Micellar waters have been buzzing about for a little while now but to be honest I have never really known what they are. Do you wipe them all over your skin? do you take off your make up with them? Do you tone? Cleanse? Clean? Etc etc etc. and don’t get me started on how you are meant to pronounce the thing?! The list of what they apparently do for you is endless but what is the actual truth and why do so many people swear by them. I have done a whole lot of extensive research and come out the other side, pretty keen.
WHAT IS MICELLAR WATER
In the basic form a micellar water is made up of molecules of cleansing oil. You may have noticed that some brands of cleansing oil separate into two halves until you mix them up, this is why. These molecules works in the way that a cleanser does by drawing out the impurities hovering around on your skin. Some people say that it isn’t strong enough to remove waterproof make up, but I can personally vouch that Cocunat and Bioderma definitely do.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS
Some brands have produced a consistency that can be a little bit oily and therefore helps prevent you from drying out like some normal cleansers do. The way that these molecules clean means that yes they can remove make up and cleanse your skin at the same time.
MY TOP 5 MICELLAR WATER
BIODERMA
For those with sensitive skin, Bioderma is great. It is made up of soothing active ingredients such as coconut oil which help prevent irritation. I have removed my waterproof mascara with this. At around £8 it is a bargain because it lasts a really long time.
BURT’S BEES
Burt’s Bees have two micellar water products, one in the typical form that looks like water in a bottle and another in the form of wipes. The micellar cleansing water is a 3 in 1 make up remover, cleanser and hydration. I’m not a fan of using wipes on a daily basis but I love taking them when I’m travelling and going away for a short weekend. I usually feel a bit red raw around my eyes with wipes but I didn’t feel that at all with these.
MAVALA
So, I always thought Mavala only produced awesome nail varnishes (Read more about there beautiful Spring polishes which I reviewed here.), turns out they also make a pretty awesome micellar water! It is interesting that the directions that Mavala give are to soak your cotton wool pad with the product and then lay it upon your skin time after time until your cotton pad is clean, rather than rubbing it around on your skin. This routine would be a whole lot more time consuming than I could cope with but it is definitely a lesson for us all to take a moment longer on our skincare routine and we will reap the benefits. It is fragrance free which is great for sensitive skin.
COCUNAT
I have raved about Cocunat on many occasions which you can read a bit more about here. Cocunat actually have a make up remover but I have been using their micellar water for a long time now because it removes my waterproof mascara and does it softly and delicately.
SUKIN
I really like the scent of this Sukin micellar water. It smells like a relaxing spa, mostly because it is filled with cucumber. It also has chamomile in which is a lovely relaxing addition to use before going to bed.
Do you already use a micellar water? Which brand do you use?