Bioré Makeup Removers: We Put Water, Jelly, & Oil-Based Products To The Test To Find The Best

We’ve got an MVP. Cleaning our faces can be such a chore after a long day out, and who actually has time for that Korean Double Cleansing when we’re tired af, right? We want to get our makeup off fast and get to relaxing on the couch already.

My makeup remover was running low, so I had to hit Watsons up. Except I was stuck staring at Bioré’s range of makeup removers. All three types – Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover, Cleansing Oil, and Micellar Cleansing Water – claim to remove long lasting and waterproof makeup.

Err, so what’s the difference? I got all three and tested them out.

1. Bioré Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover (S$20.90)

The Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover has been sitting on the shelves of drugstores like Watsons and Guardian for sometime now, but I’ve never really reached out for this. It even has a new and improved formula already. Alright, Imma try it.

From top: ColourPop Ultra Satin Lip, Mac Lip Liner, Kate Super Sharp Liner Ex, Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara, ColourPop Ultra Blotted Lip, and Fenty Mattemoiselle Lipstick. None of which are waterproof, but are pretty long lasting.

I’m not too sure what I was expecting. The consistency of the ‘aqua jelly’ was certainly thicker than usual oil cleansers, but I wouldn’t call it jelly-like, you know?

The description also mentioned that it “removes even waterproof mascara” but my mascara ain’t even a waterproof one. I also had to rub quite a lot. Hmm.

HMM. Alright, so it did manage to remove the mascara. But a significant residue of eyeliner and ColourPop Ultra Satin Lip was still staining my skin, which doesn’t make this makeup remover very effective in my books. It was also the most expensive of the lot at S$20.90. What? Why?

What I did like about this however, was that it didn’t require double cleansing (with light makeup on). My skin felt soft and refreshed without feeling tight, and there was no tacky oily residue that oil makeup removers would have.

2. Bioré Cleansing Oil (S$17.90)

This one was pretty much a staple on my dressing table (keyword, was). A rather lightweight oil, I found that the Bioré Cleansing Oil (S$17.90) removed most of my makeup really well without much rubbing.

Well, save for the eyeliner again, but still way more effective than the Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover. The oil also emulsifies upon contact with water into a milky consistency (as do most cleansing oils), and the eyeliner was washed off completely after rinsing with water.

The only downside was that I had to wash my face again with a foaming cleanser to get rid of the oily feeling post-wash.

3. Bioré Micellar Cleansing Water (S$18.90)

I’m shookt. Where do I begin with this? This S$18.90 bottle of goodness is basically mountain water (alright it says on the bottle “Natural Mineral Water from Northern Japanese Alps”) but it performed way beyond my expectations.

Check this out?? It removed everything, except for a bit of ColourPop Ultra Satin Lip. But hey, with one swipe, that’s pretty damn good!

Yaaasss gurl give me that smooth bright skin. Although it states on the packaging that no rinsing would be required after wiping, I’d still recommend rinsing your skin with some water (I personally don’t trust cotton pads to ~completely~ remove makeup without leaving any residue behind).

It left my skin feeling slightly tacky after it dried, but that won’t be much of a concern if you rinse your face after.

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I’ll be switching my Cleansing Oil out for the Micellar Cleansing Water fo sho. Bioré also has a Cleansing Gel, but its performance fell behind that of the Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover as it didn’t even remove my base foundation effectively, so I really wouldn’t recommend it.

In terms of being the most effective and convenient, the Micellar Cleansing Water tops the range without a doubt.

Prices: S$17.90 – S$20.90

Bioré Makeup Removers: Watsons Singapore | Guardian Singapore