A micellar solution consists of a dispersion of

micelle A micelle () or micella () (plural micelles or micellae, respectively) is an aggregate (or supramolecular assembly) of surfactant amphipathic lipid molecules dispersed in a liquid, forming a colloidal suspension (also known as associated coll ...

s in a

solvent A solvent (s) (from the Latin '' solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas, or a supercritical fluid. Water is a solvent for ...

(most usually water). Micelles consist of aggregated amphiphiles, and in a micellar solution these are in equilibrium with free, unaggregated amphiphiles. Micellar solutions form when the concentration of amphiphile exceeds the critical micellar concentration (CMC) or critical aggregation concentration - CAC, and persist until the amphiphile concentration becomes sufficiently high to form a

lyotropic liquid crystal A liquid crystalline mesophase is called lyotropic (a portmanteau of lyo- "dissolve" and -tropic "change" ) if formed by dissolving an amphiphilic mesogen in a suitable solvent, under appropriate conditions of concentration, temperature and pr ...

phase. 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. Micellar originates from France, with its usage in skincare dating back to 1913. 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 2 seconds worldwide today.

Commercial uses

Micellar water is used to remove makeup and oil from the face.

References

{{Reflist Colloidal chemistry