Drunk Elephant's New Skin Launch Just Replaced My Favorite French Beauty Product

Prepare to gasp, but I've never loved micellar water. When I do reach for a bottle of the stuff, it's always, always, always Bioderma's Sensibio H20 ($15)—the French budget-friendly, holy-grail formula practically every celebrity, editor, and beauty-obsessed person on earth seems monogamously besotted with. 

I did a little digging, and according to cosmetic chemist Joseph Cincotta, micellar (pronounced my-sell-er) water is traditionally composed of purified water, hydrating ingredients (like glycerin), and small doses of very mild surfactants.

"The molecules of those mild surfactants naturally group together to form microscopic spheres called micelles, which act like magnets for dirt and oil," Cincotta explained to Allure. "When you wipe a cotton ball soaked with the cleanser along your face, the micelles adhere to the cotton while pulling makeup, sebum, and any other daily unpleasantness off the skin. The formulas are so light and gentle that there's no need to rinse them off, which means that the moisturizing ingredients can stay behind to be absorbed." Additionally, experts say micellar water can be an especially great option for anyone with sensitive or acne-prone skin. 

As a society obsessed with both convenience and skincare, the apparent infatuation with micellar water makes sense. In addition to cult-loved French brand Bioderma, countless other brands like Garnier, La Roche-Posay, La Praire, Darphin, and Caudalíe have their own iterations, and the latest name to board the buzz-worthy micellar water train is Drunk Elephant.

Meet E-Rase Milki Micellar Water ($28), Drunk Elephant's newest whimsical skincare launch I couldn't wait to get my hands on. Would it meet my Bioderma-level standards? Would it turn me into a full-on micellar water fanatic? Is it as special as all of Drunk Elephant's other best-selling face, body, and hair elixirs? I was keen to find out. Below, I'm giving you the 411 on everything Milki Micellar—why it's unique, what it's made of, how to use it, and last but not least, my honest review. Keep scrolling! 

E-Rase Milki Micellar Water: The 411

As with all Drunk Elephant products, E-Rase is completely free of essential oils, silicones, sulfates, fragrance, and PEGs. (You can learn more about what the brand intentionally leaves out of their products, here.) I'll get into the ingredient specifics shortly, but in a nutshell, the brand describes their micellar water debut as a supremely gentle, pH-balanced (5.0!) milk anchored by a strategic lineup of skin-loving ingredients like ceramides, vitamin E, lush fatty acids, and non-fragrant plant oils for a hearty dose of antioxidants.

It's a no-rinse solution that effectively removes stubborn makeup, sucks up the inevitable daily buildup of grime (like dirt, pollution, bacteria), and leaves the delicate skin mantle soft, plump, nourished, hydrated, and totally void of irritation. You can simply use it to take off your makeup before you cleanse, you can use it in lieu of your cleanser (yes, it's that effective), or you can just use it anytime your skin needs a quick dip of refreshment.

The Key Ingredients

You've probably already gleaned Drunk Elephant's take on micellar water isn't like other micellar waters on the market. First of all, as someone who is breakout-prone and paranoid about each and every ingredient within my skincare products, I ran the full list by AcneClinicNYC.com (which scans for anything comedogenic, aka pore-clogging) and E-Rase's entire roster of ingredients got the green light. Translation: There's pretty much zero chance of this elixir causing any new bourgeoning bumps on your face. But let's dive in further, shall we? 

First and foremost, E-Rase Milki Micellar Water contains a specialized Micellar Cleansing Blend composed of gentle surfactants and emollients designed to vacuum-up daily grime. Wild melon seed oil, marula oil, mongongo oil, baobab seed oil, and passionfruit oil are added to offer a potent blend of skin-enriching omega 3-, 6, and 9-fatty acids, antioxidants, and skin-rejuvenating moisture. Vitamin E helps to soothe and preserve the complexion's natural lipid balance while staving off damaging free-radicals and other environmental aggressors. Last but not least, a special blend of three plant-derived ceramides (AP, NP, and EOP) calm irritation, maintain the complexion's moisture balance, protect against water loss, improve skin elasticity, and strengthen the skin barrier. 

How to Use It

The utility of this new launch is one of its most beautiful traits. As I mentioned above, you can use it in place of your cleanser, before you cleanse, after you cleanse, or just whenever you feel like your skin needs a quick reset. (Plus, there's no need to rinse, which just enhances the convenience factor!)

As for application tips, the brand recommends gently shaking the bottle before each use, applying it to a soft cotton pad or toning cloth, and then gently smoothing it over your entire face, eyes, lips, you get the idea. It's highly effective at removing makeup, so there's no need to tug, pull, or rub. If you have areas with more makeup or if you use stubborn formulas like waterproof mascara, just hold your soaked pad in place for a few seconds so the milk can saturate and dissolve any product buildup. 

My Review

I'll try my best not to blubber and babble here, but I haven't felt this passionate about a new beauty launch in a really long time. It's completely woken me up from my quarantine-induced beauty coma, and honestly, I think this might be my favorite Drunk Elephant product of all time. I thought my love for my previous micellar water go-to—Bioderma Sensibio H20 ($15)—was unshakable, but this milky elixir from Drunk Elephant just set a new standard for any and all micellar waters to come.

The majority of formulas I've tried pretty much feel like slippery water, and while they're great for quickly cleaning and removing makeup, (at least, according to my dirty cotton pads), I've never felt like they do anything else for my skin. And frankly, I want all of my skincare products to be doing the most. E-Rase, however, feels like a true skin treatment—it's what I've been waiting for. 

At first, the milky color and slightly thicker (but still slippery) consistency made me nervous, but I can't put into words how delicate, dreamy, and silky this stuff feels on the skin. Yes, it expertly vacuums everything from your face you want vacuumed (pollution, acne-causing bacteria, makeup, etc.), but it also leaves your complexion soft, glowy, and superbly clean feeling with zero tightness or stripping.

I usually wash my face three times a day—right when I get up, right after my morning run before I shower, and then before I go to bed. I've started using E-Rase after my run in the morning and also at night to remove my makeup or daily grime before I go in with my normal evening cleanser. My skin has never felt so plush, nourished, and healthy. If I could bathe in the stuff, I would. As a beauty editor who's job is to try as many products and formulas as possible, I feel confident saying that micellar stans and newbies alike will fall head over heels for Drunk Elephant's latest launch.

Shop the 10 Best-Selling Drunk Elephant Products at Sephora

#10

#9

#8

#7

#6

#5

#4

#3

#2

#1