- Micellar water is a gentle remover and cleanser that also hydrates the skin and requires no rinsing. It's a great do-it-all skin-care product that takes less than 10 seconds.
- French pharmacy cult favorite Bioderma earns our vote for the best micellar water because it's non-irritating, effective, and a great value.
Washing your face is basically the breakfast of skin care - it's the most important part of your day. Nourishing, often basic, but still utterly satisfying. It's the backbone of a good skin-care routine. The secret to your skin's success.
Micellar water is clear like regular water, but way more effective than splashing Evian on your skin. What you don't see are tiny micelles, or basically small oil-loving molecules, that suck waxy makeup, dirt, and general gunk out of your pores. Sounds satisfying, doesn't it?
Sometimes called cleansing water, micellar water is an excellent makeup remover whether used alone or as part of a multi-step routine if you wear heavy makeup. Just pour some out onto some cotton rounds to cleanse your face or onto a cotton swab to get around your eyes or lips to clean up migrating liner or lipstick.
My favorite way to use it though is as a morning cleanser. It's gentle on my skin, easy to use, and doesn't require extra rinsing. It serves as a quick way to remove any tacky or oily residue from night cream without needing to scrub your face. Some people prefer to still rinse after using micellar water, but I don't.
There are a million micellar waters and although they look identical, there are subtle differences between formulas that make some better than others. The excellent news is that there's no need to get super fancy - most of the best micellar waters are available at the drugstore.
Here are the best micellar waters you can buy:
- Best micellar water overall: Bioderma Sensibo H2O Micellar Water
- Best micellar water for sensitive skin: Simple Micellar Cleansing Water
- Best micellar water for oily skin: Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1 Mattifying
- Best micellar water for waterproof makeup: Glossier Milky Oil
- Best luxury micellar water: Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water
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