I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time… I’ve been using Micellar Waters for years, initially Nuxe 3 Roses, which I always purchased from escentual.com, back in the day when most people I know hadn’t heard or micellars, Nuxe, or Escentual!
Bioderma Crealine H20 has raised the profile of micellar waters like no other. Most who have tried it love it; most who haven’t, want it. I’ve no idea if this has sparked the trend for an increasing range and awareness of micellars, but there is a lot of love for them. Hopefully this will help you decide if they’re for you or not - and which one might suit your skin.
What is Micellar Water?
A water based cleanser with a small percentage of barely perceptible oil content, which functions like any other cleanser: cleansing the skin and removing makeup. A micelle is a miniscule oil molecule suspended in soft water, which quickly and gently absorbs dirt and makeup.
Water-like in texture (obvs!), they are super easy to use, by simply soaking a cotton pad and swiping it across the face. While I did use the Nuxe exclusively for this purpose for a couple of years, I now prefer a much deeper cleanse and reserve these for a pre-cleanse or too-tired-to-do-it-properly cleanse. I tend to regard micellars as wipes for good girls!
I’ll start with Nuxe as it was my first love. NB I have dry skin… these may work differently for your skin type, but generally I look for a product that won’t make my skin any drier than it already is. Personally I think Micellar Waters work well on all skintypes and some are available in separate formulas specifically for oily skins, which I’ll link below.
Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose and Green Tea
Designed to cleanse the face, eyes and lips, this has a beautiful light, fresh rose fragrance. I did use this purely for eye makeup for quite a while… I’m not sure if the new formula is slightly more gentle or if I’ve just started wearing more makeup, but I now find it removes only light eye makeup. The gorgeous smell and fresh feeling on my skin is still the same and it doesn’t dry me out, thanks to one of my favourite ingredients, hyaluronic acid.
£15 for 200ml HERE
Bioderma Crealine H20
The best known of all micellar waters, Bioderma sets the standard very high for others. Loved by makeup artists and models, it removes all makeup quickly, gently and without irritation. It’s an absolute godsend. Much as I love some of the others I’ve tried, Bioderma remains a firm favourite, which I have repurchased many times. One of the main reasons for this is that despite being gentle and non drying, it removes all eye makeup with ease, including waterproof. It’s often difficult to get hold of in the UK and I get mine from ebay… this one was a special deal on 2 x 250ml bottles, which suited me as I wanted to take it travelling. I’ve just discovered that Guru Makeup Emporium has 100ml bottles for just £5.50 or the large 500ml for £15.50 - ohhh I’m excited to discover this!
£5.50 - 100ml or £15.50 - 500ml HERE (UK seller!!)
Etat Pur Micellar Cleansing Water
Interestingly, Etat Pur is a creation of the same man behind Bioderma and Institut Esthederm brands, which admittedly gives me an immediate confidence in what they do. I have enormous respect for this brand (review on some of their other products coming soon) and in my book, this micellar comes a very close second to Bioderma - and I know of others who prefer it. Containing pure ingredients in close affinity to the skin, this product is simple, efficient and like all of the Etat Pur range, impressively priced for the quality.
*£6/7.40 for 190ml, available in 2 formulas HERE
La Roche Posay Physiological Micellar Solution
Another skincare brand that I’m very fond of, La Roche Posay’s micellar is made with thermal spring water for ultra gentle cleansing. For me, this works best in the morning to refresh the skin rather than removing evening makeup - maybe it was the products I was using during testing, but I didn’t feel this removed my makeup thoroughly. Suitable for sensitive skins, this is also available in a separate Effaclar formula for oily skins.
Melvita Fresh Micellar Water
This is the first Melvita product I’ve tried, though I’ve heard many sing this natural, organic brand’s praises. Containing wild rose petal extract and rose floral water, this has a distinctively rosy scent (moreso than the Nuxe) and is non drying. Its packaging is the prettiest of all the micellars I’ve seen, while still looking fresh and natural. I really enjoyed using this one and felt it cleansed well. (I’ve just been browing some of the other products on the Melvita site and they sound gorgeous, so if you have any recs please let me know in the comments!)
*£14.50 for 200ml HERE
Have you ever tried Micellar Cleansers - and do you like? Nic x
