are prepared  by Technical Committees and approved by R wanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board  of Directors in  accordanc e with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national standards.  Final Draft Rwanda S tandards adopted 
by Tec hnical committ ees are ratified  by me mbers of RSB Board of Director s for publication and gazettment as 
Rwanda Standards.  
DRS  439 was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 029, Textile and leather technology . 
In the preparation of this standard, reference w as made to the following standard s: 
1) SANS 1245, Non-woven cleaning wipes  
2) KS 2720, Non-woven disposable wet wipes — Specification  
The assistance de rived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks.  
Committee membership  
The following organization s were represented on the Technical Committee on Textile and leather technology  
(RSB/TC 029) in the preparation of this standard.  
Paragraph of p articipants  
Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM)  
University of Rwanda -College of Agriculture, Animal Scienc es and Veterinary Medicine (UR/CAVM)  
University of Rwanda -College of Science and Technology (UR/CST)  
DOKMAI Rwanda Ltd  
UTEXRWA Ltd  
Rene Pharmacy  
LIXIL/SATO  
GBF Leather and Art Promotors Ltd  
Glo creations LTD  
Rwanda  Standards Board  (RSB) – Secretariat  DRS 439: 2020  
v                ©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved  
 DRS 439: 2020  
©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved                  vi 
 Introduction  
Non-woven wet wipes are disposable sanitary products subjected to light rubbing or friction in order to remove 
dirt and germs on the surface. Wet wipes are used for baby hygiene, facial cleansing, and intimate personal 
hygiene (feminine wipes and moist toilet tissue) as well as household, industrial, medical and institutional 
cleaning. They can be classified into general purpose wet wipes, hygiene wet wipes and disinfecting wet wipes 
based on intended use. General purpose wet wipes are used for the  general cleaning without bactericidal effects 
and can be applied on human body, kitchen utensils and toilet utensils; hygiene wet wipes refer to cleaning and 
bactericidal wipes applied on hand, skin, mucous membrane or surface of ordinary objects; disinfe cting wet 
wipes refer to disinfectant wipes treated as carrier disinfectants applied on hand, skin, mucous  membrane or 
surface of ordinary object and medical device.  
 DRS 439: 2020  
1                ©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved  
  
Non-woven skin care wet wipes –Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft  Rwanda Standard  specifi es the requirements, methods of sampling and test for non-woven skin care 
wet wipes . 
 This draft covers both adults and baby  wet wipes.  
2 Normative references  
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content  constitutes 
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the 
latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
RS ISO 1833 -1, Textiles — Quantitative chemical anal ysis — Part 1: General principles of testing  
RS ISO 139, Textiles  — Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing  
ISO 9073 -1, Test methods for nonwovens — Part1: Determination of mass per unit area  
ISO 9073 -18, Test methods for nonwovens — Part 18: Det ermination of breaking strength and elongation of 
nonwoven materials using the grab tensile test . 
RS ISO 3071, Textile materials; Method for determination of pH value of aqueous extracts  
ISO 20743, Textiles — Determination of antibacterial activity of text ile products  
ISO 21149, Cosmetics — Microbiology — Enumeration and detection of aerobic mesophilic bacteria  
RS ISO 22717, Cosmetics — Microbiology — Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa  
RS ISO 22718, Cosmetics — Microbiology — Detection of Staphylococcus au reus 
RS ISO 18416, Cosmetics — Microbiology — Detection of Candida albicans  
RS ISO 21150, Cosmetics — Microbiology — Detection of Escherichia coli  
RS EAS 96 -1, Sanitary towels — Specification  
RS EAS 377 -1, Cosmetics and cosmetic products — Part 1: List of substances prohibited in cosmetic products   
©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved                  2 
 RS EAS 377 -2, Cosmetic and cosmetic products — Part 2: List of substances which cosmetic products must 
not contain except subject to the restrictions laid down  
RS EAS 377 -4, Cosmetics and cosmetics products — Part 4: List of preservatives allowed in cosmetic products  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 
non-woven  
 
