Battle of the Micellar Waters – BIODERMA v GARNIER v L’OREAL

Hi everyone,

I’ve had this post ready for quite a while but I’m finally able to publish it on the blog! During my overseas trip at the end of last year/ early this year, I picked up quite a few bottles of the L’oreal Sublime Soft Pure Micellar Cleansing Water (please note, in Australia, the Sublime Soft range equates to the Skin Perfection range) because it was a much cheaper alternative to Bioderma (this was before I found out Garnier launched their Micellar Cleansing Water) and I was also unsure of when the L’oreal version would be released in Australia. Finally, the Skin Perfection range by L’oreal has launched here but unfortunately, I haven’t seen the Micellar Water in store, so hopefully it will be soon.

Nonetheless, I thought I’d post up my thoughts on all 3 Micellar Waters for your reference. Micellar comes from the word, micelle, which is a spherical liquid molecule. They work well at trapping and picking up other molecules, such as makeup. The best part about Micellar Waters is that there’s no need to rinse your face after using them and they act as a cleanser!

BIODERMA CREALINE H20 SOLUTION MICELLAIRE

Before trying Bioderma for the first time around a year ago, I had always shrugged it off as being a product I didn’t need. Firstly, because I thought, ‘it’s just water!’ and secondly, because it is such a pricey product. But I’m so glad that I gave it a go because it really is worth the hype!

Bioderma feels like water on the skin and has no scent, yet its power at removing makeup is amazing! Suitable to be used on the eyes, lips and face, this is a really gentle Micellar Water. It doesn’t irritate the skin, cause it to dry out or sting your eyes. It leaves absolutely no residue on the skin! I find it very effective at removing all my makeup, whether its foundation or mascara. Compared to face wipes, Bioderma wins for me. You might think that you’ve removed all your makeup with a face wipe but if you then go back in with some Bioderma, you’ll be sure to find that there’s still makeup left and Bioderma is able to pick it up and remove it all.

The only downside of Bioderma is of course, its price.

GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER

Garnier was the first ‘drugstore’ Micellar Water from one of the big beauty brands to be released here in Australia and I’m so glad to have found a dupe for Bioderma’s Crealine H2O.

Also suitable for use on the the eyes, lips and face, the Garnier Micellar Water works just as well as its Bioderma counterpart. Again, it doesn’t sting my eyes, cause any breakouts or dry out my skin. It also similarly leaves no residue on the skin. The bottle’s design is very similar to Bioderma’s except for the fact that this bottle is a little flatter in design. The outlet for the product and the lid is again, almost identical to Bioderma’s and I really like this design because I’m able to take a cotton bud, hold it to the outlet and turn the bottle upside down and it allows the cotton bud to be soaked with the formula (with no spills) and I can then go ahead and fix minor mistakes such as some wet mascara that has transferred onto my eyelid or to crisp up a winged eyeliner.

Like Bioderma, this product is also great to use on a makeup free face after a long day as it’s able to pick up and remove the dirt and grime from the day!

L’OREAL SUBLIME SOFT PURE MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER

I had high hopes for this Micellar Water as well and while it works great, there is unfortunately, a couple of downsides. Also suitable for the face, eyes and lips, this product isn’t available in Australia as of yet though you can order it from overseas.

I found that this Micellar Water was the least water like because it left a slight oily residue and therefore, I prefer to use it as an eye makeup remover as opposed to all over the face. While the residue is only slight and not overly intrusive, as a product that doesn’t require you to rinse your face again, I’d personally prefer if it didn’t leave any residue. This is definitely a only a very minor issue to me and probably won’t bother many other people. This product also doesn’t sting my eyes, dry out my skin or cause breakouts or irritations. In terms of its power at removing makeup, it does it just as well as the Bioderma and Garnier versions do.

The only other downside to this product is the packaging. While it is a much more sleek design, the outlet for the product to dispense itself is less controlled than the other 2 Micellar Waters and I find that this one pours itself out onto the cotton pad, which can lead to a messy ending if you aren’t careful.

Overall, all 3 do very well in their roles to remove makeup from the whole face. Because of the slight greasy feels left on the skin after using the L’oreal Sublime Soft Pure Micellar Cleansing Water, I do prefer to use either the Bioderma Crealine H2O or the Garnier Micellar Water. Personally, I find the Bioderma and Garnier versions basically identical and I would have a hard time telling them apart if I didn’t know which one I was using. I think after I finish up my last bottle of Bioderma, I will stop purchasing it and instead go for the Garnier Micellar Water again because the quality and effectiveness of the product is the same but it costs quite a lot less than Bioderma’s Crealine H2O.

BIODERMA CREALINE H20 SOLUTION MICELLAIRE is available in 100ml ($19.99), 250ml ($29.99) or 500ml ($39.95).

GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER is available in 400ml for $11.99.

L’OREAL SUBLIME SOFT PURE MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER is available in 200ml for $16.30 on Sasa (which ships to Australia).