With This Micellar Mousse, No Cotton Pad’s Required

Last Updated on November 1, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti

Hands up if “micellar” makes you think of cleansers you just swipe on and done… no rinsing needed. Medik8 Micellar Mousse is different. You can ditch the cotton pad, but you DO need to rinse this baby off your skin. And that’s NOT a bad thing. Here’s why this is one of the best micellar waters I’ve come across in years of beauty blogging:

What’s In Medik8 Micellar Mousse?

MICELLES TO CLEANSE SKIN

If you’ve ever washed dishes, you know that oil and water do NOT mix. Not without a helping hand. Enter surfactants. These molecules have a hydrophilic head that’s attracted to water (and repels oil) and a lipophilic tail that’s attracted to oils (and repels water).

When you add enough surfactants to water, their molecules form little clusters called micelles. This arrangement ain’t random. The tails point in while the heads face out to the water. If the cleanser also has oils – and Medik8 Micellar Mousse has olive oil -, they sit in the middle of the micelle.

If you pour the micelles on a cotton pad, the water-loving heads attach to it while the oil-loving tails attach to the oils on your skin and take them off. If you ditch the cotton pad like Medik8 Micellar Mousse wants you to, you can still remove dirt and impurities – but you have to rinse them off.

Which is better? If you’re in a rush or just out and about, nothing beats the cotton pad. It takes everything off without fuss. But I prefer to wash it off with water. Micellar cleansers are just mild cleansers. And even the mildest cleansing agents may irritate skin if you leave them on for hours and hours. Sure, the risk is tiny. Most people can leave micelles on without problems. But unless you’re in a pinch, it’s always better to wash a cleanser off.

OLIVE OIL TO CLEANSE AND MOISTURISE SKIN

Olive oil sits at the centre of the micelle. When you massage it onto your skin, olive oil attaches to the oils on your skin, makeup and sunscreen and breaks them down, so they can easily be rinsed off down the drain. Plus, olive oil has moisturising properties that make skin softer and smoother. In other words, it cleanses and moisturises at the same time.

Related: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Olive Oil In Skincare

Struggling to put together a skincare routine that banishes dryness and makes your skin supple and dewy? Download your FREE “Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):

The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients

• Aqua (Water): This is just water, the base that everything else dissolves into. It’s what makes the micellar water actually liquid and helps all the cleaning ingredients spread across your face.
• Isopentyldiol: A moisturizing ingredient that also helps preserve the formula. It gives the product that smooth, silky texture and helps it glide nicely on your skin.
• Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate: This is one of the main cleansing agents doing the heavy lifting. It’s a surfactant that grabs onto dirt, oil, and makeup so water can rinse it all away.
• Sodium Cocoamphoacetate: Another gentle cleanser derived from coconut that works alongside the other surfactants. It helps create those micelles (tiny cleaning bubbles) that lift away impurities.
• Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine: A mild surfactant that helps clean your skin and thickens up the formula. Some people with really sensitive skin can have reactions to it though, so watch out if you’re prone to irritation.
• Phenoxyethanol: A preservative that stops bacteria and mold from growing in the bottle. Can sometimes irritate sensitive skin or cause allergic reactions in certain people.
• Glycerin: A humectant that pulls moisture from the air into your skin. It keeps your face hydrated and prevents that tight, stripped feeling you sometimes get after cleansing.
• Citric Acid: Adjusts the pH of the formula to match your skin’s natural acidity. Also provides a tiny bit of gentle exfoliation.
• Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract: A plant extract packed with antioxidants. It helps protect your skin from environmental damage and adds some conditioning benefits.
• Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil: Essential oil that gives the product that fresh orange scent and adds antioxidants. Citrus oils can cause sensitivity or irritation for some people, especially if you go in the sun after using it.
• Sodium Benzoate: Another preservative keeping everything fresh and preventing bacterial growth in the bottle.
• Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract: Orange extract with antioxidants that also contributes to the fresh citrus scent.
• Polyquaternium-10: A conditioning polymer that leaves your skin feeling smooth and soft after cleansing. It’s basically a skin conditioner.
• Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate: A chelating agent that helps the product work better in hard water and keeps the formula stable over time.
• Ethylhexylglycerin: Does double duty as both a preservative booster and a skin conditioning agent that improves texture.
• Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract: Natural cleanser from the soapberry plant. It has gentle foaming properties and helps with the cleansing action.
• Balanites Aegyptiaca Fruit Extract: Desert date extract that adds conditioning and soothing properties to the formula.
• Disodium EDTA: A chelating agent that prevents minerals in your water from interfering with how well the product works.
• Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil: Essential oil that adds fragrance and some astringent properties. Like other citrus oils, it can increase sun sensitivity and irritate sensitive skin.
• Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil: Essential oil for that zesty scent. Same deal as the other citrus oils, potential for irritation or making your skin more sensitive to sunlight.
• Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract: Extract from baby’s breath plant that works as a natural foaming agent and helps create lather.
• Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil: Bergamot essential oil that gives it that fancy, spa-like smell. It’s particularly known for causing photosensitivity though, so be careful about sun exposure.
• Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Peel Oil: Another citrus essential oil for fragrance. Yep, same warnings apply about sun sensitivity and potential irritation.
• Disodium Phosphate: A pH adjuster that keeps the formula at the right acidity level for your skin.
• Limonene: A naturally occurring component of all those citrus oils that has to be listed separately because it’s a potential allergen. It gives that fresh citrus scent but can cause reactions in people with citrus allergies or sensitive skin.

