“Using a micellar water as an initial cleanse followed by a deeper cleanse removes all dirt, mascara, SPF, and oils to prep the skin and leave a clean canvas—oils leave films and can stop your treatments from penetrating the skin correctly,” she continues, making the case for them as opposed to other cleansing agents. An avid cleansing oil and balm user, I couldn’t find any use for the micellar water other than removing mascara. Eventually, micellar water was used in France by makeup artists backstage at fashion shows to quickly cleanse model’s faces.