sheet of fibres, continuous filaments, or chopped yarns made from shorts staple fibres  and continuous long 
fibres,, tha t have been formed into a web  and bonded together chemically  mechanically, by heat or solvent 
treatment, excluding the interlacing of yarns as in woven fabric, knitted fabric, laces, braided fabric or tufted 
fabric  
3.2 
wipe 
disposable cloth treated with a cleansing agent, rubbed on the surface to remove dirt or germ  
3.3 
wet wipe or wet towel or moist towelette  
small pre -moistened piece cloth used for cleaning purposes  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General  requirements  
Non-woven skin care wet wipes shall: 
a) be made from  cotton, cellulose, polyester or a blend of cellulose and polyester  when tested in accordance 
with ISO 1833 -11; 
b) be uniformly formed;  
c) be free from defects that might impair their appeara nce or serviceability (or both);  
d) leave no  lint on the  wiped surface ; 
e) be pre -moistened with a non -toxic, hypoallergenic and alcohol free cleansing solution that is completely air 
dried when applied onto the skin ; 
f) be made from ingredients complying with RS EAS 377  part 1, 2 and 4 ; DRS 439: 2020  
3                ©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved  
  
g) have no objecti onable odo ur; and 
h) vapours from the wipes shall not cause adverse side effects such as rashes and irritation of skin, eyes or 
mucous membranes . 
4.2 Specific requirements  
4.2.1  Physical and mechanical requirements  
Non-woven skin care wet wipes  for babies and adults  shall comply with the physical and mechanical 
requirements given in Table  1 when tested in accordance with the test methods specified  therein . 
Table 1 — Physical and mechanical requirements for baby and adult skin care  wet wipes  
S/N  Parameters  Requirements  Test method  
i.  Size, mm  Length  200 
 Annex A  
Width  150 
 
ii.  Mass per unit area, g/m2, min.  36 
 ISO 9073 -1 
iii.  Breaking 
strength, N, 
min. Machine 
direction  6.0 6.0 
 ISO 9073 -18 
3.0 3.0 
 
Cross section  3.5 3.5 
 
2.5 2.5 
 
iv.  Flushability  Pass the t est 
 RS EAS 96 -1 
NOTE  Sizes not specified in this standard should be agreed between the purchaser and the manufacturer  
 
4.2.2  Chemical requirements  
Non-woven skin care wet wipes shall comply with the chemical  requirements given in Table  2 when tested in 
accor dance with the test methods therein specified.  
  
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 Table 2  — Chemical requirements  
S/N  Parameter  Requirements  Test method  
Baby wipes  Adult 
wipes  
I.  pH of extracted cleansing solution  5.5 – 8.5 
 4.5 - 8.5 
 RS ISO 3071  
II.  Lead, mg/kg, max.  10 10 RS EAS 78 6 
III.  Arsenic, mg/kg, max. djdja  2 2 
IV.  Mercury, mg/kg, max.  2 2 
V.  Cadmium, mg/kg, max.  5 5 
VI.  Chlorinated organic compounds, mg/kg, max.  150 150 ISO 11480  
VII.  Moisture content, %, min . 50 50 Annex C  
 
4.2.3  Microbiological requirements  
Non-woven skin care wet wipes  shall comply with the microbiological limits given in Table -3 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods indicated therein.  
Table 3  — Microbiological requirements  
S/N  Parameters  Requirements  Test method  
Baby wipes  Adult wipes  
i.  Anti-Bacterial activity (A), min.  2 2 ISO 20743  
ii.  Total viable count, cfu/ 1g or 1 
mL, max.  100 1 000 ISO 21149  
iii.  Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 
cfu/g  Absen t Absen t RS ISO 22717  
iv.  Staphylococcus aureus  Absent  Absen t RS ISO 22718  
v.  Candida albicans  Absent  Absen t RS ISO 18416  
vi.  Escherichia coli  Absen t Absen t RS ISO 21150  
5 Pack ing and labelling  
5.1 Packaging  
5.1.1  Non-woven skin care wet wipes shall be packaged in a suitable resealable material  presenting no 
defects that can affect its serviceability.  
5.1.2  The primary packaging shall  be designed to easily dispense a single towelette at a time keeping the 
remaining towelettes unexposed to contamination  and prevent loss of the moisture or other active ingredients.  
5.1.3 Only wipes of the same size shall be packed together in both primar y and secondary pack ages . DRS 439: 2020  
5                ©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved  
 5.2 Labelling  
5.2.1  Primary packag ing 
The primary packaging  shall be marked with legible and indelible pre -printed marking bearing the following 
information:  
a) product name as “ Non-woven skin care wet wipes ”; 
b) manufacturer’s name, address and /or trade mark;  
c) date of manufacture and expiry;  
d) batch number;  
e) fibre composition ; 
f) list of ingredients used;  
g) number of wipes in a pack age; 
h) size of wipe in the pack age;  
i) instructions for use, storage and disposal; and  
j) country of origin  
5.2.2  Secondary packaging  or bulk packaging  
The bulk packaging shall bear the following information in legible and indelible marking:  
a) manufacturer’s name , address and/or registered trade mark;  
b) product name as “Non -woven skin care wet wipes ”;  
c) number of packages;  
d) country of origin ; 
e) date of manufacture and expiry ; and   
f) batch number   
©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved                  6 
 6 Sampling  
Random samples of the product shall be drawn for test in accordance with RS ISO 2859 -1. DRS 439: 2020  
7                ©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved  
 
