The inspiration for this Gel Micellar Water came from two places. The first was a gelled micellar water sample I got when I made a purchase. The second was a leaking bottle of non-gelled micellar water in my travel bag. Given Iâve already got a micellar water formulation I love, I knew it wouldnât be hard to gel it and create something thatâs rather fun (this is based on the assumption that gels are fun, which Iâm fully on board with) and significantly less spill/leak prone.
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I selected Aristoflex AVC as our gelling agent because leave-on skin feel is incredibly important with any sort of leave-on cleanser. It is, of course, important for all leave-on products, but I find micellar water to be one of those products where even the slightest bit too much of something sticky or filmy can completely ruin the feel of the product; and to me, that wrecks the product. I find gels made with more traditional gums like xanthan and guar leave a tight, tacky film on my skin when they dry down, and that sensation drives me mad.
Beyond the gelling agent this is a pretty straightforward micellar water. Thereâs a teensy amount of surfactant (PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides) for gentle, effective, non-tacky cleansing. Thereâs a bit of a non-sticky, non-electrolytes-containing (electrolytes + Aristoflex AVC = bad) humectant (propanediol 1, 3) , our preservative, and water. You could fancy up the formula a bit by using a hydrosol to replace some of the distilled water; I find 20â50% hydrosol in a formula usually gives a nice scent level. That will give you a micellar gel that smells lovely and brings along any of the attributes of the hydrosol you choose (for instance, lavender and chamomile would bring some soothing and calming properties to your product).
I chose to package my Gel Micellar Water in a soft squeeze tube, but I think it would do well in a variety of different packages. A squeeze bottle with a disc top would work well, as would a standard pump bottle or an airless pump bottle. Itâs thick enough that you could even forgo the orifice reducer type top and just go for a straight-up cap in a bottle, but I think you may want to keep some sort of squeezability in the bottle in that case for easier dispensing.
The entire formula is cold processed and comes together really easily. If you wish to adjust the thickness of the product you can do that my increasing or decreasing the Aristoflex AVC (more will make the product thicker, less will make it thinner). For reference, a 1% Aristoflex AVC version was more of a micellar paste than a gel, so I would recommend adjusting by 0.1â0.2%, balancing the formula as required with more or less distilled water. Happy making!
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Gel Micellar Water
58.56g | 97.6% distilled water
0.24g | 0.4% PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides (USA / Canada)
0.6g | 1% Propanediol 1,3 (USA / Canada)
0.3g | 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus⢠(USA / Canada)0.3g | 0.5% Aristoflex AVC (USA / Canada)
Weigh the first four ingredients into a small heat-resistant glass measuring cup or beaker and stir to combine.
Sprinkle the Aristolflex AVC overtop and blend with a mini mixer or whisk until the entire mixture has thickened and emulsified. I find it’s easiest to stir, leave it for about twenty minutes to fully hydrate, and then stir again. That’s it!
To use, dispense a dollop of the gel onto a disposable cotton pad and swipe over your skin. Repeat with new pads until they come away clean. I stored my micellar gel in a soft squeeze tube.
Shelf Life & Storage
Because this gel micellar water contains water, you must include a broad-spectrum preservative to ward off microbial growth. This is non-optional. Even with a preservative this project is likely to eventually spoil as our kitchens are not sterile laboratories, so in the event you notice any change in colour, scent, or texture, chuck it out and make a fresh batch.
Substitutions
As always, be aware that making substitutions will change the final product. While these swaps won’t break the recipe, you will get a different final product than I did.
- As I’ve provided this recipe in percentages as well as grams you can easily calculate it to any size using a simple spreadsheet as I’ve explained in this post. As written in grams this recipe will make 60g.
- To learn more about the ingredients used in this recipe, including why they’re included and what you can substitute them with, please visit the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia. It doesn’t have everything in it yet, but there’s lots of good information there!
- If you’re like to use a different preservative, please review this page.
- Because micellar water is a leave-on cleanser I find the leave-on skin feel is extremely important; it’s also very easy to make a micellar water with an unpleasant leave-on feel, be it too sticky or too tight. Avoid sticky ingredients wherever possible.
- Do not introduce any electrolytes into this formula or the gel will failâthis includes ingredients like sodium lactate and aloe vera.
