Micellar water burst onto the scene a couple of years ago and still remains very popular in the makeup community. Touted as a revelation by many, it was thought to be extremely good at removing dirt, oil, and makeup - including lipsticks and those stubborn lip stains.
In reality, it was just the newest iteration of the industry-standard makeup removal formula.
All standard makeup removers, including Micellar water, are made using a mix of water, soap, chemicals, and perfumes. These ingredients might make makeup removal "easy" but they can be problematic for your skin, especially your lips.
The Downsides to Micellar Water
If you look at the ingredients on your Micellar water, you'll probably notice the following ingredients:
Aqua - Yes, water is the core ingredient, as the name suggests! Water has no benefit to your lips. It is included to dilute the functioning ingredients and/or to give the formula a "light" and "watery" feel.
Soap, detergent - Both soap and detergents are incredibly effective at removing dirt and makeup. But did you know that they can also deplete the lipids from the lip skin's water proofing barrier? A disturbed barrier can lead to dry, tight skin, redness and irritation - the cardinal signs of inflammation. Harsh or repeated use of detergent-based cleansers can make the lips susceptible to irritants, invasive bacteria and chronic skin problems.
Benzyl alcohol - Preservatives need to be added when water is an ingredient in skin care, and alcohol is one of the most common, despite its downsides. Alcohol can remove lipids and kill microbes on our skin, which can disturb the microbiome. Alcohol is especially concerning for those with dry or sensitive skin because it can cause (and exacerbate) dryness, brittleness and flakiness.
Parabens, salicylic acid, formaldehyde, tetrasodium EDTA (ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid) - These are other preservatives that are commonly used.
Synthetic perfumes - Often labelled as ‘parfum’ or ‘fragrance' these ingredients can disrupt your skin barrier even when included in tiny quantities, such as 1% or less. The synthetic ingredients used to make skin care fragrances result in sensitisation in up to 1 in 50 people. If a fragrance irritates the outer layer of your skin it can cause dryness, redness, itching, stinging, inflammation, flaking, and sometimes even swelling and blistering.
A Gentler Alternative
The skin on our lips is incredibly thin and delicate and constantly exposed to the environment. The lips need to be treated gently to preserve their barrier function. That's why we always recommend our cleansing oil for removing lipsticks and lip stains.
The idea behind oil cleansing is that oil dissolves dirt and oil, and the excess is removed with water, warmth and a soft cloth. It’s that simple - no detergent, no antibacterials, just simple pure plant oils and your skin is left clean and refreshed, rather than dehydrated and itchy.
Our Makeup Remover & Cleansing Oil formula does not contain any water, preservatives, synthetic fragrances, soaps, detergents, or parabens - making it suitable for all skin types, including those with sensitive skin.
Made from 100% Certified Organic plant oils our award-winning cleanser will help protect your skin’s barrier and microbiome by feeding it potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytosterols.
Want nourished, moisturised, lipstick-free lips? Time to embrace cleansing oils.
How to Gently & Effectively Remove Lip Products
Depending on the intensity of your lipstick formula and colour, there are three ways you may like to remove it:
1. When you're cleaning the rest of your face! Massage a few pumps of our Cleansing Oil onto your face using your fingertips. Massage for up to a minute - don’t forget your lips, neck, ears, chin, creases of your nose, and other places that makeup can hide. Wipe away with a warm, damp, cotton face wipe.
2. For lighter lipstick, you may prefer to pump the Cleansing Oil directly into a cotton face wipe and glide it around the lips to remove.
3. Or for an intense lipstick, we recommend applying Cleansing Oil to a clean cotton wipe, closing your lips and holding the wipe over them for about ten seconds. Let the oil soak in and dissolve the makeup. As the makeup loosens you can gently wipe away any remaining residue.
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