Best Micellar Water?? Bioderma vs Garnier

It’s a battle of two best micellar waters today. Bioderma micellar water is a French cult classic and favourite of many skincare enthusiasts. Moreover, it is my personal favourite too. It has been said, Garnier micellar water is equally sharing the spotlight, because of its price. I am putting my investigative cap on and getting down to the nitty gritty of both micellar waters. Let’s see who will win!!

Packaging:

Both micellar cleansers come in clear plastic bottles with pink caps. Bioderma lid has a tiny nozzle to dispense cleanser while Garnier lid is plain with small hole. This may be not a significant difference between these bottles but I found that tiny nozzle on Bioderma cap is actually very helpful. I can freely pour out the product on cotton pad without spilling it. While with Garnier bottle, I always need to put a cotton pad directly on a lid before pouring the product out. Otherwise the water squirts out of a bottle. Garnier bottle is not very sturdy too. 

Ingredients:

Both micellar solutions have few similar ingredients. Bioderma has additional cucumber extract which gives skin cooling sensation and is paraben free. Garnier micellar cleanser lacks this property. Both makeup removal products are fragrance free.

Usage and Suitability:

Micellar water is an easy and quick way to remove makeup and freshen up skin at any time of the day. Both products are perfect for this purpose. Small quantity on cotton pad and swipe over face for squeaky clean skin without drying. Both micellar cleansers are safe to use on face, eyes and lips. They are suitable for all skin types, even for sensitive skin. They both are gentle on skin and none of them broke me out. They taste horrible though.

Performance:

I painted a heart and lips with red lipstick on my arm to check how both products will perform side by side. Red lipstick is quite difficult to take off. There is always a stain left behind. I let the lipstick to set for a while on my arm to sink into skin so we can measure the efficiency of both micellar waters. I poured out an equal amount of Bioderma and Garnier on two cotton pads. I placed the pads on doodles and gently pressed for six to seven seconds. And then swiped them over the marks to take off the lipstick.

After one swipe you can see that lipstick didn’t come off completely. Therefore, I changed the side of pads and swiped one more time. I didn’t rub skin at all. Second time the Bioderma removed the product fully while Garnier didn’t. I had to go over for third time on Garnier's side to remove any remaining product. It is also not very effective on water-proof makeup  as well, while Bioderma melts away water-proof makeup in first attempt. Bioderma performed slightly better here. I will always prefer Biroderma for my eyes. Since I don’t want to go over and over again on this delicate area and irritate my skin. But Garnier cleansing water is fine to use over rest of the face. I always double cleanse anyway and wash my face with foam or gel cleanser to remove any trace of makeup after micellar water.

Price & Availability:

Bioderma and Garnier micellar cleanser have huge price difference. Bioderma 200 ml bottle retails for £10.50. Garnier micellar cleanser 400 ml bottle costs £4.99. So there is no comparison in price. Garnier is budget friendly and economical. Even if Bioderma performs slightly better, we get double amount of product in Garnier bottle for less than half price.

Both micellar solutions are widely available in-stores and online in all leading pharmacies.

It is a tough decision to call one product a winner. However, I have been using Bioderma for last couple of years and I am very comfortable with it. Which one is your favourite micellar water?