Activated charcoal has become the quintessential viral cosmetic ingredient. It began to be known thanks to the black masks that several years ago flooded social networks. But now charcoal is also used in other cosmetics, such as serums, cleansers or exfoliants. As happened years ago with coconut oil, activated carbon seems to be the solution for everything: there are supplements with carbon to improve digestion and reduce abdominal bloating, recipes circulate on the internet for teeth whitening (which it is better not to try)...
If we focus on the benefits that activated charcoal has for the skin, Marta Masi, head pharmacist of the @martamasi5 group, explained that “it absorbs impurities, eliminates dead cells, reduces fat, blackheads and pimples. Thanks to all these actions and the most beautiful skin and with greater luminosity”.
Where does the activated carbon come from?
One of the areas of the carbon boom, aside from its unusual color, is that it is a plant-based ingredient, so consumers will appreciate it more. The pharmacist Marta Masi affirms that the charcoal used in cosmetics “comes from the combustion of vegetables such as coconut shells or walnuts. It is used in powder form.
As Arístides Figuera, Garnier's communication director for Spain and Portugal, explains, "nature offers very interesting ingredients, but extracting their maximum potential in terms of efficacy and sensoriality is always the task of science, in the case of Garnier, of science green". In cosmetics, charcoal is activated through various processes, generally without chemicals, to make it effective on the skin.
From left to right: Urban Protection Micro-exfoliant with volcanic glass pearls and activated charcoal from Armonía Cosmética Natural (€8,90); Garnier AHA+BHA+Niacinamide and Charcoal PureActive anti-blemish serum (€13,95); Saluvital Bamboo Carbon Clearing Gel (€7,70). DR
What benefits does charcoal have for the skin?
Thanks to its porous structure, activated charcoal absorbs impurities from the skin, and is characterized by its high detoxification and cleansing power. To remove dirt, it helps to improve mixed, fatty and acne hemorrhoids, which are more prone to accumulate impurities, which causes clogged pores, blackheads and pimples. From the farm, Marta Masi recommends products with activated charcoal “especially for oily and combination skin due to its purifying action. For them, use charcoal masks 1 or 2 times a week”.
Activated charcoal is also used in products such as serums or cleansers, along with other active ingredients, which is why Garnier ensures that "they can be used on all skin types, although the thickest, suffocated or unbalanced skins benefit the most from it." its benefits. As long as charcoal is included in a tested and controlled cosmetic formula, its use has no contraindications."
From left to right: Boi Thermal Black Mud detoxifying and purifying mask (€25,89, at martamasi.com); Mask with Balancing and Moisturizing active carbon from Iroha Nature (€3,95); Purifying & oxygenating mask with clay and active charcoal from Avant Skincare (€98). DR
Coal, also in cabin treatments
Charcoal is also used in beauty centers. Activated with laser equipment, as Slow Life House explains, "charcoal goes deep into the skin, closing visible pores and improving appearance, providing texture and luminosity and reducing hyperpigmentation and skin blemishes."
The Peeling Hollywood protocol (€180, session) beginning to apply a last layer of activated charcoal on the face (after cleansing). Later, you will work with the Q-Switched laser, which emits laser light on the carbon and vaporizes it, eliminating all dead cells instantly. Then repeat the process, without a mask, at the end of raising the temperature and favoring the stimulation of collagen. Its results: flash effect, anti-aging action, improvement of luminosity, reduction of fat, stimulation of collagen production and unification of tone.
In addition to facial products, charcoal can be found in the formula of cleansing shampoos, whitening toothpastes, detox drinks...
