What is micellar water and how does it work?

Micellar water, a product that might be present in supermarkets, drugstores and bathroom cabinets around the globe, is commonly used to remove makeup. It is a really effective cleanser and many individuals recommend it as a part of their skincare routine.

So what is micellar water and why does it remove makeup and sunscreens so well? Here’s the science.

What are micelles?

Oil and water generally don’t mix, so removing makeup and sunscreen (which contain oil) using plain water might be difficult.

But products based on micellar water contain something called micelles – clusters of molecules that effectively remove oily substances. To understand why, you first have to know two chemical terms: hydrophilic and hydrophobic.

The hydrophilic substance “loves” water and mixes easily with it. Examples are salt and sugar.

The hydrophobic substance “hates” water and generally does not wish to mix with it. Examples are oil and wax.

Hydrophilic materials readily mix with other hydrophilic materials. The same applies to hydrophobic substances. But in case you attempt to mix hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials, they’ll not mix.

How are micelles formed? It all relies on surfactants

Micelles in micellar water are formed by special molecules called surfactants.

Surfactant means a surfactant. These molecules checked out their hydrophilic and hydrophobic brethren and asked: why not each? They normally consist of two ends: a head group, which is hydrophilic, and a tail group, which is hydrophobic.

When a small amount of surfactant is added to water, the 2 ends of the molecule have competing interests. The hydrophilic head desires to be in water, however the hydrophobic tail hates water.

Add enough surfactant and eventually we are going to reach a critical micelle concentration and the surfactants will self-assemble into clusters containing about 20 to 100 surfactant molecules.

All the hydrophilic heads will point outwards, while the hydrophobic tails will remain “hidden” in the center. These clusters are micelles.

These micelles have a hydrophilic outer surface, which implies they’re very willing to remain mixed with water. However, there stays a hydrophobic pocket inside that draws oils thoroughly.

This is very useful and helps explain why adding detergent (surfactant) to water will enable you to scrub an oily pot. The surfactant first helps lift the oil, and then the oil can remain mixed with the water, finding a brand new home within the hydrophobic center of the micelles.

Micellar water in motion

Surfactants are present in dishwashing detergent, body wash, shampoo, toothpaste and even many food products. In all of those cases, they assist water interact with dirt and oils, and micellar water is no exception.

When you apply a little bit of micellar fluid to a cotton pad, one other convenient interaction occurs. Wet cotton is hydrophilic (loves water). As a result, a few of the micelles will disentangle and the hydrophilic heads might be drawn to the wet cotton pad.

Now there might be a layer of hydrophobic tail groups protruding from the surface. These hydrophobic tails cannot wait to draw makeup, sunscreen, oils, dirt, grease and other contaminants in your face.

As the cotton pad is moved across the skin, these contaminants bind to the hydrophobic tails and are faraway from the skin.

Some contaminants will even be trapped within the hydrophobic centers of the micelles.

Either way, you are left with a cleaner surface.

See how a cotton wipe soaked in micellar water removes a small oil stain in comparison with water alone.

So why shouldn’t I take advantage of dishwashing detergent to clean my face?

Technically, this could work since the detergent actually comprises a number of surfactants that form micelles.

But these particular surfactants would likely cause a number of skin and eye irritation while also damaging and drying the skin. Unpleasant.

The surfactants in micellar water are chosen to be gentle and well tolerated by most individuals’s skin. But micellar water is not the one skincare product containing micelles. There are many other facial cleansing products that also make great use of surfactant molecules and work thoroughly as well.

Now it’s not perfect. While effective in removing a big selection of impurities, thick or heavy makeup is probably not easily removed with micellar water (more vigorous cleansing could also be mandatory).

Some products say “zero residue”, although the positive print clearly indicates that this refers to visible residues.

Many products also state that they don’t require rinsing. Surfactants remain on the skin after using the product, but don’t cause irritation for many individuals. If you experience skin irritation after using micellar water, you may try rinsing your skin or discontinuing use.

And as with many cosmetic products, it’s best to first test it on a small a part of your skin before applying it to your entire face.