7 Things You Need to Know About Micellar Water

It’s Named So Because It Contains Micelles

A micelle is a tiny spherical particle with a hydrophilic “head” and a hydrophobic “tail”. When the “tail” comes in contact with the skin, it captures impurities, sebum (skin oil), and makeup residue, but it doesn’t strip the skin of moisture because of its hydrophobic properties. Micellar water is essentially a very mild detergent made up of micelles suspended in soft (purified) water. It can be infused with other ingredients such as glycerin (for extra hydration), herbal extracts, etc.

It’s Great for Dry and Sensitive Skin

If your skin reacts badly to most cleansers, micellar water might be just what you need. It doesn’t contain any soap, harsh surfactants or alcohol, therefore it makes the skin feel and look soft and clean without drying it out. Regardless of the manufacturer, most micellar waters are non-irritating and non-drying, which makes them perfect for sensitive skin prone to dehydration, redness, flaking, etc.

It Doesn’t Require Rinsing

Unlike traditional face cleansers, which are typically based on soaps or surfactants such as SLS/SLES, micellar water doesn’t require rinsing because it leaves little to no residue on the skin. No rinsing means no dry skin! Of course, you still need to wash your face at least twice a day, but with micellar water, you won’t need to wash it more often.

You Can Use It to Remove or Retouch Makeup

Micellar water is a great makeup remover (although not all products are suitable for removing waterproof makeup, so you need to read the labels carefully). What makes it great is that you can use it to fix makeup mistakes. All you need to do is soak a Q-tip in micellar water and use it to make your makeup flawless without reapplying everything. You can also use micellar water to reapply your face makeup while leaving your eye makeup intact. Just apply some product to a cotton pad, swipe it all over your face except for the eye area, and then reapply foundation.

It’s Great for Frequent Travelers

If you travel much and/or prefer to travel without checked-in luggage, you know how hard it can be to fit all your beauty products in your carry-on. Since micellar water is simultaneously a facial cleanser and a makeup remover, it allows you to pack one less product. Naturally, you need to pour it into a 100 ml bottle to prevent it from being confiscated by airport security. Besides, some brands offer travel-size bottles of micellar water.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Water

Although micellar water is the most popular type of micellar cleanser, micellar products come in different shapes and varieties. There are micellar gels for oily and acne-prone skin, micellar lotions and milk cleansers for dry skin, etc. You can start with micellar water to get a taste of micellar products and then switch to a cleanser tailored for your skin type.

It Can’t Replace All Your Facial Cleansers

Although micellar water is really effective, it cannot provide deep cleansing that all skin types need from time to time. As we’ve already mentioned above, you still need to wash your face at least twice a day. Besides, micellar water isn’t that good at removing dead skin cells and unclogging pores, so you need to exfoliate at least once a week.

You can include micellar water in your skincare routine in different ways (as a pre-cleanse treatment, a make-up remover, a toner after cleansing, a quick way to refresh your skin after a workout or a plane flight), but it shouldn’t be the only cleansing product you use.