{"id":42482,"date":"2016-03-30T03:10:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-30T03:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skinlycious.com\/new\/?p=42482"},"modified":"2022-08-29T11:45:46","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T03:45:46","slug":"using-micellar-cleansing-water-read-this-especially-if-you-have-oily-acne-skin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skinlycious.com\/my\/using-micellar-cleansing-water-read-this-especially-if-you-have-oily-acne-skin\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Micellar Cleansing Water? Read this! Especially if you have oily, acne skin."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Using the wrong micellar cleansing water can cause your skin to oil up, leading to acne. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What is micellar cleansing water? How do they work?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Micellar cleansing water, also known as micelle solution, has been in the beauty market for a while. Basically, this water is made up of microscopic micelle molecules suspended in soft water. A micelle molecule is a spherical molecule with a hydrophilic (water-loving) exterior and a hydrophobic (water-hating) interior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we pour the micelle solution on a cotton pad and apply the cotton pad on our skin, the pressure causes the micelle molecules to open up. This exposes the hydrophobic interior, which will attract and attach itself to other hydrophobic molecules (e.g dirt, grime, make up, etc). Once the pressure is lifted, the micelle molecule closes and forms a sphere again, trapping the dirt inside the molecule. This lifts the dirt and non-water molecules off your face, thus cleansing your skin in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My experience with Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Solution<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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I have been looking for a make up remover that works for oily\/ acne skin. Being super acne-prone, I wasn\u2019t comfortable with using oil cleaners. I have been using milk cleansers but I didn\u2019t like the after feel of the milk cleanser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I was really excited when Bioderma Sensibio H2O was launched. I bought a 250ml bottle as it was bundled with a 100ml free bottle. I can\u2019t remember the price though as it was more than two years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first experience was good. It did remove my make up satisfactorily. I also preferred the after feel of the micellar water to the milk cleanser. I was happy that I could finally stop using my milk cleanser. After using Bioderma cleansing water, I followed up with Skinlycious Anti-Acne Wash (now known as Calming Cleanser<\/a>), even though it was not necessary as micellar solution is suppose to be a rinse free cleanser. However, I am afraid of acne outbreaks, so I continued with my usual routine of Skinlycious products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My happiness didn\u2019t last long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next morning, I woke up with a very oily complexion. I have yet to wake up with oily skin ever since I used only Skinlycious products in my skin care routine. It didn\u2019t occur to me it was the Micelle Solution until my skin oiled up again by noon even after I had washed it in the morning. This had not happened to me for a long time. Of course, my face was more clogged up then usual due to the increased oiliness. Acne started popping up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A D\u00e9j\u00e0 vu feeling set in. I knew it was the micellar cleansing water as I did not change my diet<\/a> nor other skin care products. I had this experience before when I was trying to formulate a cleanser for normal skin to add to the Skinlycious brand. We were testing out and trying different versions of sulfate-free cleansers with milder surfactants. The first few versions I tried oiled me up by noon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My chemist and I worked hard to improve on the formulations. I, having acne-prone and combination skin, tried 10 different formulations, but all gave me an oily complexion though the last version was not as bad. My best friend, who has normal acne-free skin, went through the 10 rounds of testing with me. The first few versions made her normal skin oil up by noontime as well. The subsequent versions did not cause her skin to oil up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we decided that Skinlycious should focus on being an anti-acne brand as that\u2019s where our uniqueness lies. And with more experience in testing, I also found out that certain preservatives and other ingredients can also cause my skin to be oily. These are not taught or found in textbooks. It\u2019s only because I have super acne-prone skin that I am able to test, feel and know the difference between the different formulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stopped using the Bioderma cleansing water and went back to using milk cleanser for my make up removal. It took about 4 weeks for my skin to regulate back to normal, i.e. oiliness sets in only in the late evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t think of trying another brand of micellar cleansing water for two reasons :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Bioderma is supposed to be the best-selling and the pioneer, so they should be one of the best cleansing water. If it doesn\u2019t suit me, I guess other brands would not as well. After all, they all work on the same concept of using micelle molecules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) I didn\u2019t want to risk getting acne again by trying new products. Sometimes, it takes much longer for the skin to regulate back to \u201cnormal\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leave us a comment if you have similar experiences where cleansers oil up your face and cause outbreaks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the scenes of formulating Skinlycious Cleansing Water \u2013
