Are These The Next Hot Towel?

There’s always the lore of the person who is too busy and always on the go, with a need to eat their protein bar, answer emails, and cleanse en route from one appointment to the next. That’s where these wipes by Oars + Alps hypothetically come in.

Roughly as big as two Lysol wipes put together, the scentless towelettes are pleasantly damp and not dripping with solution. One one side is the Arctic Blue Ice Crystal wipe, covered in small raised dots with the intent to use across your skin for exfoliation and removing dirt and sweat. The other side is a normal wipe, with caffeine to soothe puffy, tired skin, menthol to leave you feeling fresh, and ginseng root extract to stimulate and activate skin’s metabolism, helping to purge free radicals.

Unfortunately we found the exfoliating side far too abrasive, reminding us of something we’ve used on the inside of our car. We also didn’t feel the menthol, which may or may not be a good thing depending on how sensitive you are or your preferences.

The price is also steep for only 14 of these wipes.

If you’re the type of guy who needs to keep deodorant or a toothbrush in their office cube, then this might be for you (?)

But it’s hard to think of a scenario in which these would actually be used: even sitting on the hot trains of New York in the dead of summer, we have never seen someone refreshing themselves. And herein lies the problem: these wipes try to create create a need where there arguably isn’t one. Showers, deodorant, and air conditioning prevent most people from needing to clean themselves up between location changes. Guys go from sitting in cool offices to happy hours immediately afterwards (remember when this was a thing pre-COVID?) without feeling icky, nor do we get drenched in sweat at a workout as if we just played the Australian Open before heading to brunch: if so, you’re probably going to shower first. Frankly, a Wet Ones wipe has always left our hands feeling clean before eating, while flying, or on public transit (and at $14.70 for 200 this is far more economical).

We say save your money. It’s a pass for us.

Oars + Alps Cooling + Cleansing Wipes, $16.00

Details: Alcohol-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, sulfate-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free