Micellar solution

In colloid science, a micellar solution consists of a dispersion of micelles (small particles) in a solvent (most usually water). Micelles are made of chemicals that are attracted to both water and oily solvents, known as amphiphiles. In a micellar solution, some amphiphiles are clumped together and some are dispersed. Micellar solutions form when the concentration of amphiphile exceeds the critical micelle concentration (CMC) or critical aggregation concentration (CAC), which is when there are enough amphiphiles in the solution to clump together to form micells. Micellar solutions persist until the amphiphile concentration becomes sufficiently high to form a lyotropic liquid crystal phase.^[1][2][3][4]

Schematic of a micellar solution showing spherical micelles distributed in water (solvent) and having no long-range positional order.

Although micelles are often depicted as being spherical, they can be cylindrical or oblate depending on the chemical structure of the amphiphile. Micellar solutions are isotropic phases.

History

Micellar originates from France, with its usage in skincare dating back to 1913.^[5] Its popularity boomed internationally when French pharmaceutical company Bioderma released their product Sensibio H2O micellar water in 1991, which is said to be sold every two seconds worldwide today.^[6]

Commercial uses

Micellar water is used to remove makeup and oil from the face.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

References

1. Yuanqing, Zhang; Xiancheng, Zeng; Siqing, Cheng; Xiaoqi, Yu; Anming, Tian (1999-04-01). "Micellar Catalysis of Composite Reactions I Micellar Effect on the Consecutive First Order Reaction". Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology. 20 (3): 1009–1024. doi:10.1080/01932699908943831. ISSN 0193-2691.
2. El-Aila, Hisham J. (2013-07-03). "Micellar Catalytic Reduction of Glycine by 2,7-Dibromo-4-(Hydroxymercuri)-Fluoresceine Disodium Salt: Kinetic and Thermodynamic Aspects". Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology. 34 (7): 957–963. doi:10.1080/01932691.2012.735904. ISSN 0193-2691. S2CID 98033918.
3. Oh, S. G.; Shah, D. O. (1994-01-01). "Micellar Lifetime: Its Relevance to Various Technological Processes". Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology. 15 (3): 297–316. doi:10.1080/01932699408943559. ISSN 0193-2691.
4. "Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani Files Patent Application for a Nano-Micellar Composition for drug Delivery and Method of Preparing the Same - Document - Gale Power Search". go.gale.com. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
5. Donohue, Shannon (2017-07-12). "Micellar Water, a Popular Beauty Trend Dating Back to France in the 1900s, Is Officially Back". The Healthy. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
6. "Eau micellaire : Le nettoyant dermatologique inventé pour la peau sensible. Tout savoir sur son efficacité, son utilisation". Bioderma Laboratoire Dermatologique (in French). Retrieved 2021-08-07.
7. "What The Heck Is Micellar Water, And Should You Use It?". HuffPost. 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
8. "Here's How Micellar Water Actually Works". Allure. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
9. Wischhover, Cheryl (2017-11-13). "The Pros and Cons of Micellar Water". Racked. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
10. Janine (6 February 2017). "HOW MICELLER CLEANSERS WORK AND WHY THEY 'RE GOOD TO SKIN". Beautygeeks. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
11. "Micellar Water: Τι είναι και πως το χρησιμοποιούμε". 15 March 2022.