Which micellar water to choose for my skin?

Published on 04/19/2024 14:34

They cleanse, cleanse the face, eyes, lips, even turn into delicate shampoos. The micellar waters now occupy a place of choice in all our bathrooms as they are practical and adapt today to all our skins.

The first micellar water appeared in 1995 at the request of dermatologists who wanted for their patients a cleanser able to respect the most sensitive skins .

When Bioderma's formula Créaline H20 came out, nobody thought that this almost transparent liquid was able to clean the face properly and that, applied on a cotton, it was able to remove makeup from the face and eyes. It just seemed impossible. His secret asset? The micelles.

The micelles: gifted brushes

In this formula as limpid as the water are indeed hidden micelles. These are small molecules composed of very mild surfactants. They look like tiny spermatozoa whose head is hydrophilic in affinity with the skin, and lipophilic tail, to trap sebum , makeup, pollutants.

They are grouped into spheres. When we soak the cotton with micellar water, these mini spheres crash. The hydrophilic part of the micelles remains in the wet cotton while the lipophilic part captures all the impurities.

Just sweep the face so that they stay hooked on the cotton. Result: a fresh and clean face in one go, without the need to rinse or "splash".

A new application gesture

All those who are used to emulsifying their makeup remover with the fingertips forget! Micellar water requires a cotton to "crush" the mini sphere containing micelles. You just have to caress the face, in long smoothing or circular movement from the inside to the outside, without rubbing ... and look at the cotton: it's edifying.

Micellar waters for all skin types

After the success of Créaline H20, many other versions appeared. This first formula enclosed the micelles in a solution of glycerol ester, a texturing agent whose structure is close to the lipids of the skin. But today formulas have adapted to all types of skin , to all the needs of consumers and new formulas lock their micelles in treatment solutions.

For hyper reactive epidermis: choose waters with soothing agents

Whether anti-inflammatory plantain extracts (Bioderma), soothing sweet almond oil (Nivéa), or glycerin (La Chênaie, A-Derma) they are the favorite hyper reactive skin that even the touch of a cotton can irritate.

For blotchy skin or eyes: textures rich in moisturizing active ingredients

No question of igniting more the mini capillaries. Cushion formulas in a gel network are ideal. Today, they are enriched with Anti - irritation Thermal Water (Avène), polymers similar to artificial tears (La Roche Posay), hyaluronic acid (Mixa) or decongestant blueberry extracts (Séphora).

And for the delicate skin of the eyelids, there are also non-greasy but adherent jellies enriched with hyaluronic acid to trap the eyelashes and rid them of their mascara (Nivea)

For oily skin: astringent agents that tighten pores

Double benefit: these formulas cleanse while purifying the skin. In basic zinc sulfate and zinc gluconate, they improve the quality of sebum to scarce comedones (Bioderma), or rely on peppermint and moringa to refresh pores (Clarins).

For stubborn makeup: two-phase formulas

They are all good. The speed of use of micellar water and the effectiveness of the biphase, this incomparable combination of an oily phase to remove greasy makeup and an aqueous phase for rinsing and perfect evaporation, to obtain a removing makeup without trace.

They can be used on the face, lips, eyes. But beware ! Very sensitive skin may not find them soft enough even though formulators have added soothing blueberry water (Garnier), ultra-purified water (L'Oreal Paris) or fine dry oil particles. (Bourjois).

Milks, shampoo: micelles are everywhere

We do not change a formula that wins and even we expand its targets. Thus micelles are found in a cleansing milk, PH neutral, enriched with hyaluronic acid (Mixa), but also in shampoos. Their advantage: they regenerate and gently cleanse the denatured hair with aggressive blow drying , smoothing , discolouration , urban pollution ... (Dessange, Kérastase Aura Botanica, or Redken).

Our selection of micellar waters

Crealine H2o, Bioderma, 8 € 90 250ml
Crealine H2o TS, Bioderma, 9 € 20 250ml
Micellair Skin Breathe 02, Nivea, 1 € 95 the 100ml
Sensifluid, A-Derma, 8 € 70 the 250ml
Micellar solution, La Chênaie, 19 € 200ml
Avene Micellar Lotion, 15 € 30 to 400ml
Micellar Ultra Reactive Skin Water, La Roche Posay, 12 € 50 to 400ml
Expert Micellar Jelly Sensitive Skin, 4 € 90 200ml
Micellar jelly, Sephora Collection, 7 € 95 the 200ml
MicellAir, Micellar jelly 02, Nivea, 3 € 75 the 125ml
Sebium H20, Bioderma, 9 € 10 the 250ml
Eau de Purity Cleansing Express, Clarins, 23 € 50 200ml
Active Skin Bi Phase, Garnier, 5 € 20 400ml
Biphase Micellar Water, Sensitive Skin, L'Oreal Paris, 5 € 90 400ml
Micellar Water Special Waterproof, Bourjois, 3 € 90 250ml
Hyalurogel Micellar Milk, Sensitive Skin Mixa Expert, 5 € 95, 400ml
Extreme Micellar Shampoo with Three Oils, Dessange, 4 € 30 250ml
Clean Maniac Shampoo, Redken Micellar, € 19 80 300ml
Bath Micellar Hair, Aura Botanica, Kérastase, 22 € 50 250ml

Thanks to Marie Hélène Lair, Director of Scientific Communication Clarins, Michelle Sayag, Director of Scientific Communication and Medical Strategy, Bioderma.