- Micellar water, a product found in supermarkets, chemists and bathroom cabinets around the world, is commonly used to remove make-up.
- So, what is micellar water and why is it so good at getting makeup and sunscreen off?
What are micelles?
- But micellar water products contain something called micelles – clusters of molecules that are very effective at removing oily substances.
- To understand why, you need to first know two chemistry terms: hydrophilic and hydrophobic.
- Hydrophilic materials will happily mix with other hydrophilic materials.
How are micelles formed? It’s all about surfactants
The micelles in micellar water are formed by special molecules known as surfactants. Surfactant stands for surface active agent. These molecules looked at their hydrophilic and hydrophobic brethren and said, why not both? They are typically comprised of two ends: a head group that is hydrophilic and a tail that is hydrophobic.
- The hydrophilic head wants to be in the water, but the hydrophobic tail can’t stand water.
- Add enough surfactant and, eventually, we will pass a critical micelle concentration and the surfactants will self-assemble into clusters of approximately 20 to 100 surfactant molecules.
- These micelles have a hydrophilic exterior, meaning that they are very happy to remain mixed throughout water.
- This is very handy, and helps explain why adding some detergent (a surfactant) to water will allow you to wash an oily saucepan.
Micellar water in action
- In all of these cases, they are there to help the water interact with the dirt and oils, and micellar water is no different.
- When you apply some micellar water to a cotton pad, another convenient interaction occurs.
- Look at how a cotton wipe soaked in micellar water cleans up a small oil spill, in comparison to water alone.
So why shouldn’t I just use dishwashing detergent to wash my face?
- But these particular surfactants would probably cause a lot of skin and eye irritation, while also damaging and drying out your skin.
- The surfactants in micellar water are chosen to be mild and well tolerated by most people’s skin.
- There are many other face-cleaning products that also make great use of surfactant molecules and work very well too.
- If your skin is feeling irritated after using a micellar water product, you can try rinsing afterwards or discontinuing use.
Daniel Eldridge does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
