Sunday 10 April 2016

SPOTLIGHT: Micellar Magic Part 2, Swisse & Sukin...

From Part 1, there seemed to be quite a bit of interest in the Swisse version of this magical face cleansing elixir, and I decided to pair it with Sukin, the other brand that uses non see-through packaging. For me, part of the pleasure of using micellar makeup remover is that I can see that it's colourless, and looks for all the world like water. But, I included these in my experiment as they are both excellent brands, so without further ado...

Swisse Micellar Makeup Remover - Micellar Water + Cucumber 300ml (RRP $10.95)



First up I'm quite impressed with Swisse products in general - their pricepoint is excellent, you can buy the range in supermarkets, they exclude the usual plethora of yucko chemicals, and they don't test on animals. Secondly, I made a major goof in my closing words of Part 1, saying that one particular "natural skincare" version contained peroxide and petrolatum. Sincere apologies if I scared anyone, but I TOTALLY misread the label on this bottle - those nasties are what Swisse leave out! Anyhoo, I quite like this interpretation. Cucumber extract is the first ingredient listed, and that usually means the highest content, but the fragrance is ever so faint. It does have an odd effect when using it though - once it hits the cotton pad, the scent intensifies and reminds me of a beach towel that's been left on the clothesline for a couple of days lol! Not unpleasant, but if you like your micellar water fragrance-free, then this might not be for you...


It's not colourless either - no doubt that's the cucumber content, although it doesn't bother me. Interestingly, when swiping the pad across my face, the product kind of foams up - nothing major, and at first I thought it was because I had some cleanser left on my skin, but it happens on bare skin too. Once again, not an issue for me, and it sure is super cooling and refreshing. Despite containing Benzyl Alcohol, it's not the least bit drying on my mature skin...


While I did find it effective for removing makeup, and certainly excellent as a second cleanse, I'm intrigued by the instructions on the bottle, recommending to "...follow with your recommended Swisse cleanser". I'm obviously using it the wrong way round!...



Sukin Micellar Cleansing Water - with Cucumber & Chamomile 250ml (RRP $9.95)

Very fond of Sukin products too - just adore their Hydrating Mist Toner. This micellar water smells almost identical to the Swisse one, but the fragrance is quite a bit stronger. Same level of effectiveness too - I haven't tried using any of these cleansers to remove waterproof eye makeup, but this one works really well on longwear foundation...


Same yellowish colour that's a bit more obvious on the pad, and it also foams up a little on the skin. To be honest, I can't detect much of a difference between this and the Swisse version, apart from the intensity of the fragrance (which incidentally hangs around for a while), although the ingredients are worlds apart. Go figure! Primary content is water followed by Aloe - I do find this a little drying though (it seems to contain two types of alcohol), but it doesn't make my face feel tight in any way. Again the recommendation is to follow with a regular cleanser!...


To their credit, the Sukin formula is free from lots of harsh chemicals, it's 100% vegan, they don't test on animals, and their manufacturing is 100% carbon neutral...


In summary, of the two I prefer the Swisse variety, although if we're talking true micellar waters, I don't believe either of them qualify, even though they seem to work very well. I might consider restocking the Swisse, but because of the intensity of the fragrance, I definitely wouldn't repurchase the Sukin one again...

So enjoying this discovery journey, hope you are too - Part 3 will be up soon!

Take care of you,
kats xxx

P.S. Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party is on again tomorrow - your weekly blog fix begins at 6:30am ... 

30 comments:

  1. Must try some micellar cleanser soon . . . I'm so lazy with cleansing!

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    1. It's a beaut standby for emergencies Beth - sometimes if I'm tired I can't face my usual cleansing routine, but this stuff lets me go to bed without feeling guilty ha ha ♥

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  2. Neither of these sound like they're for me with the scent so thanks for saving me some money! :)

    The Swisse one confuses me a bit. It's meant to be a micellar water but I don't see actual water listed in the ingredients? That's a bit odd!

