Welby Disposable Face Masks

Last Updated on July 9, 2023

This post contains affiliate links.

Shortly after the COVID pandemic set in, our family realized that we probably needed face masks. While health officials early on were unsure about how effective masks were and were also worried about mask supply, we still felt like we needed something. The problem was that there wasn’t much to be found. I was fortunate to have found a pair of unused hardware store N95 masks that I’d bought for a home project a while back, but those weren’t designed for extended use and wouldn’t last forever. We tried making our own using some DIY suggestions online, but those were pretty rough, too.

Eventually, the market devised solutions. Sellers on Etsy and elsewhere started crafting cloth masks, and companies started selling disposable masks that resembled surgical masks. Aldi soon followed suit, selling a number of different cloth and disposable masks under both its brand labels and from other companies.

Welby is an Aldi house brand for medicine and medical supplies, and Aldi currently sells disposable masks under the Welby label for both adults and children.

Welby Disposable Face Masks are technically an Aldi Find, which means they’re only in stores for a limited time. However, our store seems to keep getting more of these, so they’re not exactly like an Aldi Find. On the other hand, Aldi may not want to call them Seasonal Favorites, either — that probably doesn’t sound right — and they’re not an everyday Regular Buy. I think it’s enough to say that these masks are in stores until they aren’t.

The Welby masks come in a resealable plastic foil pouch containing 10 masks. The adult and children’s pouches both cost $4.99, which comes out to right around 50 cents a mask. The going rate on Amazon for disposable masks is between 15 and 30 cents per mask, making these far more expensive.

According to the pouch, the masks are made in China. The manufacturer is listed as Juxin (Jiangsu) New Material Packaging Co., Ltd.

The package says that these are “not intended for medical use.” While they look like surgical masks, they technically aren’t, since surgical masks in the United States have to pass certain FDA tests to earn that title. The packaging doesn’t say what materials are used for these masks, other than the fact that they have a “triple layer.”

Adult at top, child at bottom.

I had a little trouble pulling the masks out; they get a little tangled in the bag. Beyond that, though, they’re easy to use. Both the adult and child versions are blue on the outside and have a nose wire at the top, making it easy to figure out how to put it on. The nose wire can be adjusted to help the mask fit better over your nose.

They are much like other disposable masks we own.

My Beauty Spot Disposable Adult Mask (top) compared to Welby Disposable Adult Mask (bottom)

Our testers liked the fit. They went on easily and stayed on pretty well, too. The adult size worked for both men and women, and the child size worked well for both an elementary- and middle school-aged tester. We’ll probably use them in a double layer underneath a cloth mask.

The adult mask.

The child mask.

The Verdict:

Welby Disposable Masks are a possible choice if you need non-medical disposable masks. However, they wouldn’t be my first choice, as they’re more expensive per mask than many other options out there, including the My Beauty Spot Disposable Masks that Aldi also sells. If you’re going to use more than ten — and most people will — you’ll find better deals for the same kind of product elsewhere.