All scans / Cleansers / SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire)
SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire) ingredients: is it worth it?
This is a pleasant but heavily fragranced micellar cleanser that cleans gently yet absolutely should be rinsed off, despite the brand’s no-rinse claim.

This is a pleasant but heavily fragranced micellar cleanser that cleans gently yet absolutely should be rinsed off, despite the brand’s no-rinse claim.
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The formula uses a mild surfactant system (glucoside plus amino-acid surfactant) supported by emollient oils and glycerin, so cleansing efficacy and barrier gentleness are solid for a drugstore-style micellar water; however, leaving fragrance allergens and benzyl alcohol on the skin as a final leave-on step undermines the product’s role, so efficacy is capped by its flawed usage instructions rather than the cleansing chemistry itself.
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DemythSkin rates SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire) 3.1/5 for efficacy and 4.1/5 for safety.
CONTAINS COMMON SENSITISERS⌄
Fragrance components and essential oils that more often cause reactions in sensitive skin: Parfum (Fragrance), Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol. Most people tolerate them; patch test if your skin reacts easily.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (9)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Aqua/Water/Eau, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water*, Glycerin, Olus/Vegetable Oil/Huile Vegetale, Donkey Milk*, Lauryl Glucoside, Polyglyceryl-2-Dipolyhydroxystearate, Sodium Levulinate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Hexyldecanol, Hexyldecyl Laurate, Parfum (Fragrance), Sodium Benzoate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactic Acid, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate.
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (20)⌄
- Aqua/Water/Eau
- Primary solvent
- Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water
- Botanical water base
- Glycerin
- Humectant for hydration
- Olus/Vegetable Oil/Huile Vegetale
- Emollient and makeup dissolver
- Donkey Milk
- Emollient, marketing milky feel
- Lauryl Glucoside
- Non-ionic surfactant cleanser
- Polyglyceryl-2-Dipolyhydroxystearate
- Emulsifier and dispersant
- Sodium Levulinate
- Preservative and humectant
- Benzyl Alcohol
- Preservative and solvent
- Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
- Mild amino-acid surfactant
- Hexyldecanol
- Emollient and texture enhancer
- Hexyldecyl Laurate
- Emollient and wetting agent
- Parfum (Fragrance)
- Added scent
- Sodium Benzoate
- Preservative
- Dicaprylyl Carbonate
- Light emollient, cleansing support
- Glyceryl Oleate
- Co-surfactant and emollient
- Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
- Lactic Acid
- pH adjuster, minimal exfoliant role
- Linalool
- Fragrance component
- Benzyl Salicylate
- Fragrance component
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Glycerin: Numerous controlled studies show glycerin improves stratum corneum hydration and barrier recovery in cleansers and leave-on products.
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate: Surfactant research identifies glutamate-based surfactants as milder and less barrier-disruptive than traditional sulfates at equivalent cleansing power.
Lactic Acid: Clinical exfoliation studies indicate effective exfoliation requires lactic acid at meaningful concentrations and pH 3–4, which is unlikely in this low-position, pH-adjuster role in a rinse-off cleanser.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire): common questions
Is SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire) worth it?
SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire) scores 3.1 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Mid) and 4.1 out of 5.0 for safety (Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. This is a pleasant but heavily fragranced micellar cleanser that cleans gently yet absolutely should be rinsed off, despite the brand’s no-rinse claim.
What are the key active ingredients in SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire)?
SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire) contains no gold-standard actives. Its formula is built on supporting and base ingredients rather than clinically transformative actives.
Does SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire) contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire) as documented irritants: Olus/Vegetable Oil/Huile Vegetale, Parfum (Fragrance), Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate. This product does contain fragrance.
How is SO’BIO étic Milky Micellar Water (Eau micellaire) scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
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