Miscellar Cleansing Water claims to be the 1 in 3 product, so it it time to throw away the cleanser, toner and moisturiser?
In regards to skin care Miscellar water has been around since the 1990's when it was created to help Parisian women deal with the hard city water and was widely available in pharmacies in the region.
It had a cult following during Paris Fashion Week amongst make up artist and models and up until recently it has been the beauty industry's best kept secret. When models and make up artists started blogging on this miracle 'no rinse' cleanser there was a buzz in social media circles that gradually created a demand for this wonder product. Now there's been an explosion of miscellar cleansing water products to chose from.
Quick, easy and convenient to use miscellar water is a great product for those of us who are on the go or have the occasional late night or for lazy girls who don't like the usual chore of a CTM routine. Dirt, pollution, oil and make up are attracted to the miscelles and are easily lifted away from the skin in one sweeping motion.
Make up artists and models love this product for fashion shows as make up can be quickly and easily removed without using water and it doesn't dry the skin unlike foaming cleansers. It's also very convenient for those of us who travel as one bottle of this miracle water will replace three of the usual products. So is it any better than using your regular cleanser, toner and moisturiser?
Miscellar water is basically a very gentle detergent and the use of using a surfactant suspended within an aqueous solution (water) has been around for hundreds of years. In 1913 James William McBain from the University of Bristol managed to explain the 'good electrolyte activity of sodium palmitate solutions in water'. He discovered that these highly mobile molecules formed clusters which he named 'Miscelles' which is taken from the biology term meaning 'elongated microscopic particles'.
Miscelles are microscopic hydrophillic (they are smaller than a liposome) droplets of oil suspended in a colloidal or aqueous solution. Under the microscope they look like a tadpole, they have a large head, which is hydrophillic and then a long tail, which is hydrophobic.
Miscellar water is an oil in a soft water solution and when it is applied to cotton wool the hydrophillic heads of the miscelles are attracted to the cotton wool which is also hydrophilic, leaving the hydrophobic tails to act like magnets which attract dirt and waxes from substances and because they are 'electrically charged' in an aqueous solution they have the ability to lift dirt away from surfaces, which is basically how a detergent works. Now you know how your bathroom cleaner works!
Because miscellar water is very gentle it can be used on any skin type, even sensitive or acne skins and it won't leave the skin feeling tight or dry. It's also a great way to introduce your non skin conscious clients to skin care or to clients who are time poor, even young clients or clients that are on a budget as it is relatively cheap.
Professional products of miscellar waters tend to use biophase miscelles which are naturally derived from oils in plants with added exfoliators or essential oils and purified water as it's base. Some product companies even source the water from their own spring or thermal pool! Whilst shop bought miscellar waters tend use sodium palmitate based oils in a soft water soultion.
Over the years I have tried countless numbers of beauty products that claim to do this, that and the other and didn't get rid of my eye bags or my pimples over night, and needless to say I have been skeptical of this wonder product. Whilst away, at the end of last year, I decided to put miscellar water to the test and packed the Matis Vitality Miscellar Water from their M range instead of my usual cleanser and toner, although I still took my moisturiser as it is the one product I could not bare to be without.
Indeed the claims are true, it is quick, easy and very convenient to use and it did remove my make up in one sweep of the cotton pad. Am I converted? No not quite. Although miscellar water did what it said it would do, I would still suggest using a separate eye make up remover as the skin around the eyes is very delicate and needs special care, in my opinion.
I still like to cleanse and tone my face as I feel that my skin is clean, however for a quick make up removal before hitting the gym or after a late night out, or when I'm feeling lazy, yes, I am converted, and in that respect, I can say that it beats using a cleansing wipe any day!