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Garnier

Micellar Cleansing Water.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water
Cleansers

About this product

A fragrance-free micellar cleansing water designed to remove makeup and daily impurities from the face and eyes without rinsing.

Cleansers

The Guru Index verdict

64%

Mixed

~Mixed · 64%
11Reviewers
6Approved
1Mixed
4Skip
#17 in Cleansers

What the gurus are saying

The experts split sharply on this one. Those who love it praise the short, gentle ingredient list (water, mild surfactants, and glycerin) and say it removes makeup affordably without irritation, working across all skin types. However, several gurus found it stung or irritated their eyes and left makeup residue, particularly around lashes and waterproof products. The key difference appears personal: some skin tolerates it well, others react to stinging. Anyone considering it may want to patch-test around the eyes first, and those wearing heavy mascara or waterproof sunscreen might find a cleansing balm works better as a first step.
Synthesized from 11 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Fragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Aqua/​Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Isopropyl Myristate, Polysorbate 20, Betaine, Sodium Polyacrylate, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Panthenol, Acrylates Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Myrtrimonium Bromide

Where to buy

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Dr. Vanita Rattan
Dr. Vanita Rattan
1.22M subs · 10k devotees
✓Approved
"It's really got a very short ingredients list. It's literally got water. It's got hexylene glycol, which is a surfactant. It's got poloxamer 184, which is also a surfactant. And it's got glycerin in it, which is a humectant. So that just basically holds water in the top layer of skin. So it's a very basic ingredients list, which I love. There's no alcohol, no essential oils, and no fragrance. So this for me is a definite yes. Definitely worth buying. And nothing in this is going to irritate your skin. It's a very gentle way for me to remove my makeup. So I definitely recommend the micellar cleansing water."
Skin Obsessed Mary
Skin Obsessed Mary
33k subs · 4k devotees
✓Approved
"I use this specifically to remove eye makeup before I double cleanse in the evening. Both of these products use gentle surfactants to lift makeup without stripping the skin. You really can't go wrong with Garnier."
Dr. Aleksandra Brown
Dr. Aleksandra Brown
105k subs · 4k devotees
✓Approved
"My favorite and super affordable is Garnier Micellar Water, the one with the pink cap is what I use. It's only in about $10 range. It will gently remove makeup, even eye makeup, even mascara. You just have to hold it when you put it on your cotton round on your eyelashes for a little bit to pull the mascara off and then wipe it off. It does a fantastic job. It's good for sensitive, acne-prone, oily skin, all skin types really. And no, it does not require any rinsing. Micellar water is intended to be left on your face. You don't really have to wash your face after using micellar water. The key ingredients in the micellar water are these little micelles that pick up the dirt. The way I explain this to my kids is like if you take the Swiffer and you wipe the dry dust, it just sucks it up. That's really what micelles in the micellar water do to the dirt on your skin. They just suck it up into that cotton pad that you just used, leaving your skin clean and smooth. There's also a little bit of Glycerin in it."
Top Pick: affordable micellar water
All 2 takes from Dr. Aleksandra Brown
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"I tend to use my micellar water, Bioderma has been my go-to lately, it really doesn't matter which one you use, Garnier is another good one, some call it the dupe, but I think they're a little bit different. If you're going to get Garnier, it's the one with the paint cap. I obviously love this, it's almost out, so I'll just put this on a cotton round and kind of wipe my face, especially get around the eyes to make sure I remove all that night skincare routine. I always make sure I go down my neck and chest."
Affordable Anti-Aging Skincare Routine | Dr. Aleksandra Brown
