Case in point, the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution I am reviewing today. After winning multiple awards and getting the endorsement of women in multiple countries (including Get it Beauty!), I still didn't really understand the hype. It looked just like plain water to me!
 |
| Image: Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution in 500ml Credit: Self |
The Blurb by Bioderma:
- Sensitive to intolerant skin
- Combines performance and very high tolerance
- Cleanses and removes make-up from the face and eyes
- Soothes and clears up irritated skin
- Produces a feeling of instant freshness
- Non-rinse
- Fragrance-free formula
- Alcohol-free
- Paraben-free
- Hypoallergenic
How I use this:
The way I would use this is that I would pour enough onto a cotton pad until most of it is soaked. Then, I would hold the cotton pad on areas needing the most attention such as my cheeks or eyes for a few seconds, then gently swiping my whole face.
Tip! If you do not want to use so much product, cut the cotton into smaller pieces. Swiping dry cotton on your facial skin may irritate it, so depending on the occasion, I either cut my cotton to save a few ml of product or pour enough to cover the whole pad. This is a first cleanser, so I soak a whole cotton pad as I want to make sure I get all dirt and makeup off.
For a month or so, everyday after coming home I would cleanse with this cleanser, but I would never feel like there is an effect. It looked and felt like water, surely its just plain water? Sure it didn't smell like plain water, but that could be parfum and additives.
Part of the reason I couldn't tell the difference is because I am not a makeup-wearing kind of girl, so I didn't have any base makeup or liner for the micellar water to remove. The only thing that could be removed was the sunscreen I put on daily, but as sunscreen was meant to not be visible to the eye, it was hard to tell.
Nonetheless I slogged on and kept on using it. On the days I put on makeup, I used my Etude House Lemon Tea Time Cleansing Cream until the day it finally ran out. After that, there wasn't any occasion to use makeup so I just didn't. Until the day I was a bit distracted and after holding the cotton to my face and absentmindedly swiping once or twice, I got distracted, then came back to find my sunscreen had beaded up when I wasn't looking!
 |
| Image: Water drops like on my face Credit: Here |
 |
| Image: Swatches of my products. From bottom, Shara Shara - No Sun! Power Lasting SPF50/PA++, Etude House Face Conditioning Cream, The Face Shop Make Me Star Waterproof Gel Liner, Maybelline Hyper Glossy Liquid Liner, Etude House Oh My Eye Line, Tony Moly Fruit Princess Glosses and Etude House Miss Tangerine Cream Choux Credit: Self |
 |
| Image: First swipe of cotton Credit: Self |
 |
| Image: Second swipe of cotton Credit: Self |
One swipe removed all the lipgloss, two swipes removed all the sunscreen and part of the Maybelliner eyeliner. Everything was removed with more soft swipes, but The Face Shop Make Me Star Waterproof Gel Liner needed to be removed by rubbing hard.
I have seen on other blogs that the Bioderma Sensibio micellar water works on water-resistant makeup, but not on waterproof makeup - I have proof now. Also, if you think about how it works, it should be obvious that an oil based cleanser would be needed to remove waterproof makeup, not a water based cleanser like Bioderma Sensibio.
How it works:As taken from the Bioderma site, Sensibio H2O is the 1st and only dermatological micellar water perfectly compatible with the skin: its fatty acid esters, the constituent elements of micelles, are similar to the phospholipids of the skin cell membranes and naturally help rebuild the skin's hydrolipidic film.
Micelles are fatty acid esters, one end being hydrophilic, attracts water, and one end that is lipophilic, attracts oil.
 |
| Image: A fatty acid molecule and a micelle Credit: Here |
The lipophilic part will attract any impurities nearby such as sebum, makeup and dirt. The instructions state needing to press or hold the soaked cotton over the area you would like to cleanse for a while. This is because some time is needed for the fatty particles to be attracted to the lipophilic parts, and also be fixed on the cotton.
 |
| Image: How micellar water on cotton works Credit: Here |
Like: It removes minimal makeup gently and my face feels hydrated after using this.
Do not like: Even though there are claims of it also removing eye and lip makeup, it is best to use a specialised makeup remover for that as this is not strong enough. If a lot of makeup is used, an oil or balm cleanser should be used instead.
Rating: 4/5
Rating scale:
1 – I'm not looking to spoil my skin. Rarrr.
2 – It wasn't bad, but neither was it good. I won't use this unless I have to.
3 – Mmm... I'm sure I an find better quality.
4 – Quite good! Would use again!
5 – The best. This will always be in my stash unless it's discontinued.
Repurchase: Not at the moment. I need to use up everything first, and it is a whole 500ml! After this is finished, I will repurchase as this is really perfect for someone like me who typically wears only minimal makeup after sunscreen.
Edit: The retail price is $40.90, not $44
Edit: The retail price is $40.90, not $44