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    1. Yeah I think there's a bit of "poetic licence" going on in the Micellar Water industry mayday - if it's a watery cleanser, then slap the label on it and sell it xxx

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  3. Thanks heaps for this post Kats! Now I don't think I'll be buying that Swisse micellar water as I'm not sure I like the idea of it foaming on my face. Even though alcohol is low on both lists, I do have to be careful with it as my skin's rather fussy....and alcohol denat is something I know for a fact I'm allergic to, which makes shopping for hair care products a bit of a pain!

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    1. They only foam a little bit, but still I'm wondering why hey? Out of my collection, these are the only two that contain any alcohol Shell - we'll find one for you ♥

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  4. I am still new to the world of micellar water so this post was very helpful. I actually have this Sukin Micellar Cleansing Water sitting in my cupboard but I haven't tried it out yet. You have inspired me to pull it out and give it a go. Just had a quick sniff and personally I don't find the fragrance too strong ♥

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    1. Hey Bella I shall most definitely look forward to your review sweetie - scent is such a personal thing isn't it, and what one person loves, someone else can feel exactly the opposite. I hope it works beautifully for you - Sukin products are so lovely ♥

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  5. I think I will continue using my fragrance free, clear Micellar waters. Great reviews, thanks for doing all this research. It's helping me decide which Micellar water to buy (and not buy) next!

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    1. Oh I reckon I will too Ingrid - still it's been an interesting exercise, and there's four more to come. So glad this has been helpful for you hon ♥♥

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  6. Micellar water seems to be all the rage now! :P Maybe I should get on the bandwagon.

    Insightful post, Thank you.

    Sammy | Bargainbaglady.com {xx}

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    1. Hi there BB! Yes it's taken a while for the other brands to join in, but as I'm finding, there are chasms of difference between some of them xxx

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  7. Wow they sounds really similar, even down to the cucumber, foaming action and non see-through bottles! Thanks for your informative, in-depth review xx

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    1. You're so welcome Di - I actually wondered if these brands have the same parent company! xxx

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  8. Great post Kat! I love the Garnier and Simple Micellar waters. I haven't heard or used either of these brands. They both sound nice, but not something I'd use, due to the fragrance.

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    1. Hi Tal, yes I far prefer my water to have no scent too - they're not artificially fragranced, but it's still not what I go for xxx

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  9. Love that you're comparing micellar waters. I am a daily user of them now. Until I read your post I hadn't thought much about the ingredients which isn't really like me. Now, I'm going to read the labels on the two brands I have. Thanks for opening my eyes.. I don't want alcohol! I can't believe I used to strip my skin with pure alcohol toners!! xo

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    1. I did too Amy - for years and years I was a toner fanatic, but I remember reading on beauyheaven when they ran a special forum night with a skincare specialist, and he said "toners are for photocopiers". Lol! I've never forgotten it - hope the micellars in your kit are ok ♥

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  10. I'm using Garnier micellar water & it works really great! These two brands sounds equally good. I might give it a try next time!

    www.luv4beautyblog.com

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    1. Ho there Ram - I'm a fan of Garnier too, but gosh there's so many to choose from hey xxx

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  11. Hmm, they both sound a bit meh. I'm looking forward to reading about the other brands soon!

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    1. Ha ha Mel, I know what you mean. Yes there'll be two more varieties up soon xxx

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  12. looks a great cleanser. !

    http://itsafashionista.blogspot.in/2016/04/ootd-navratri-special-red-salwar-suit.html

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    1. Hi Rishika, well it's a different way of cleansing that's for sure - all scientific!

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  13. Great post! I love try new micellar waters just because the ones that people love ie. Garnier and Bioderma just don't agree with my skin. I'm intrigued to try the two of these. I think I'd really like the smell x

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    1. Well now how interesting Louise - just goes to show that we're all so different hey, and thank goodness there's a wide variety to choose from. I count my blessings every day that I don't seem to react negatively to any skincare product - mind you, don't get me started on fibre mascara and how it makes my eyes look like Gollum's!

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  14. Foaming? No, that doesn't sound right to me either. I await #3, great reviews Kat!

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    1. Thanks hon - yeah I haven't been able to figure out what ingredient it is that does this frothy thing xxx

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