Review: Yes to Cotton Comforting Micellar Cleansing Water

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So you know I have a thing for micellar waters. To date I have reviewed for you the Simple Micellar Water, Yves Rocher Micellar Water, and the Garnier Micellar Water (which is my current favorite). For the last month, I have been testing out this new Yes to Cotton Micellar Water and today I'd love to share my thoughts with you!

Yes to Cotton Comforting Micellar Cleansing Water

(retail: around $8.99, 8 oz.)

I purchased this about a month ago when I first spotted it on the Ulta website, but I'm pretty sure you can find it in-store at all of the usual retailers now. The first thing I noticed about this product was the pump:

As you can see, there's a flip top lid, which then reveals the same pump style dispenser that you see on various nail polish removers these days. It's the kind of dispenser that allows you to hold your cotton pad directly onto the flat surface of the pump, and then you push down and the product is dispensed directly onto your cotton pad.

When I first saw this pump, I thought, "How genius!" But sadly, it was a little lackluster for me when I actually used it. I find that unless you press very slowly, the micellar water tends to spurt all over the place and it drips down the bottle, onto your hands, and everywhere else around the bottle. In fact, you can see where the water stained the label on top of the lid in my pic above. Every time I use this product, I have to remind myself to pump slowly, and for some reason I always forget, and I have a minor mess on my hands. Not a big deal, but I think it's worth noting. If you don't like the dispenser, you can always just unscrew the lid and pour it directly onto your cotton pad.

So on to the actual product:

Assembled in USA of U.S. and foreign components

It was difficult for me to photograph the directions and ingredients, so here they are from the Ulta site:

Say Yes to waterless cleansing, toning and moisturizing in one easy step with Yes To Cotton Comforting Micellar Cleansing Water! No rinsing required. The Cotton Micellar Cleansing Water draws out impurities without over drying skin. Specially formulated for ultra-sensitive and allergy-prone skin with cotton extract and cottonseed oil to help soften dehydrated and irritated skin. The unique, easy-to-use pump dispenses the perfect amount each time, mess free.

Benefits:

• 99% natural ingredients
• Formulated without Parabens, SLS and Silicones
• Leaping Bunny Certified
• Key Ingredient:
• Cotton Extract nourishes, conditions and protects ultra-sensitive skin. Cottonseed Oil is a protective and skin softening oil. Keep calm, cotton on!

HOW TO USE: Twist to unlock pump. Take a cotton ball or pad and push down on the pump (twice should do it!) for just the right amount of micellar water. Gently swipe across face and repeat as necessary, no need to rinse. Yes to a pure and simple cleansing routine.

INGREDIENTS: Water (Aqua), Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Sebacate, Polyglyceryl-4 Capylate/Caprate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Extract, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice, Hexylene Glycol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Niacinamide, Disodium EDTA, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance (Parfum).

It should be noted here that this is not a fragrance-free formula, although "Fragrance" is the last item in the list of ingredients. In my opinion, the fragrance of this product is VERY light. The scent actually reminds me of Bath & Body Works Cotton Blossom but again, it's very, very light. I hardly notice it during application.

So how has this product been working for me? Well, I have mixed feelings. I have tried this product in a number of ways. I have used it to remove a full face of makeup (including sunscreen, longwear foundation, and waterproof eyeliner), and I wasn't too impressed. With a full face of makeup, I found that I needed a lot of product and I went through about four full-size paper towels during removal. (Side note: I like to use soft paper towels, like Viva, with my micellar waters since I find that they're very absorbent and they "hold" a lot of product. They also allow me to conserve my cotton pads for just the eye area. I use paper towels for my face makeup and then use cotton pads for my delicate eye area). In the end, I was able to remove all of my face makeup with this micellar water, but I used more product than when I use the Garnier micellar water for the same task.

In particular, I find that I need multiple applications to remove my mascara. With micellar water, I like to gently hold a cotton pad to my closed eye and let the product do the work. After a minute or so, I find that the micellar water loosens up my mascara so it's easier to gently glide the cotton pad across my eye area. With the Yes To product, I get a lot of mascara on my cotton pad during that first swipe, but then there's a lot of mascara remaining. So I usually have to use five cotton pads per eye to remove all of my eye makeup. I find that the Yes To does a good job loosening up my mascara, but it doesn't seem to want to lift my mascara off my lashes. And I don't wear waterproof mascara--only washable formulas. So I can't comment on how this may work with waterproof formulas.

I have also tried using this micellar water in other ways. For example, I have used it to help remove the last traces of lingering makeup that I feel may still be on my face after using a traditional cleanser at the sink. In that capacity, I have no complaints. It's pretty much on par with the Simple and Garnier micellar waters.

I have also used the Yes To micellar water to help correct makeup mistakes and again, it works fine in that capacity. No complaints at all. In fact, I think I might like this product more than the Garnier in this capacity, because the Yes To doesn't leave the temporary oily film on my skin that I  get with the Garnier. So using the Yes To to correct mascara mistakes is great. I can dip my Q-tip into the bottle and go right to my upper or lower lid and swipe away my mascara blunders, and within a second or two I'm ready to go back to makeup application. No oily residue.

Speaking of no oily residue, I want to be sure you know that the Yes To micellar water does not leave any lingering film on my face. I know that's an issue for some of you when it comes to the Garnier micellar water (which is a bi-phase product that needs to be shaken first. And yes, it does leave an oily residue on my face after application, but as I stated in my original review of the Garnier, that residue fades away within minutes for me). With the Yes To, I find that my face feels quite clean immediately after use, with no residue at all. My skin doesn't feel dry, tight, oily or sticky after use. That's a definitely plus for the Yes To and probably my favorite thing about it.

But on the negative side, I do find that this product stings my eyes a bit when I get it too close to my eye area. It's not a severe sting--it's mildly unpleasant. I'm guessing this has to do with the witch hazel and fragrance in this product, but I'm not sure. At any rate, that's a disappointment for me since I love using micellar waters all over my eye area, and I don't have this issue when I get the Simple or Garnier micellar waters in, or too close to, my eyes.

FINAL VERDICT: After about a month of testing this product, I find that the best ways for me to use it are to correct makeup mistakes, and to remove any lingering traces of makeup on my face after traditional cleansing at the sink. For me, it just didn't cut it for removing a full face of makeup or for removing eye makeup. I found that I needed to use more product than I do when I use other micellar waters, and the mild stinging in my eye area was something new to me, since I don't get any stinging with the Simple or Garnier micellar waters. But if you're looking for a micellar water to use for correcting mistakes or as a final step after traditional cleansing to remove traces of makeup around the hairline, jaw, and neck, I think this may be worth considering. Especially if you prefer a micellar water that doesn't leave any residue behind. I'm very happy with how my skin feels after I use this product--it feels quite clean and fresh with no residue at all.

Have you tried the new Yes To Cotton Micellar Water? If so, I would absolutely love to hear how it's working for you. Do you agree with my assessment? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below!

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.