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 ♥...