Beauty Bloggers Swear By Micellar Water, Experts Say It Has Its Limitations

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- For many people washing their face is a multi-step process.

As CBS2's Alice Gainer reported, a beauty fad meant to save time claims to clean your face, remove dirt and makeup, and moisturize all in one shot.

"These are little round balls of oil or lipids, so if you take that micellar water and drop it in a cup of water you'll see the little oil droplets form on top,"  Dr. Susan Obagi said.

Dr. Obagi, a UPMC dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon said the oil droplets suspended in water attract makeup and dirt on the face.

You simply use a cotton pad, wipe, and you don't have to rinse it off.

"What that does when you apply it to the skin, it will bind to your makeup and it will help remove that makeup in one swipe," she said.

A busy mother of two gave micellar water a try.

"I can see right now that it's taking some of my makeup off. It feels very wet, not oily, which I was thinking it may be more oily," she said.

Could it be a replacement for your daily facial cleaner?

"No, because what the micellar water is doing, it's binding everything it can bind that will hold on to oil. So it will remove your makeup, it may remove some of your oil from your skin, but it's leaving behind a sheen of oil," Dr. Obagi said.

Dr. Obagi explained that the oil that micellar water leaves behind can actually block other products like anti-aging creams from penetrating the skin.

She recommends using the micellar water if you're on the go, but not daily.

Some beauty bloggers swear by the product and many point out it's also ideal if you're just lazy.

Micellar water first surfaced in France and has been around for a while, but it's recently picked up steam among makeup artists on sets.

There are many different brands on the market that run from a couple of dollars up to fifty bucks.