Texture

When you pump it out, it literally looks like a cloud fell out of the bottle. Super soft and airy, way different from those thick foam cleansers that feel like shaving cream. This is delicate as hell, almost like whipped cream but without being sticky or gross. And when you start rubbing it on your face it just stays fluffy the whole time, doesn’t get watery or anything. It’s weirdly satisfying to use just cause of how it feels, like playing with clouds but on your face.

Fragrance

So they say it’s fragrance-free but like… they put a ton of essential oils in this thing and you can absolutely smell it. Smells citrusy, kinda like you just peeled an orange mixed with grapefruit and some other stuff. It’s not crazy strong but it’s there. If you’re into that fresh citrus spa smell you’ll probably dig it. But if essential oils mess with your skin or you genuinely want no smell at all, this ain’t it. I think it smells good tbh, very fresh and zingy, but yeah just so you know it’s not actually scentless.

How To Use It

I wet my face, pump some out, rub it around for like a minute, rinse. That’s it. Honestly takes the same time as cotton pads, maybe even less? Cause with regular micellar water you gotta find the cotton pads, pour it on, wipe your face, flip the pad, get another one if you need it… it’s a whole thing. This is just pump, massage, rinse, done. No extra stuff to deal with. Plus massaging it in feels way better than just swiping at your face with a pad. Takes like two minutes max.

Packaging

White bottle, pump on top. Clean looking, works good. Pump gives you the right amount every time, you can use it with one hand which is nice. Bottle feels solid. Looks good on the counter, does what it’s supposed to. That’s really it.

Performance & Personal Opinion

Medik8 Micellar Mousse does a great job at removing both dirt, makeup and the little excess oil on my t-zone. Keep in mind that I wear little makeup. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the ’90s, but I favour a natural look over the heavy, full-on, Kardashian-style makeup that’s popular today. If you dig that kind of look, you’ll probably want to use Medik8 Micellar Mousse in the morning or as the second step of your cleansing routine at night.

The best part? It doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight. After I’m done cleansing, everything is soft and smooth. The only thing I’d change is the scent. The citrusy aroma is pleasant enough, but always poses a small risk of irritation for sensitive skin. Another reason why it’s best to rinse off your cleanser, ladies!

What I Like About Medik8 Micellar Mousse

• It actually cleans my face properly – gets rid of dirt, makeup, and that annoying oil on my t-zone without me having to scrub like crazy
• Doesn’t make my skin feel tight and gross after I rinse it off, everything just feels soft and smooth instead of stripped
• Way less annoying than using cotton pads, just pump and massage and you’re done
• The fluffy cloud texture is honestly kinda fun to use, makes cleansing feel less like a chore
• You can do the whole thing one-handed which is clutch when you’re lazy or in a rush

What I DON’T Like About Medik8 Micellar Mousse

• They say it’s fragrance-free but it’s loaded with essential oils so it definitely smells citrusy, which can irritate sensitive skin
• If you’re into heavy makeup looks it’s probably not gonna cut it as your only cleanser, you’d need to double cleanse

Who Should Use This?

• This is perfect if you’re someone who wears light makeup or just sunscreen and wants something quick and effective for morning cleansing.
• Also great if you’re doing a double cleanse routine and need a gentle second step at night.
• If you’ve got normal to combination skin and don’t have major sensitivity issues with essential oils, you’ll probably love this.
• But if you’re rocking full glam makeup every day or your skin loses its mind over citrus oils, maybe skip this one or just use it in the morning when you’re not wearing much on your face.

Does Medik8 Micellar Mousse Live Up To Its Claims?

Price & Availability

£8.00 (40ml) and £24.00 (£150ml) at Sephora

Do You Need It?

If you’re looking for a micellar water for dry skin, this is a good option to consider.