Versus

Garnier Micellar Water Salicylic BHA Versus Garnier Pure Active Micellar Cleansing Water

Makeup Remover
Makeup Remover
French Brand France
French Brand France

Updated on September 06, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free, fungal acne (malassezia) safe, and reef safe makeup removers. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Free From

They both do not contain any common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain harsh alcohols

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

What's inside (and what isn't)

What's inside (and what isn't)

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Concerns

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Hexylene Glycol is a surfactant. Glycols are a class of alcohols. Hexylene Glycol is a surfactant and emulsifier.

As a surfactant, Hexylene Glycol helps gather dirt and oil on your skin to be washed away.

As an emulsifier, Hexylene Glycol helps keep water and oil together. This prevents them from separating in a product. Hexylene Glycol also thins out the texture of a product by lessening viscosity.

Hexylene Glycol has a small molecular weight.

Learn more about Hexylene Glycol
Antimicrobial, Astringent, Masking

Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.

This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying - mostly due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue, constricting pores and leaving your skin dried out.

However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.

Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.

This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.

Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.

Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.

The rule of thumb is if this alcohol is near the end of an ingredients list, it will probably not affect your skin much.

Also...

This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.

The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.

Other types of astringent alcohols include:

Learn more about Alcohol Denat.
Emulsifying

We don't have a description for Poloxamer 184 yet.

Cleansing, Skin Conditioning

Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.

Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.

Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.

Learn more about Disodium EDTA

When to use

181 Routines
18% use in am
81% use in pm
93% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
163 Routines
32% use in am
68% use in pm
98% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Garnier Micellar Water Salicylic BHA 11 ingredients

1.8 /5
from 4 ratings
Light (2) Broke Me Out (2) Drying (2)
tomie1's avatar

Tomie

8 months ago
Review

despite this being fungal acne safe, it still caused me to break out. it felt drying after using it though it did made my skin much brighter

#drying
#broke me out
#irritating
lindivina's avatar

lin divina

7 months ago
Review

-removes makeup and impurity
-doesnt clean the pores or act as anti acne
-gives me acne
-non alcohol free
-drying

#great value
#drying
#broke me out
#light

Garnier Pure Active Micellar Cleansing Water 7 ingredients

2.3 /5
from 3 ratings
Broke Me Out (2) Doesn't Work (1) Great Value (1)
pili09_523's avatar

pili09_523

10 months ago
Review

Nada fuera de lo normal.

karisnchez's avatar

Kari Sánchez

10 months ago
Review

I'd made me breakout really really bad

#broke me out
#doesn't work