BEAUTY

How do makeup remover towels work? Explained.

Written by Allison

Wondering how those incredible makeup remover towels work? We found out.

Ever since the explosive popularity of The Original Make Up Eraser a few years ago, removing makeup sans makeup remover is almost old hat. But do you even know how those makeup remover towels work? It’s fascinating and fairly scientific. Grab your eighth grade science notebook and get ready for a lesson in friction.

What are makeup remover towels made from?

The Make Up Eraser and all other makeup remover towels like it are essentially microfiber cloths. You can take that extremely literally, they’re cloths made out of teensy tiny little fibers. The fibers stick out of the cloth so each little one can tickle your face and remove your makeup. Unlike your average cloth towel that has easy to see loops of thread, microfiber cloths can sometimes be so fine you can barely see one fiber from the next.


Can you see the individual fibers on this super close up of the Face Halo? Neither can we. It’s because they’re literally 100 times finer than that of a human hair. Bonkers. Put a whole slew of them together and you get a chinchilla soft cloth that takes off your makeup without a makeup remover.

How do they work?

So what is the difference between these microfiber cloths and your average washcloth? Surface area. The minuscule addition that each fiber gives to the cloth seriously adds up to create a huge difference in surface area. Each little fiber can grab onto makeup as you rub the cloth over your face and hold onto it, removing the makeup from your skin.

This happens over and over with each of the tiny little fibers effectively removing your makeup with not all that much work on your end.

This makes a big difference between using a makeup remover cloth and a regular washcloth because of friction. Each little fiber uses the friction of rubbing the cloth over your skin to attach to the makeup. With tons of tiny fibers this happens easily. When you compare it to that of a regular towel you’d have to go over the same area many times to get the same effect.

Add some warm water into the mix to help start the makeup break down process and you’ve got a clean face in no time flat.

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About the author

Allison

Bio: She's a New Orleans based beauty writer, nail polish hoarder, and doughnut enthusiast. When she isn't camping out in her local coffee shop for hours on end, you'll probably find her taking selfies in front of every colorful wall she's ever seen. Follow along on Instagram @allisonmarieschmidt.

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