A Deep Dive into Micellar Water: How Does it Work?
Find out how micellar water gets the job done.
French women are known for their au naturale beauty and glowing skin, and one game-changing product to thank for it is micellar cleansing water. Ever since it made its way into French pharmacies’ shelves, Parisian women no longer have to wash their face with the city’s naturally harsh tap water. They can now use this miracle product without rinsing with water and leave their skin clean and hydrated.
Eventually, the Korean beauty industry picked up on micellar water, and it has since become a staple in skincare routines. Micellar water cleansers, such as Garnier’s Micellar Water, works to remove makeup and combat dirt, oil, and gunk without stripping the skin off moisture.
As you know, it’s essential to wash your face at the end of the day. Whether you practice double cleansing or you’re looking for just one product that removes dirt, oil, and makeup, micellar waters get the job done. But how does it do that? Check out this infographic below to find out.
What’s in Micellar Water & What Does it Do?
Micellar water may sound like a gimmicky term, but a closer look shows that it’s quite simple, and that’s why it works. From the get-go, it looks like water with the consistency of a toner. But when you pour a few drops on your palm and feel it with your fingers, its texture is different from water.
While there are hundreds of different micellar water products in the market, they carry the essential ingredients, namely water, and one or more surfactants or cleansing agents. The surfactants in micellar water are very mild and less irritating. Although this makes Micellar Water a great cleanser for any skin type, it is especially heaven-sent if you’re dealing with dry skin.
So, what does micellar water do?
Surfactants are the key components in micellar water. When these molecules are mixed with water, they bond themselves like sealed bubbles called micelles. These spherical elements have tails pointing in and heads facing out.
How Does Micellar Water Work?
Micelles, the tiny molecules that cluster together, naturally capture dirt and oil. It’s like a heavy-duty cleanser in a lightweight form that does the job without drying out the skin or stripping the natural oils out of it.
When you pour micellar water onto a cotton pad, the micelles rearrange themselves so that the hydrophilic heads stick to the cotton wool and the oil-loving lipophilic tails stick out. When you swipe the pad across your face, the oil-loving lipophilic tails draw in dirt and oil from your skin, while the hydrophilic head remains stuck to the cotton.
As a result, you’ll find all oily elements on your face—makeup, sebum, dirt, and other debris—on the cotton pad.
You might need to use up a few cotton pads to eliminate traces of heavy and waterproof makeup or gunk since there’s only one layer of lipophilic tails to absorb all the oils on the skin. While there’s no need to wash the face after using micellar water, you can choose to do a final sweep with a cotton pad soaked in distilled water if you prefer.
(Read this Beginner’s Guide to Micellar Water: What You Need to Know)
Like Water, But Better
Reap the benefits of the powerful yet gentle micellar cleansing water. Sure, you can always wash your face with soap and water, but you’ll never know what a massive difference in time and effect it will make in your routine and skin when you start using micellar water. This bottle of goodness is perfect for all skin types, to boot.
Grab a bottle (or two) of Garnier’s Micellar Water to add to your routine! Don’t forget to share this game-changing find with your beauty- and skincare-loving friends, as well!