Daily advices

All about micellar water: how to gently cleanse sensitive skin without overtreating it

BIODERMA invented micellar water in 1995, revolutionising the way people cleanse their skin and remove make-up. Today, one bottle of Sensibio H2O is sold every second* worldwide. Bioderma’s H2O micellar waters are the ideal alternative to the cleanser + toner combination.

All micellar waters are formulated with our micellar technology, and it is our exclusive formula and choice of ingredients/components that make our micellar waters unique.

^*Beauty Inc WWD 2020, IQVIA EU 2019, Sell-in Data 2019, YouGov FR.

Micellar water removes all traces of make-up, sebum and various other impurities without stripping or damaging skin, all in one step. Micellar water is perfect for your daily cleansing routine. Use in the morning and at night to gently cleanse while respecting even the most sensitive epidermal skin.

It works especially well for people with reactive or intolerant skin for whom even rubbing with cotton wool can cause irritation.

A micelle is a complex structure composed of gentle non-ionic surfactants (cleansing agents), in the form of an invisible microsphere.

Micelles have 2 characteristics:

a hydrophilic head that is water soluble
and a lipophilic tail that attracts oily materials and is incompatible with water.

This double affinity allows them to attract all kinds of impurities and attach them to the cotton wool. This means they can remove external residues from the environment (make-up, impurities from air pollution, etc.) and impurities related to the skin’s natural functions (sebum, sweat, desquamation, etc.)

BIODERMA’s micellar waters are recommended by dermatologists and make-up professionals love them.

They are the leading micellar products because they are made from rigorously selected ingredients.

These include:

a specific fatty acid ester called glycerol ester, which is a biomimetic active ingredient that is very similar to the skin’s composition. This is why BIODERMA's micellar water guarantees such high tolerance, even for sensitive skin.
high purified water with a unique physiological pH that is the safest available, offering the highest level of chemical and microbiological purity. This is why you do not need to rinse off micellar solutions.

They are hypoallergenic and contain no alcohol and parabens, perfectly matching with the skin and preserving its hydrolipidic film.

How are they different from water ?

Tap water has calcium and chlorine, which may irritate the skin. Thermal waters have no cleansing properties. Their composition varies depending on the season, region and more.

Why are there several micellar water formulas ?

Laboratoire Bioderma has designed specific micellar solutions based on what each skin type needs. They provide perfect tolerance and optimal comfort for all skin types, including sensitive, intolerant and oily. They even have a micellar water designed for delicate baby skin, called ABCDerm H2O.

Key points

Daily cleansing

Use a micellar water to cleanse your face before applying facial care products.
Cleanse in the morning: Removes overnight impurities and dirt build-up on skin, allowing skin to defend itself against external aggressions.
Cleanse in the evening: Removes dirt, make-up & pollutant particles accumulated on skin throughout the day, allowing skin to breathe, regenerate and detoxify.

How to use Bioderma Micellar Water?

It's easy to use Bioderma's Micellar Water, which only requires two steps.

Step 1: Soak a cotton pad with the Bioderma Micellar Water of your choice.
Step 2: Gently cleanse and/or remove makeup from your face and eyes. For very sensitive skin, use a gentle dabbing motion and avoid rigorous rubbing so your skin won't be irritated.

No rinsing required.

Is Bioderma Micellar Water a toner?

Bioderma's range of micellar waters are known for many things: it acts as a gentle cleanser, helps remove makeup, and doesn't disturb the pH balance of skin, unlike other forms of cleansers. Its light texture and ability to maintain pH balance of skin may often be seen as a "toning effect" to some users.

This is probably why whether Bioderma Micellar Water can be used as a toner has been a question many wonder about.

While using Bioderma's Micellar Water without a toner wouldn't have any negative effect on skin, using a Bioderma toner that is suited for your skin can help to improve the skincare efficacies of subsequent products applied while helping skin retain moisture even better.