 
(normative)  
 
Determination of length and width  
 
A.1 Apparatus  
A.1.1  Steel scale that is of a length exceeding the  width of the fabric to be measured, and is graduated in 
centimeters and millimeters.  
A.1.2  Marking pen.  
A.2 Procedure  
A.2.1  Procedure for width  
A.2.1.1  Lay the test sample flat and full width (without subjecting it to tension) on a plane surface and condition 
it in that state for at least 24 h in accordance with RS ISO 139.  
A.2.1.2  Take, to the nearest 1 mm, five measurements across the overall width or between the inner most 
selvedge threads (as relevant) of the conditioned test sample at approximately equal interv als throughout its 
length.  
A.2.1.3  Calculate the arithmetic mean of the five measurements and record it as the width of the sample.  
A.2.2  Procedure for length  
A.2.2.1  Take a laboratory sample as specified in the relevant product specification. Where no specifica tion 
exists, take the laboratory sample as agreed upon between the test laboratory and the manufacturer to ensure 
a reasonable and acceptable reliability at a reasonable and acceptable confidence level.  
A.2.2.2  Lay the laboratory sample flat and full width  (without subjecting it to tension) on a plane surface and 
condition it in that state for at least 24 h in accordance with RS ISO 139.  
A.2.2.3  From the conditioned laboratory sample cut a test specimen across the full width of the laboratory 
sample along a  datum line drawn (see 3.1) at right angles to the selvedges and as close as possible to the 
beginning and the end of the laboratory sample.  
A.2.2.4  Take, to the nearest millimeter, five measurements (see B.1.2) of the length of the test specimen at 
approx imately equal intervals across its width.  
  
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 A.2.2.5  Calculate the arithmetic mean of the five measurements and record it as the length, in metres (accurate 
to the nearest centimeter), of the laboratory sample.  
 DRS 439: 2020  
9                ©RSB 2020 - All rights reserved  
 
 
(normative)  
 
Determination of moisture conten t 
B.1 Principle  
A specimen of specified mass of filler material of the non -woven disposable wet wipe is dried in an 
oven at specified temperature and the moisture content is determined.  
B.2 Apparatus  
B.2.1  Balance , with an accuracy of 0.05  % of the weighed mass  
B.2.2 Sample container , waterproof when sealed, will be used for transfer of analyzed material and during 
weighing  
B.2.3  Oven , well ventilated with a temperature of 102 ºC to 105 ºC  
B.3 Sample  preparation  
B.3.1  Take a sufficient number of dry sample containers, number them and take their masses after they are 
held open for a short period of time so that they will have the same air pressure as the surrounding atmosphere. 
Then leave them open until you take the test piece.  
B.3.2  Take 5 random pieces of the wet wipe . The test piece shall weigh 5 g.  
B.3.3  If the surrounding atmosphere is hot and humid, prevent water condensation on the internal and 
external surfaces of the container.  
B.3.4  Handle the test pieces gently to prevent dirt or changes in water content. Don’ t touch the test pieces 
with your bare hands. Put the test pieces in a container just after taking them and close the container 
immediately.  
B.4 Procedure  
B.4.1  Dry the test pieces in an oven with a temperature of 102  ºC to 105  ºC. Open the containers lid and dry 
the specimen inside the container. Open the container for a moment, to balance the air pressure inside the 
container with the surrounding pressure, weigh the container that holds the specimen again and calculate the 
weight of the specimen.  
  
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 B.4.2  First cycle of drying will last at least 30 minutes. Return the container with the test pieces to the oven, 
for at least half the first cycles drying time. Take the container out and take the mass with the test pieces inside. 
Repeat the drying and weighing cycl es. When the drying time on every cycle is at least half of the total previous 
drying cycle times. Continue the process until the difference between two consecutive masses does not exceed 
0.1 % of the original mass of the specimen.  
B.5 Calculations  
Calculate t he moisture content using the following formula  below  and round the results up to the nearest 0.1 %.  
  
𝑉=100𝑎−𝑏
𝑐 
Where,  
a is weight of the container with the specimen before drying (in grams);  
b is weight of the container with the specimen after dry ing (in grams);  
c is weight of the container (in grams); and  
V is water content (in weight %).  
 DRS 439: 2020  
 
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