For a good many years, I thought micellar water was optional. A superfluous add-on to one’s beauty routine, like fries to a hamburger or Michelle Williams to inimitable 00s group, Destiny’s Child. As is the case with most things, I reached this conclusion not by way of extensive research and experimentation, but rather by catching wind of something a person, TV show, or article had said, internalising it, and espousing it as my own for many years to come. Micellar water? Oh no, not for me!

Only through slapping it on my face religiously did I become privy to my previously erroneous ways, allowing me to see it in a new, more favourable light. Despite this aversion, nothing (physically speaking) ignites as much envy in me as people who always look clean, no matter what. I know it’s a bit odd to prioritise hygienic proficiency over things like shiny, butt-length hair, or legs that go on for decades, but people who manage to look put together for the entirety of the day arouse suspicion in me. Maybe it’s the untamable wispy hairs that sprout from my hairline, or the millions of freckles that punctuate my face, but I just never seem to look 100% sleek, ever.

What I’m getting at is that Bioderma’s Sensibio H2O micellar water has helped me to be one step closer to my lifelong dream of being a clean person. Outside of that, I deeply respect anything that claims to “respect the fragility of sensitive skin,” because what’s a perf relationship if not one that’s built on mutual respect? The makeup remover/skin refresher hails all the way from Paris, and is fragrance-free, alcohol-free, hypoallergenic, and doesn’t require any rinsing. It’ll clean that Stage 5 waterproof mascara right off your eyelashes, even if you’ve committed the treacherous sin of going to sleep in your makeup the night before. The classic formula is gentle, doesn’t require much in the way of scrubbing, and evaporates on the skin like water. It didn’t make my skin oily or dry, but rather like it’d just been dunked in the healing waters of the River Jordan. For the very sensible price of $31.99, you too can be the annoyingly clean person you’ve always wanted to be. Get it here.

Words, Madeleine Woon. Photography, Gia Salvaggio.