The £1.45 NIVEA Face Wipes Most Buyers Love and a Few Can't Use
Soothing for one shopper, stinging for the next. We read 100 reviews of NIVEA's £1.45 cleansing wipes to work out which camp you're likely to land in.
Two shoppers can use the exact same wipe and walk away with opposite stories. One calls these NIVEA wipes the softest, most soothing thing she has ever put on dry, flaky skin. The next says her eyes were left literally burning. That split is the most interesting thing about the NIVEA Caring 3-in-1 Cleansing Face Wipes, and it's worth understanding before you spend even £1.45 on a pack.
At that price, for 25 plant-based wipes enriched with Argan Oil and Hyaluronic Acid, this is about as low-risk as skincare shopping gets. But "cheap and mostly loved" doesn't tell you whether you'll be in the group reaching for a second pack or the group binning them after one. We read through 100 customer reviews to map out exactly who falls where, and why.
The reviewer split nobody warns you about
Across the 100 reviews we read, the headline number is reassuring: 75 of them are five stars, and the average lands at 4.39. The overwhelming majority describe a soft, moisturising wipe that lifts makeup and leaves skin feeling fresh rather than tight. That's the experience NIVEA designed for, and most people get it.
Then there's the other group. Eight one-star reviews sit at the bottom, and when you read them a pattern jumps out: stinging and burning, often around the eyes. "Definitely not for sensitive skin. Skin all around my eyes is literally burning. Will have to throw away," writes a reviewer called K. Another, May, who gave three stars, was more puzzled than angry: "Remove makeup well but sting my skin terribly. I don't have sensitive skin so not sure why this occurs."
That last line is the part worth flagging. The reaction isn't limited to people who already know their skin is reactive. A few reviewers who consider their skin tough still ran into it. So while the odds are firmly in your favour, this isn't a wipe to assume will suit you sight unseen, especially near the eye area.
What the happy majority actually rave about
Set the irritation reports aside and the praise is remarkably consistent. The word that comes up again and again is soft. "Really soft and moisturing wipes, cleans off all makeup and leaves skin soft and clean," writes amina mohamed. Tina hill keeps it simple: "Love these wipes leave your face soft and such a nice feel to use."
For dry-skin users in particular, these seem to hit a sweet spot. The formula is built around dry skin, with Argan Oil and Hyaluronic Acid doing the nourishing, and the reviews back that up. Sophie calls them "the perfect cleansing wipes for dry skin." One long-time NIVEA loyalist, now 76, wrote that after years of use "my skin is clear and soft and smooth. I would not use anything else." The most striking story came from Amy Horton, who returned from abroad with sore, flaky skin: "Used two wipes on Sunday and two wipes on Monday and skin sorted!!! Am amazed." Her review picked up seven helpful votes, the most of any in the set.
The other recurring theme is value, and not just because they're cheap. cheesecake made the point that good quality means you use fewer: "As they are good quality, I'm not going through the pack as quick so it's definitely good value." When a wipe costs £1.45 and people still describe it as their daily essential, the maths takes care of itself.
The fragrance: a feature for some, a dealbreaker for others
If irritation is the first fault line, scent is the second, and it's a clearer divide. Plenty of reviewers list the smell as a reason to buy. "They smell delightful and leave my skin feeling so good," says Tracie. Soph went further: "really moisturising and take off makeup really well plus they smell really good!"
But a vocal minority find the same fragrance too much. SD wished it were "a bit more subtle... it may be too intense for the senses after a long day." sulkycat liked the wipes but couldn't use them: "they're very heavily scented, so I can't use them. I had to wash my face straight after use because the smell was too strong." Jae had the same problem and noted it "defeats the point of the wipe" if you end up rinsing anyway. One reviewer memorably described the scent as "not far from nappy cream territory."
Worth knowing: a few people who found the wipes lightly scented were perfectly happy. patricia: "the scent is mild which is important to me." So fragrance perception clearly varies, but if strong scent bothers you, treat this as a possible sticking point rather than a guaranteed plus.
Thin wipes, quick drying: the practical gripes
Two complaints come up often enough to plan around. The first is thickness. Several reviewers find the sheets thin: "They are very small and thin, I had to use two at a time to cleanse my face properly," one wrote. Infinity put it bluntly, calling them "toilet paper thin" and saying she needed "2-3 wipes just to get my mascara and foundation off." If you wear heavy or waterproof makeup, budget for using more than one.
The second is drying out. Yvonne Crooks received a pack "opened at the side and dried out," and Daisy bought three packs that were "all of them super dry." Gill Carter found they "dry out quickly if you don't reseal the package properly which is virtually impossible." The product instructions do stress resealing the pack after every use to preserve freshness, so this matters more here than with some wipes. A couple of cases sound like faulty packs rather than normal behaviour, which is the kind of thing Amazon's returns process handles easily.
None of this is unusual for a budget wipe, and most reviewers who mention thinness still rated the product well. Just go in knowing these are light, travel-friendly sheets rather than thick, drench-them-in-lotion pads.
The use case that wins the most fans: travel and quick days
One use case shows up more than any other in the positive reviews: chucking a pack in a bag. The small format that frustrates heavy-makeup users turns into a selling point the moment you're packing light. Anita Clarke calls them "perfect for car or travel." Paula L. keeps them handy "to pop in a bag for travel or camping." Jo C took a pack on holiday specifically "so did not need to take extra makeup remover."
They also suit the days a full routine isn't happening. HC sums up the appeal: "Perfect for the days when I don't have time to do a facial routine but still want to feel fresh." Karen Gibson made them her "daily essential," and several reviewers reach for them at night to take makeup off before bed without standing at the sink. For dry, sensitive skin that reacts well to the formula, that low-effort cleanse is the whole point.
So who should buy them, and who should skip
The verdict here really comes down to matching the product to your skin and habits, not a blanket recommendation. Buy a pack if you have dry or normal skin, want a soft cleanse that doesn't leave your face tight, and value something cheap and portable for travel, gym bags, or lazy evenings. The reviews from that group are warm and repeat-buyer heavy, and at £1.45 testing the water costs almost nothing.
Be more cautious if your eyes or skin react easily, or if you wear heavy, waterproof makeup. The stinging reports cluster around the eye area and weren't limited to people with known sensitivities, and the thin sheets mean a full face of makeup may take two or three wipes. If strong fragrance bothers you, that's another reason to patch test before committing to a habit.
Rated against what it sets out to do, a gentle, nourishing, on-the-go cleanse for dry skin at pocket-money pricing, this delivers for the clear majority. Just buy your first pack as a trial, not a stockpile, and only load up once you know which camp you're in.
NIVEA Caring 3-in-1 Cleansing Face Wipes for Dry Skin (25 Sheets)
Soft, plant-based wipes with Argan Oil and Hyaluronic Acid that lift makeup and SPF while respecting dry skin's moisture balance. A low-cost, travel-ready cleanse loved by most reviewers.