- You can try a hydrosol(s) in place of some or all of the water
- You can try vegetable glycerine instead of propanediol, but keep in mind that vegetable glycerin is stickier than propanediol.
- If you choose to alter the surfactant you’re on your own. I experimented with every surfactant I own and PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides is the only one that produced good results.
- If you are familiar with a different carbomer-type gelling agent you can use that instead of the Aristoflex AVC, though you may need to experiment with the amounts to get the desired end consistency.
- I do not recommend using a gum like xanthan gum or guar gum instead of the Aristoflex AVC as their leave-on skin feel is very unpleasant. Hydroxyethylcellulose might work.
Iâve been using an emulsifier call Sepgel, a cold process one. Leaves no tacky feeling, itâs a gel itself, and it doesnât mind gelling hyaluronic acid and aloe. Itâs so quick to throw together some oils, water or HAcid solution, and have an instant lotion. Iâve been using it for a couple years, itâs a game changer!
Thanks! Do you have the INCI for that? I have some SepiMAX ZEN, but no Sepgel đ
Hi there, Thanks for this lovely recipe. Do you have a link to “Lesemfleur”…. where the tube came from?
Thanks
Jill
Here you go đ
Yay!! Something simple that I can use the Aristoflex AVC that I bought from Windy Point a few months ago in!
Woohoo! There’s more formulas using it coming, too đ
Hello Marie, i want to ask you something, is there any way that we can make a Vitamin C Serum that last , that is efficient for your skin?
Buying ascorbic acid and mixing it with some liquid serum or oil serum will work?
Hope you can answer me!
Hello Ursula!
Due to Vitamin C being a crazy difficult product to work with, there is really nothing you can really make in ones kitchen lab that would last longer than a couple days- a week at most before it would loose its potency. UV/light/heat/cold/oxidation and so much more can play a part in a Vitamin C serum or product loosing its effectiveness. Marie had a video of her morning routine where she talked about using a Vitamin C serum and that she continued to buy hers.
Can i substitute stearic acid for the Aristoflex AVC?
No, they’re really, really differentâthat would be akin to using butter instead of gelatin when cooking đ You can read about them in my encyclopedia to learn more! Happy making!
Do you think the consistency would work with a treatment pump top? Thanks.
I don’t think so, but it should work with a normal lotion pump top đ
This looks fabulous! I’ve got a micellar water recipe I’m very happy with, but the idea of making a gel sounds wonderful.
I’ve not come across that gel in the UK (and I need more ingredients like I need a hole in my head) so I’m going to experiment with small amounts of a different mixed water-based gel I’ve got and see what happens.
I, too, loathe Xanthum Gum. Too much of it feels like putting toddler snot on your face. And at lower amounts I have had too many total fails with lumping, etc. I try to avoid it at all costs!
I look forward to hearing how your gelling experiences go! Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making đ
Hi Marie
Can I add olive squalane and Sodium Lactate to this to make your Micellar Water for Waterproof makeup?
Or add Aristoflex Avc to that formula?
Aristoflex + sodium lactate will fail due to the electrolyte content, but sodium lactate has nothing to do with the waterproof make-up removing aspectâthat’s all the oil (squalane). Swap the sodium lactate for more water and add Aristoflex it should work đ
I’m thinking about doing some experimenting with Iota Carageenan as the gelling agent here. I’m still “getting to know my ingredient,” though and so far, the only thing I know for sure is that I cannot get the Carageenan to hydrate and gel if I heat it up first. Would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this. Do you think it could work well? The feel? If so, what is the best way to incorporate these ingredients after heating the Carageenan?
I’m only considering trying this because I do not own Aristoflex (yet. It’s in my cart on Lotion Crafters lol)
I don’t love most natural gums as gelling agents in products like thisâthey tend to leave a coating on the skin that pills and can itch. That said, try it and see, it’s a great way to learn! Just keep your batch sizes small (~20g) so you don’t waste too much if you don’t like it â¤ď¸ I recommend doing some experiments with your carrageenan like the ones I shared on patreonâjust water, glycerin, and carrageenan so you can get a feel for it before incorporating anything else. Happy making!
Is it possible to add a pinch of shea or other oil to this? I love how shea makes my skin feel. đ
Perhaps try this formulation instead, using an oil you love? I don’t recommend a butter as it’ll float on top in a chunk :/ Happy making!