9 months; trials on real people with acne-prone skin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Round 1 \u2013 Testing on my own skin<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Working with my chemist, we had to try a few versions before we came up with a formulation that doesn\u2019t make my skin oily after use. This took a very long process as every time when I tried something that causes me to oil up, I had to stop, go back to my old routine, and allow my skin at least two weeks to tune back before I try another formulation. This process took me 4 months to find a formulation that I am fully satisfied with and importantly, it doesn\u2019t oil me up. It\u2019s alcohol free, parabens free, oil free and soap free. Let\u2019s call this Version 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Round 2 \u2013 Getting some friends and top customers to try<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We contacted a few selected customers, who have been consistently using Skinlycious products for quite a while. These are customers, who have had their acne cleared from using our products. I also asked a few close friends, who have normal skin and have been using my serums and sunscreen (suitable for all skin types), to try. I made a batch of 20 samples of Version 1 and sent it out to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The feedback that came back was that it cleanses well. A few feedback that smell was ok but many feedback that they didn\u2019t like the smell. My bestie called me up and told me that she didn\u2019t like the smell. When asked if they preferred citrus or flowery smell, most feedback that citrus refreshing smell would be nice. So, we tried an improved version with citrus smell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, I am very bad with smell. I think my nose is kinda spoilt. Sometimes, I can\u2019t even smell my baby\u2019s poop. The original version\u2019s smell was acceptable to me. Nevertheless, I was glad that I didn\u2019t launch the original version and gathered some feedback before I launch. More importantly, I wanted to make sure that Skinlycious micellar cleansing water doesn\u2019t cause our skin to be more oily, which would possibly lead to acne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Round 3 \u2013 Improving the formula, adding citrus essential oil, getting feedback from close friends.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We also gathered that waterproof eye makeup was not that easy to remove with Version 1. So, my chemist and I worked on it and did an improved version and changed it to citrus smell. Let\u2019s call this Version 2. It did cleanse better than Version 1, especially so on removing waterproof eye makeup. I only made 3 samples of Version 2. One for me and two for my close friends. One was ok with the citrus smell but the other felt that it reminded her of detergent. So, I decided not to use citrus smell. Also, dosing in natural citrus essential oil might cause photosensitivity, so I decided against that. So, not all natural stuff are good. It depends on the dosage and where you use them on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Round 4 \u2013 Letting the customers decide, launching what the majority prefer. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Working with my chemist, we had to try a few versions before we came up with a formulation that doesn\u2019t make my skin oily after use. This took a very long process as every time when I tried something that causes me to oil up, I had to stop, go back to my old routine, and allow my skin at least two weeks to tune back before I try another formulation. This process took me 4 months to find a formulation that I am fully satisfied with and importantly, it doesn\u2019t oil me up. It\u2019s alcohol free, parabens free, oil free and soap free. Let\u2019s call this Version 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I decided to change and dose two different fragrances in very small quantity to Version Two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We came up with two versions of Version Two \u2013 GT1 or IV1. Thereafter, we sent out a set of GT1 and IV1 to customers and friends who gave feedback in our first trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, majority said they preferred IV1. 18 out of 20 preferred IV1. Many also feedback that it cleanses better than the earlier version. Some of you might ask, why not do away with fragrances totally?<\/strong> I did think of that. But I prefer to have a pleasant smell when I cleanse my face. It\u2019s dosed in such a small quantity that it will most probably not cause problem for sensitive skin. However, for Skinlycious serums, they are all fragrance free. I prefer to have fragrance free serums as they are left on the face.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Round 5 \u2013 Launch of Cleansing Water<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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