Micellar waters - high(ish) end VS high street

Hola lovelies!

Today I'm going to be comparing micellar waters by Bioderma and B., which is a range from Superdrug. The Bioderma one is for combination/oily skin. Micellar waters are waters with oil particles in suspension which make removing difficult-to-budge make up a cinch. Essentially they are cleansers without the need for additional water and you can use them all over your face, as well as your chest and back (if you have acne there.)


I needed to remove 3 coats of Benefit's They're Real mascara, and I knew from trying to remove one coat of it previously that my usual make up remover or cleanser wouldn't do the job without making my eyes really sore from constant rubbing.

Aha! It would be the perfect time to compare the two micellar waters I have - Bioderma Sebium and B. by Superdrug.

This is what I needed to remove - 3 coats of spiky 'orrid mascara.


I used B. micellar water on my right eye and Bioderma Sebium on the left, which is for oily/combination skin. I won it in a competition - I've got dry bits and oily bits and it seems to be fine with my skin. It's also available in Sensibio, which is for normal to dry skin and sensitive skin, and if I had bought it myself, the latter would have been my choice as it would suit my skin better.

Mascara be gone!
So, which micellar is my favourite?

The verdict:

First let's talk prices and availability. B. micellar water costs £4.99 for 150ml but is often on 1/3 off and can be found in Superdrug stores and online. The Bioderma costs £9.99 for 250ml which is out of stock but 2 other sizes are available on Escentual.com at the moment - 100ml for £4.50 and 500ml for £14.50. Availability is quite poor at the moment - demand is high because this is a cult product. It is also available on eBay - prices will vary, obviously.

Use of product - the Bioderma did remove product slightly quicker than the B. micellar, but not significantly so. However there is one massive difference between the two. The B. micellar makes my skin feel VERY sticky afterwards. When I first removed my mascara both eyelids felt sticky immediately, but the eye I used Bioderma on soon felt normal. However the eye I used B. on felt sticky for a long time, almost as if it was still coated in product. It felt like I needed to use a toner to remove the stickiness. Yuk!

Therefore my favourite product of the two is the Bioderma, because it performs slightly better and doesn't leave a sticky feeling.

Other - Bioderma isn't cruelty free and B. is, so once the Bioderma has gone and until I discover a better cruelty free micellar, B. will be my product of choice. The B. product has no discernible scent and the Bioderma has a very subtle scent which I don't find at all bothersome.

Have you tried micellar water? 

There are quite a few around now so if you hate that draggy feeling you get when trying to get rid of a stubborn or waterproof mascara, micellar water is the way to go. I can't help but wonder how many eye wrinkles I would've saved myself if I'd had this product 20 years ago!

Thanks for reading!


P.S. It might be time to explain my ethics as to cruelty free items, because it may be confusing. If I win items in a giveaway or competition which are not cruelty free I will use them (or give them away.) If I get a magazine freebie which is not cruelty free I will use it or give it away. If someone gives me a gift which isn't cruelty free I will use it. When it comes to spending my own money (which is the case 99% of the time) I prefer to buy cruelty free items because I don't want to financially support companies who test on animals (especially when it's so unnecessary these days!) I still have a huge amount of non cruelty free items in my make up and toiletry stash to work through. As much as I'd love to give everything away and start afresh, I can't because I'm not in the financial position to do so. However when it comes to buying new things, I always endeavour to buy cruelty free. This is just my thing. I don't expect anyone else to do the same as me, lest I come over all judgy-judgy. We're all the boss of our own underpants and live by our own rules.

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