See also Uriage micellar water (normal to dry skin)
Micellar waters are a very fancy name for a mild cleanser with the following characteristics: they have mild surfactants (or cleaning agents); are non-foaming and contain moisturising ingredients.
You can read about the technical detail on how micellar water or facial cleansers work at this BLOG.
What am I testing and why?
I am road-testing the above micellar water, specifically the claim that it removes make-up.
Before photo
After applying a copious mix of waterproof, pigmented and shiny make-up, my forearm looked like this:
After photo
Most of the make-up is prominently still on my skin. Very few micellar waters don’t get rid of the Kay beauty cream eye shadow – this manages that.
The ingredients…
So the ingredients are almost identical to the normal Uriage micellar water, except the amount of Glycerin > Poloxamer 184. Poloxamer 184 is a mild surfactant and it would appear that reducing the amount clearly does affect the performance of what is essentially the same product.
This product does have more Glycerin (a humectant) and is more moisturising. Glycerin works by drawing water from the deeper epidermis and dermis allowing the skin to feel smoother (source: Draelos)
To buy, or not buy…
This is a rubbish make-up remover – even if it is for sensitive skin – it clearly leaves a lot of make-up residue. The photo may not be able to capture it but all the residue is prominently visible.
I am also not persuaded of the utility of this product for sensitive skins, so this is a “no buy” for me.
SourceL Draelos ZD, The science behind skin care: Moisturizers. J. Cosmet Dermatol. 2018; 17:138-144