Removing make-up from the skin, cleaning and moisturizing it is a process that is often tedious due to the time that must be spent or the amount of products necessary to complete it. However, there is an alternative that in a short time has become essential in many homes: micellar water , an effective, fast and uncomplicated product.
” It is the fast and comfortable solution for those who do not have time , who are always in a hurry or simply for those who are lazy a routine with many steps,” says Marta Alcalde, member of Dermopharmacy and Health Products of the Official College of Pharmacists of Barcelona (COFB).
The vowel defines micellar water as an aqueous solution where there is a certain amount of surfactant . When we apply the solution to the skin, the micelles open and encompass lipophilic impurities ; Subsequently, the aqueous solution clarifies the skin, removing the rest of the water-soluble impurities. “It is applied by moistening a cotton ball with the micellar solution directly on the skin. The application is repeated until the cotton is clean. They do not need rinsing and after applying them you just have to let the face dry ”, he adds.
How is it different from other facial cleansing treatments?
If we delve into the key to its success and the advantages they offer compared to other products such as cleansing milk or tonic, Alcalde mainly highlights:
- The micelles achieve a higher uptake of residues(all surfactant molecules are dedicated to this function).
- Its composition respects very well the structures of the cutaneous physiological barrier.
- They clean in depth eliminating impurities and traces of makeup in a very soft way without irritating or stinging.
- As the surfactants are small, they are usually transparent solutions and give a greater sense of cleanliness.
- Micellar solutions can be used for cleaning the eye area and lipsbecause they are formulated with a pH that will not harm these sensitive and fragile areas and will not cause any irritation.
Regarding this last point, the COFB vowel clarifies that there are specific cleansers for these areas, especially for the eye area that is easily alterable. “Eye makeup removers must be bacteriologically pure, non-irritating and adapted to the eye area and the type of makeup that they are going to remove. A product to remove normal makeup will not be the same as one intended to remove waterproof makeup. The formulations for the ocular zone are usually isotonic formulas, without perfumes or allergizing substances, self-preserving or sterile solutions. Whenever possible, it will be preferable to use a more specific make-up remover for the area to be cleaned, ”he advises.
Recommended for any type of skin
Another issue that Mayor clarifies is which skins can use micellar water. The expert specifies that they are indicated for all skin types and that there are different solutions on the market that adapt to each of them. “Each solution will have specific assets, for example, the micellar solutions for oily skin, in addition to surfactants, will have purifying, sebum regulating and astringent active ingredients; solutions for sensitive skin will be specially formulated without perfumes and with calming active ingredients ”.
In addition, in principle they can also be used on skin with skin pathologies such as rosacea or atopic skin because they are cleaning products without rinsing and without perfumes that work very well on this type of sensitive and reactive skin. “There are some micellar solutions especially intended for skin with redness that include active ingredients that act on the factors of dilation and weakening of the cutaneous capillaries that cause redness, which in turn also include soothing active ingredients. “In the case of atopic skin, as they are dry skin prone to irritation, these types of products are also recommended because they provide adequate cleaning in a very gentle way.”
Lastly, the vocal adds that daily cleaning with micellar water alone is insufficient, so it recommends periodically applying masks that do a deeper cleaning and exfoliants that eliminate dead cells, accelerate cell renewal and achieve smoother skin and luminous. “The frequency of these periodic treatments will depend on the type of skin and the sensitivity of each person,” he concludes.
