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Truth be told: I almost never use micellar waters. For the uninitiated, micellar water is a combination of purified water; hydrating ingredients, such as glycerin; and low concentrations of extremely mild surfactants, according to cosmetic chemist Joseph Cincotta. The molecules in the surfactants form micelles, which adhere to your cotton round or pad and attract dirt and oil as you sweep it across your face.
Despite being convenient, no-rinse, and typically gentle, micellar waters and cleansing wipes are unfortunately too harsh for my sensitive eye area. Oftentimes, I experience redness, irritation, and crusty, dried-up outer corners. Yeah, it's not ideal.
Because of this, I recently visited a dermatologist pre-COVID-19 outbreak, and she prescribed me a cream that helped a little, but I noticed that my eyes would only get irritated after using micellar water and cleansing wipes to remove my eye makeup. Those no-rinse formulas, in combination with the harsh tugging of the skin (whether with a cotton pad or the wipe itself) I need to remove mascara and waterproof liner, is why I stick to a double-cleansing routine. Both my oil and water-based cleansers (I'm currently using Tatcha's Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil and KraveBeauty's Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser) are super gentle and melt away my makeup without any tugging.