Last weekend I was strolling through my local supermarket and saw a micellar water I thought looked interesting. It claimed to be a ‘water boost’ for dehydrated skin, perfect for this time of year.
I bought it, got home and went to put it away. I looked at the shelf that my micellar waters live on, it was full. This isn’t an unfamiliar situation, normally when my shelves are full I reshuffle my products and have a little grumble about needing more storage. But this isn’t moisturiser or a serum, it’s micellar water; I need one, maybe two at a push. I definitely do not need seven of them, or 9 if you count the ones I have in multiple size bottles.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have no intention of throwing any of them away but it did prompt me to think about which ones I actually love and which ones aren’t really worth it.
Personal Favourite
I’m going to start with my favourite, which ironically I don’t actually own right now; Bioderma Hydrabio. This has been my long-time favourite for many years, long before you could even buy Bioderma in England. Spoiler: Bioderma in general make my favourite micellar waters, sometimes the original is best. This one is formulated for dehydrated skin; it removes makeup well and doesn’t strip the skin at all.
Normal Skin
Next up is the original Bioderma. There isn’t a lot more to say about this one, it’s very similar to the Hydrabio but skin feels slightly tighter afterwards. Although I still don’t find this one to be drying, even on dry skin. Despite the fact these are my favourites I don’t often buy them. As I said, I used them long before they were available in England and buying them in Paris is a lot cheaper than it is here and now there are many more on the market, I feel slightly bitter paying over double French prices when there are alternatives.
This brings me on to my next option, which is the Garnier original micellar water. Garnier seem to have modelled their launches on the Bioderma ones, being the only other mainstream brand I’m aware of that have many different micellar formulas for different skin types.
The Garnier original is very often compared to the Bioderma original, which I do not understand. To me the Garnier one feels very stripping and drying on the skin and the formula is very wet. Obviously we’re talking about waters here, they’re all wet. But to me the good ones go on a cotton pad and feel like a pre-soaked exfoliating pad; wet on the pad but more damp so the skin doesn’t feel wet afterwards. The Garnier one completely saturates the cotton pad and just feels wet on the skin. I do not like this one at all and this is the only one in this post that I would not recommend at all.
Dry Skin
That being said, I do really like the Garnier Oil Infused Micellar Water. Now something with oil in it isn’t technically micellar water using the strictest definition of the term, but either way this is a good one. I love the way this one feels on the skin. It’s very soft and gentle, the bottle claims to be non-greasy, which I totally agree with. To me this feels less wet than the original, probably due to the thicker texture of the oil.
This one does have some negatives though; it isn’t the best of the bunch at removing makeup fully. My wash cloth will still have some traces of makeup on it when I go in with my cleanser after using this one, which doesn’t happen with any of the others I’m discussing today. This is also the only one with fragrance in, it doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin but it’s something to consider.
Oily Skin
On the flipside, this is one for oily girls. Having bone dry skin, I do not use this one often. However, I do keep this mini in my travel bag for when I’m in warmer or more humid climates. Even though this one is for oily skin, I don’t find this drying and is very comfortable on the skin. I actually find this less drying than the original Garnier. It definitely does the job at removing excess oil and makeup and it doesn’t contain alcohol which is great for an oily skin product.
Latest Discovery
Now for the latest addition, Simple Water Boost Micellar Water. On the surface I thought this may be a cheaper alternative to by Bioderma Hydrabio, however this reminds me more of Bioderma original. I don’t really feel like this helps to hydrate my skin, nor does it strip it. It is quite wet, more so than Bioderma but less than Garnier. Most importantly, it is very good at removing makeup quickly, one of the best actually. One swipe and all eye makeup was removed other than a tiny bit of mascara residue, which came off with the second swipe. Although this isn’t exactly what I was hoping for, this will definitely be a well-used one in my collection.
Round Up
Best for oily skin – Bioderma Sebium.
Best for very dry skin – Garnier oil infused, as long as you’re going in with a proper cleanser afterwards.
Best for everyday – Bioderma original if you’re willing to pay English prices for it, if not the Simple Water Boost.
Best for flights/ festivals – Curveball. This is one I haven’t mentioned in this post as I don’t currently have one in my collection but the Nivea 3 in 1 is the winner here. I like this one a lot, it’s gentle and contains oil so it doesn’t strip the skin, it feels a lot like the Garnier oil infused one but is slightly better at removing makeup.
Is your favourite micellar water on the list?
In need of a new moisturiser? See my latest skincare post here.
