Looking for something new to add to your skin routine to help combat dry winter skin? Give Micellar water a try. Micellar water (pronounced me-sell-air) is a growing trend that’s been imported from France. Several brands have now jumped on to the trend with their own custom products, so we thought it’s a good time to introduce the technology behind this growing trend.
What is this product?
The simplest way to put it is that micellar water is a cleanser and toner in one. Micellar water removes makeup, dirt, and oil that is stuck to the skin. It is applied with a cotton pad and swept across the face, and doesn’t require rinsing afterward.
Without too much mumbo jumbo, what is Micellar water?
Micellar water is just like soapy water–minus the irritation of real soap–made for convenience. It can significantly simplify your skincare regimen if you have one of those crazily complicated routines–makeup remover, cleansing, exfoliating toner, followed by cleansing, and then a toner–you have a one-product solution to all that.
Why all this fuss about cleansing for the no-makeup men?
Cleansing properly isn’t just about removing makeup or some vanity ritual. It keeps your skin clean, fresh, and feeling good.
Throughout the day, the face accumulates a ton of unwanted things like dirt, skin oil, and grime, as well as bacteria and other antigens. Cleansing removes all of this, so you don’t add all that to your pillow night after night and helps keep your skin clean.
Why won’t rinsing with regular water suffice?
The surface of your skin is full of oil called sebum. This oil mixes with other pollutants like dirt bacteria, and other unwanted things. Oil and water don’t mix, so simply washing and rubbing has limited effectiveness in removing the grime. When the cleansers, which contain surfactants contact the skin, the oily grime mixes nicely with it, allowing you to remove it off of the skin.
So how does micellar water do this?
The same principles of cleansing apply. Think of micelles which come from biology, as an oil-water cluster that can take in oily grime as well as water. Micellar water can be seen as containing these surfactants that help you remove oils in a water solution so that you don’t need a multi-step cleansing process. As an additional benefit, it is gentle for the skin, unlike traditional soaps, and will not sting or irritate the skin.
Are there any scenarios where Micellar water won’t work?
If you have extremely oily skin, thick makeup, or waterproof mascara, you may require a stronger makeup remover to get rid of the excess gunk effectively. While micellar water is generally powerful enough to remove all the dirt without being irritating, it may be lacking for removing the thickest of oil or makeup.
Some examples of products that use this concept include:
- La Roche-posay: Micellar Water
- Bioderma: Sensibio H2O
- Simple: Micellar Cleansing Water
