Choose Silcot wipes by what you will wipe: hands, the skin around the mouth, or an object. “Non-alcohol” is not permission for every body area, and 除菌 does not mean the product is a hand disinfectant.
I’m Irene, a Taiwan-born, Japan-licensed pharmacist. This guide helps you match three Japanese Silcot wipe labels to their intended use.
Japanese official information checked: 23 October 2026, Japan time. The main comparison is limited to the 58-, 43- and 40-sheet cases below. Disinfecting, virus-removal and 100-sheet products are excluded.
Match the full name, not just Silcot
Silcot also makes cosmetic cotton pads. This article concerns pre-moistened ウェットティッシュ, not cotton pads to soak with your own lotion. Even within the wet-wipe range, colour and alcohol content are not enough to establish the intended use.
The manufacturer lists 消毒ウェット separately as a designated quasi-drug for cleaning and disinfecting hands and skin. It is outside this comparison. Nor are all alcohol-containing Silcot products surface-only: read the exact name.
The three regular-size cases
Pure Water: hands and around the mouth
This non-alcohol product is labelled 99% purified water and for hands and the area around the mouth. “Around” means the external skin, not inside the mouth.
The case contains 130 × 200mm sheets. Its ingredient list includes more than water; the percentage does not guarantee an absence of other ingredients or reactions.
Non-Alcohol 除菌: hand dirt and objects
The manufacturer lists wiping dirt from hands and cleaning surrounding objects, including toys. The case sheets measure 130 × 200mm. Its explanation of 除菌 concerns reducing viable bacteria on objects, excluding body parts such as hands.
Permission to wipe hand dirt is therefore not a hand-disinfection claim. For the skin around the mouth, use the explicit hand-and-mouth-area wording on Pure Water as your starting point, rather than assuming any non-alcohol wipe is suitable.
99.99% 除菌: objects only
The current official page marks this product 対物専用: for objects only. Its case sheets measure 130 × 190mm. Do not choose it for wiping hands or faces.
The percentage is not a promise to remove every bacterium, prevent infection or remove viruses. The manufacturer states that it is not a bactericidal agent, disinfectant or skin antiseptic.
A shelf-side decision guide
| What you need | What to check |
|---|---|
| Wipe food from around the mouth | Start with Pure Water’s explicit hand-and-mouth-area use. Eyes, wounds and mucous membranes remain excluded; do not put the wipe inside the mouth. |
| Wipe everyday dirt from hands without alcohol | Check Pure Water or ordinary Non-Alcohol 除菌. The latter’s 除菌 wording is not a hand-disinfection label. |
| Use an alcohol wipe on a table | Identify 99.99% 除菌, then check the material and the furniture’s care instructions. Not every tabletop is compatible. |
| Disinfect hands | Do not select these three as substitutes. Check a product specifically labelled for that purpose and follow its conditions. |
| Clean eyes, wounds or mucous membranes | None of these three is suitable. “Pure water” and “non-alcohol” do not override that restriction. |
Check surfaces and flames before using the alcohol product
Do not use 99.99% 除菌 on unfinished wood, wallpaper, varnished or painted surfaces, polystyrene or leather, because damage or discolouration may occur. Follow the item manufacturer’s cleaning instructions. Table-cleaning use does not establish compatibility with every phone, lens or eating utensil.
Do not use, store or dispose of it near flames. The label also excludes faces, eyes, wounds, mucous membranes, infants/young children and people with alcohol hypersensitivity. Keep the surface-only instruction as the starting rule; the exclusions are not permission for other skin areas.
Cases, refills and travel packs are different purchases
本体 means the product with its case; つめかえ用 means refill; 外出用 means a pack for use away from home. If you have no compatible case during a short trip, a refill is not automatically the practical purchase.
The sizes above belong to the regular cases. Pure Water’s separate 28-sheet travel pack has 140 × 200mm sheets and a different ingredient list from the 58-sheet case. Check it separately rather than copying the case specifications. The 100-sheet cases require their own refills, not regular-size refills; follow the instructions on your exact case.
- Close the lid after use. Keep the case clean and refill with clean hands and the specified refill.
- Keep out of young children’s reach, direct sunlight and hot locations.
- Do not flush any of these wipes. Stop use if your skin has an abnormal condition or the product does not agree with it.
Family-friendly wording does not remove the limits
Non-alcohol products may be presented as family options, but their eye, wound and mucous-membrane restrictions still apply. They are not permission for infant oral care or wound cleaning. Follow the actual pack; neither purified water nor the absence of alcohol guarantees that everyone will tolerate the ingredients.
Official sources and images
The product images are unmodified manufacturer images, not photographs taken for this blog. The Japanese-market pack in your hand takes priority if its label differs.
