L’Oreal Micellar Cleansing Water Review
L’Oreal Miellar Cleansing Water ($9.99) is a new liquid complete cleanser and makeup remover that’s available in a waterproof makeup and regular formula for use on eyes, face, and lips. L’Oreal Miellar Cleansing Water is actually already available in a variety of countries including the UK, Canada, and Asia but we are just getting this formula here in the US. Although some may disagree since many ingredients in this formula re the similar to those in the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1 Waterproof Makeup Remover & Cleanser and considering L’Oreal is Garnier’s parent company one might argue we’ve technically already seen his formula in the past.
But nope, there are vast differences here.
I ran across L’Oreal Micellar Cleansing Water recently at Walgreens for $9.99 in 13.5 oz bottle in both the regular formula and the waterproof makeup remover formula. I originally paid $8.99 for my Garnier Micellar Water but Target sells it for $6.99 and it is the same size as L’Oreal’s new formula. Not only is the Garnier one a better value but it also has a superior formula in my opinion.
These new micellar waters are confusing to me lately as they recommend them for use on lips, eyes, and face but most of them like the E.L.F. Micellar Cleansing Water, Simple Cleansing Micellar Water, and even the Garnier formula typically state “avoid contact with eyes” or “do not get into eyes”. I find it puzzling that the formulas are ophthalmologist tested but there’s a recommendation to rinse with water if you get it in your eyes (yes, that’s what it says on the Garnier bottle). Guess what? The L’Oreal bottle says the same thing! “Avoid getting in eyes, rinse eyes thoroughly if contact occurs. Most with argue that this means you shouldn’t pour a bottle directly in your eye. I saturated a cotton pad very well with the cleansing water and even with my eye shut some does seep in. It concerns me that something they market for eyes has such a warning. On that note, I will say that this formula doesn’t burn if you do get it in your eyes but the waterproof formula did leave my eyes slightly cloudy after use.
If you aren’t familiar what cleansing or micellar waters are I’d recommend reading my “What is micellar water?” post to get yourself up to speed.
As I mentioned above this comes in two different formulas one of which is a regular cleansing water formula and one has a bi-phase formula. The bi-phase formulas are fairly new to the micellar water and Garnier, as far as I know, is one of the first brands to introduce a waterproof micellar water to the market. Now this isn’t to say that micellar waters all their own don’t remove waterproof makeup as many do like Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water is a real champ tackling all makeup removal without the need for a bi-phase formula. I have to admit I do like the bi-phase formula though as it does a really good job with waterproof mascara but I’m not particularly keen using it all over my face. I actually don’t use L’Oreal’s nor Garnier’s waterproof formula on my face because I dislike the weird oily feel of it on my face. It makes me feel like I’m using eye makeup remover all over my face which isn’t pleasant. I do love Garnier’s formula though for eye makeup remover (aside from the fact you can’t get it in your eyes!?). Oddly enough, a quick glance at the ingredients revealed that L’Oreal’s formula has many of the same ones as the Garnier formula yet for some reason it struggled with my waterproof mascara. Both the waterproof and non-waterproof formulas left a good deal of mascara behind when I used them on my eyes. Both formula also happened to leave behind traces of makeup as well which surprised me. One of the key selling points of micellar water is the ease of use and the fact it removes makeup quickly without the need to rinse. After I use L’Oreal’s formula I could visibly see blush left over on my cheeks. I also did a test where I used Garnier’s formula right after L’Oreal and my cotton pad came back with a mascara and other color cosmetics on the pad.
This really baffled me as I felt like maybe L’Oreal’s formula was simply a repackage of the Garnier one but that’s not the case at all because the Garnier formula does a far better job with makeup remover than these new L’Oreal ones.
L’Oreal Micellar Cleansing Water is an exciting launch to finally see here in the US but I’m sticking with the Garnier formula. Both of the L’Oreal’s formulas struggled a bit with both regular and waterproof makeup. If you do want to try these I’d recommend waiting for a sale.
L’Oreal Micellar Cleansing Water is launching at drugstores now and I imagine it won’t be long before they pop up on Ulta.com and Target.com.
Tried them already?
Do share your results!
L’Oreal Micellar Cleansing Water Waterproof Ingredients
L’Oreal Micellar Cleansing Water Non Waterproof Ingredients