"My favorite and super affordable is Garnier Micellar Water, the one with the pink cap is what I use. It's only in about $10 range. It will gently remove makeup, even eye makeup, even mascara. You just have to hold it when you put it on your cotton round on your eyelashes for a little bit to pull the mascara off and then wipe it off. It does a fantastic job. It's good for sensitive, acne-prone, oily skin, all skin types really. And no, it does not require any rinsing. Micellar water is intended to be left on your face. You don't really have to wash your face after using micellar water. The key ingredients in the micellar water are these little micelles that pick up the dirt. The way I explain this to my kids is like if you take the Swiffer and you wipe the dry dust, it just sucks it up. That's really what micelles in the micellar water do to the dirt on your skin. They just suck it up into that cotton pad that you just used, leaving your skin clean and smooth. There's also a little bit of Glycerin in it."
Dr Dray
Dr Dray
2.66M subs · 30k devotees
✕Skip
"Micellar water is helpful for some people for removing makeup, water resistant sunscreen, cosmetic residue. It's like an option, right? You have oil cleanser, cleansing balm, micellar water. It works for some people. For me, I never find that these work particularly well. When I've tried this, it just burns around my eyes and causes eyelid irritation."
All 3 takes from Dr Dray
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"I cannot get this to work for myself this Garnier Micellar Water."
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"The Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water gives me raccoon eyes. It doesn't work for me, even when I use it in a double cleanse fashion."
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"Micellar water is helpful for some people for removing makeup, water resistant sunscreen, cosmetic residue. It's like an option, right? You have oil cleanser, cleansing balm, micellar water. It works for some people. For me, I never find that these work particularly well. When I've tried this, it just burns around my eyes and causes eyelid irritation."
Dr. Shereene Idriss
Dr. Shereene Idriss
1.71M subs · 50k devotees
✕Skip
"I don't think the Garnier micellar water takes off the makeup well. It kind of irritated my eyes way more than anything else I've ever used."
Cassandra Bankson
Cassandra Bankson
2.45M subs
✓Approved
"I never thought I would love micellar water from Garnier but I actually fell in love with this. You can find some really inexpensive but effective skincare."
Doctorly
Doctorly
3.56M subs · 90k devotees
✓Approved
"Garnier has a micellar water so you don't need to break the bank here. It's low pH, great for your skin, has niacinamide so great for your skin for acne, blemishes, dark spots, barrier. Super straightforward, simple, fragrance-free."
Mad About Skin
Mad About Skin
720k subs · 10k devotees
✓Approved
"If you want to go super affordable, the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water is great. I used to use that so, so long, so so good. In terms of cleansing, it will work just as well."
James Welsh
James Welsh
1.58M subs · 118k devotees
✕Skip
"In my personal opinion, this is the worst brand for micellar water. I have seen people, including myself, review this. You leave it on your face, it stings. It says for sensitive skin, but when you leave it on, it stings, it hurts, it can feel itchy. This one stung my eyes so much, it dried out the corners of my nose. It was stingy, it was irritating. I know a lot of people use this absolutely fine, but also the vast majority of reviews I see from this is negative."
All 2 takes from James Welsh
The WORST Dermatologist Recommended Skincare Products! 💜 James Welsh
"In my personal opinion, this is the worst brand for micellar water. I have seen people, including myself, review this. You leave it on your face, it stings. It says for sensitive skin, but when you leave it on, it stings, it hurts, it can feel itchy. This one stung my eyes so much, it dried out the corners of my nose. It was stingy, it was irritating. I know a lot of people use this absolutely fine, but also the vast majority of reviews I see from this is negative."
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"My brother loves Garnier. He can leave it on his skin no problem whatsoever. My skin goes crazy. It gets red, inflamed and itchy. If I even leave this on my skin for 2 seconds, do I now rinse off every micellar water? No, obviously not."
Nipun Kapur
Nipun Kapur
399k subs · 10k devotees
✕Skip
"Micellar water and cleansing milk is not the same as using a cleansing balm or a cleansing oil. Sunscreen filters are very very tough to break down, therefore cleansing balm is recommended."
Hyram
Hyram
4.36M subs · 31k devotees
~Mixed
"Garnier Micellar Water is coming up a lot in this video on her eyes washing her face. It's not the best for mascara or eyelashes, but that's where a micellar water can work a lot. I would recommend a reusable cotton round with micellar water and then pressing it on your eyes to get rid of that because cleansing balms just aren't the best."
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