Loved this post, I love the Simple and Garnier ones, will definitely need to try the Bioderma one! X
Thank you! I’m really liking the Simple one right now but I think I’ll always have a soft spot the Bioderma x
Sophie
I’ve never tried any other besides the garnier one!
It definitely seems to be the most popular! I have no idea how I ended up with so many…x
Sophie
I’m so glad I’ve read this I love The garnier oil infused one! It’s so good
Great blog post lovely
Thank you! I’ve been loving that one this year, I’m on my second or third now which is saying something because I clearly didn’t need more. Thanks for stopping by x
Sophie
Never seen all the miscella waters compiled into a post like this! I’ve only ever used the pink garnier one x
Morgan //
I really don’t know how I ended up with so many…that one seems to be the most popular.
Thanks for stopping by! x
Sophie
I have that garnier micellar water. I always buy it when the previous one is finished. Never have tried the others though. xx corinne
Glad you’ve found one that works for you! x
Sophie
Hi, I have not used any of these I use Dermaologica for my sensitive skin and swear by it.
If it works, it works! No point in changing if you’re happy x
Sophie
Is it bad that I haven’t tried any apart from the Garnier one I don’t even think I knew that many brands made them. I might have to check out some of the other ones this year.
Charlotte
Not at all! They’re definitely becoming more popular, everyone is different but there are some really good ones out there x
Sophie
The Garner one is the only one I own, I didn’t like it that much which is why I’ve never understood the hype! Its interesting that you have so many others that you like though, maybe I’ll have to look into buying a different one and see if that changes my opinion!- x
Everyone is different but I really didn’t get along with that one. Was talking to a friend about this and she said the Nivea one is one of her favourites too x
Sophie
Such a great informative post, especially as so many brands are coming out with their own micellar waters and it can be so hard to choose. I have to be honest my favorite at the meomeng is the Garnier micellar water but I have tried the Bioderma one previously and loved that aswell! I really want to try the garnier micellar water infused with oil as I do have dry skin! xx
Thank you so much! I guess we all have different preferences for our skin. The Garnier oil one has been my favourite one so far this year! x
Sophie
Such a fab post! I personally never buy anything other than the Garnier one! I tried a sample size of the Bioderma but it wasn’t my favourite! I’m a Garnier gal through & through!
We all have different preferences I guess! I’m loving the oil Garnier one at the minute x
Sophie
My personal favourite is definitely the Garnier one but I have always wanted to try the Bioderma one so I definitely think I need to try it soon! I loved this round-up, so helpful!
Abbi | http://www.simplyabbi.com
So many people seem to love that one! Thank you, glad you found it useful x
Sophie
I’ve never used micellar water before, but my sister uses the Garnier one regularly and seems be really like that one! I do want to try one out though – maybe Bioderma one for oily skin!
Amy,
https://creativenails.uk
There’s one for everyone these days! They’re handy to have one (or 7…) around x
Sophie
I very rarely use a miceller cleanser in my routine. I do really want to try our the Bioderm one as I’ve heard so many great things about it.
I might add one to my routine and see if I notice any difference.
Mel
http://littlemissmelanie.com
They’re not game changers, just convenience products really. It makes me feel a little bit ill when I see makeup smudged all over my face when I use a cleanser first so I take my makeup off with one of these then cleanse properly. Totally not essential! x
Sophie
This is such a useful post!
I’ve heard great things about micellar water and wanted to try it for a while, but haven’t known which one to buy.
Your guide will help me choose the perfect one for my skin.
randomtangentblog.wordpress.com
Thanks, hope it helps!
Sophie
Love this post, my favourite one is the Garnier Micellar one with Oil!
Thank you! That one has been my go-to so far this year x
Sophie
This was so informative thank you! I definitely need to try out more skin products & love reading about people’s experiences with different brands! x
Thank you! I love comparing different options. Hope you find it useful! x
Sophie
Such a great post lovely! I have such dry skin so I think I need to try the Garnier oil infusion one! Xx
I’ve been loving that one so far this year! So much easier to get hold of than Bioderma too x
Sophie
I’ve only ever tried the garnier micellar water. I might give these other ones a go!
I have only ever tried the Garnier one & an Elemis one! I need to try that Bioderma one!!
Love, Melissa x
lovemelissax.co.uk
I use the garnier micellar water cleansing everyday so that would be my favorite! Never tried the other ones but i should check them out! x corinne
I have tested Nivea and Garnier only, but I’ll try to find the Bioderma one! It sounds pretty good. Garnier was so bad for my skin sadly, but the Nivea works amazingly!
Heidi ✨ | Heidi’s Planner