Garnier Skin Active Micellar Gel Wash Review

I was skeptical with this product. My usual routine is to use makeup wipes and then cleanse using a high end cleanser like clarins or dermalogica. My review of this product will be comparing this cheaper product to my usual. The size of the bottle is great value for money. A similar size bottle in cleansers I normally use is over $100 so the price is definitely a plus. The pump lid is also really handy to manage the amount you want to use. The liquid is light and clear. When rubbing on my face it doesn't foam up as much as I expected so a full pump is required, definitely not a pea sized amount you would use with the high end cleanses. The bottle says to massage around your eyes and lips to remove makeup. I purposely didnt take my make up off with a wipe to test this claim. It works! Even on waterproof mascara, it gently removed it without having to scrub with a wipe. The liquid is free of perfume so I didnt like the chemical smell very much. Scrubbing my lips I accidentally tasted the product and it was sour and gross but your not meant to eat it so I can't judge that! After cleansing, my face didn't feel tight and dry which is good because even some high end cleansers can make it feel like this. Overall this product is great value for money but I do prefer more specialized cleansers that are for hydration or break outs. I do like using makeup wipes so I havent got much need for this. I will continue to use it as an extra makeup remover after using the wipes but I'll still cleanse properly with my high end stuff.

I have always loved micellar water and used it religiously pre child but have since gotten lazy and my skin has suffered. The garnier micellar gel wash gives me all the benefits and results micellar water does but with the ease of adding it into my normal shower routine. Although this gel wash is very watery it packs a punch and within a few days of using it I have seen a noticeable improvement in the overall texture and clarity of my skin. I will definitely keep using this and recommend to others.

Now to be fair to this product we only had a week to trial by the time it arrived so can only give the best review for 7ish days use. The product itself was interesting to say the least. Had it not been labeled i would have sworn black and blue it was a hair gel. It smelt like hair gel, it's texture was like hair gel, it looked like the thickness of hair gel. The only difference was when rubbing it between your fingers it had a slight foam that formed. Using it on the skin was like any other product really, it felt clean afterwards, but my preference now is more of a harsher scrub. You could easily tell it cleaned the skin well, as using a white facecloth you could see the residue/dirt more then what you would just rinsing and washing. Now the results we noticed on my daughters skin that the redness in the acne had declined to just acne bumps. Although it did not clear her skin up there was potential for the product to be able to do this to a certain extent over time. It also helped her get makeup off more easily as well. Overall I would use the product again but it didn't leave me with the I must buy this product feel by the end of the trial.

After reading all the rave reviews of this gel wash, I thought I'd better give it a go.

What I like:

Lathers up well

Comes in an easy to use pump bottle that is clear so you can see how much is left

Seems like good value for money as you get quite a lot and don't need more than a coin sized blob for your face

No exfoliating beads so OK for when you don't want to scrub

If fragrance irritates your face or eyes then you might like this, but only if that's the only thing your face doesn't like.

What I don't like:

I mistakenly thought all micellar things were the same, and all natural/healthy. Unfortunately Garnier have resorted to using Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) which was a surprise - I wouldn't have bought it if I'd read the ingredients.

While it doesn't feel harsh upon application or directly after, a little while afterwards I notice that my face feels a prickly and irritated. No other face washes or scrubs make my skin feel like that. The feeling goes away if I apply moisturiser but since I've already put some on after my shower, this would be an additional layer.

The labels says you can wash your eye makeup off with this but it didn't make a dent in my non-waterproof mascara or waterproof eyeliner. It did get the cream eyeshadow off.

Overall I give this a No Thanks. I'll probably finish it off in the shower as a body wash, but it needs to stay away from my face.

I had been absolutely desperate to try this - didn't get on the trial, got it in the vault but it was left out in error, and it wasn't available anywhere I looked.....

--- so imagine my delight when I finally found it, for $10 (The Warehouse - usual price) and it was every bit as good as I hoped.

Why no 5 star rating then? I prefer the Micellar Foaming Wash from the same range, which I got in Hawaii and is still not out here - it's thinner, and i actually like the slight foam to it.

SO saying, this is good. VERY good.

As is typical for their micellar range, it comes in a clear bottle with a pink cap - pink is my fave colour and so that's always a good start! The pump cap dispenses a good amount of product for one wash, and the gel itself is thick-ish, completely clear, and non-scented.

I use this AFTER oil cleansing at night (cleanse once for your makeup and once for your skin, ladies!) and my skin is currently very well balanced, not prone to breakouts and feels clean and fresh.

The bottle is a generous 200ml, which will last weeks, if not months, for the $10. I'll buy another and have two open at once - one in shower and one on the sink - for when my other runs out. I'm sold.

Cheap, effective, gentle and works for my skin; what's not to love.

I was super excited to get this in the beauty vault, I love micellar water so couldn't wait to try a micellar gel!

It comes in a great size 200ml bottle and my favourite part is it has a pump, I love anything with a pump as it just makes life easier for me. It is a thick, clear gel and I cannot detect a fragrance.

I use this in the shower, one pump is enough and it cleans my face super well and doesn't sting or cause any irritation at all. My face is left feeling clean and soft and I get no tight, dry face.

I really love this micellar gel and would happily buy it again. I feel like the bottle will last for ages as a little bit definitely goes a long way. A very gentle but effective face wash.

I have always liked the micellar makeup remover range from Garnier.

This products is a great makeup remover and face wash. I feel after use that my skin is cleansed but not too harsh that it totally dries up my skin.

It’s not able to fully remove waterproof mascara though, but I don’t think it claims to be a waterproof makeup remover.

I would definitely use this product again and repurchase when I run out.

I really love the Garnier Micellar Water, so I had high hopes for this product as it would eliminate a step from my evening routine and speed things up. It works - it removes most make up (although I still prefer to use make up wipes first anyway). However, I would not purchase this again because I found it a bit stingy - it says to use on your eyes to remove eye make up but it REALLY stings if it gets in or near your eyes. It also claims to be scent-free but I found it had a really chemical smell which was unpleasant. The only thing I really liked about this product is that it foamed and lathered well, and the packaging/bottle is nice.

I found this gel wash to be perfect for removing makeup - especially waterproof mascara. I always struggle to get my mascara off at the end of the day but after using this my lashes were soft and mascara-free! Very lightly scented and didn't dry out my skin

I was really happy with the results from this wash. I’m one of those naughty girls that don’t wash my makeup off at night. So I used the wash in the morning on a smudged makeup’d face. It has no fragrance. Which is fine. Although why do products for sensitive skin always have no smell. Surely there are fragrances for sensitive skin?!

The wash lathered well and bubbled up nicely. It was easy to apply issuing my hands and washed away without leaving my skin dry.

The bottle specifically says it will remove lipstick and mascara. Well in my case - not so much. I wear non waterproof mascara and it still didn’t clean the smudgy stains under my eyes.

While not a 10 out of 10 for me, I would use it again. And I would recommend it as it’s a pretty good cleanser for its price point.