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The top-selling micellar water in the United States just got a sibling: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Jelly Water, a next-gen play on the French pharmacy staple that’s designed for acne-prone skin and will run you just north of $7.
Garnier SkinActive Micellar Charcoal Cleansing Purifying Jelly Water — $8.00
Formulated with charcoal to mitigate excess oil while purifying pores, this gooey-but-not-sticky, no-rinse cleanser acts as a makeup remover and toner in one. It’s got a true jelly texture, and checks all the “generally safe for all skin types” boxes in that it’s made without oil, fragrance, parabens, or silicone (plus, it’s vegan!).
Truly in a class of its own (we can’t say we’ve ever seen a product quite like this before), the formula gives you the best of both a micellar water and a charcoal-infused face wash. Micellar water is known as one of the gentlest ways to remove grime from your skin, and uses “micelles” (aka oil particles suspended in water) to pick up dirt and makeup without causing any dryness or stripping. Charcoal, on the other hand, is purported to remove impurities by binding to and soaking up excess oil. Thus, if you’re prone to breakouts, this might be your new best friend for makeup removing and oil-free double-cleansing.
Check out the texture in this TikTok:
To put it into play, simply apply it to a cotton pad or washcloth and swipe away. You can also massage it into your skin with just your fingers, which gives it an edge over classic micellar water formulas that require some sort of vehicle (usually a cotton pad) for application. Use it to remove makeup, or simply to clean off oil, dirt, sweat, SPF, and whatever else came your way during the day.
Despite being geared toward oilier skin types, it was still gentle enough for me to use on my dry winter face—but I could definitely feel a toning, tightening effect that I don’t get with micellar water or oil-based makeup removers. It’s not stripping, per se, but certainly made my skin feel tighter, and there was a marked sensory difference between this stuff and Garnier’s classic Micellar Cleansing Water. As such, this is a product I’ll save for the warmer months when my sebum production remembers it has a job to do and resumes its normal function. But my oily girls? This one’s for you—and the texture is just the beginning of what you’ll love about it.
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