Charcoal: The New “It” Ingredient

Just when I wrapped my head around kale migrating from the kitchen into skincare it’s already being eclipsed by a new “it” ingredient and would you believe it’s charcoal? Before your stomach flips, let me assure you this isn’t the same backyard BBQ charcoal because…ew! The charcoal in question is made from insoluble carbonized wood and is then oxidized by steam or air at high temperatures. “Activated charcoal is a unique ingredient due to its surface area and physical structure,” explains Amy Hart, Product Development Manager at YES TO. “It has very small pores, allowing it to help remove/adsorb substances such as impurities and oil from the skin or hair which helps to balance and detoxify. It’s a fairly large chemical compound that doesn’t enter the skin membrane, therefore it should safely sit on the skin and rinse away once removed.”

YES TO has some charcoal products in the works and Biore has already launched a charcoal line, while Origins, SEPHORA COLLECTION, and boscia are just a few of the other brands that too have recently launched skincare products formulated with charcoal. The reason this ingredient is becoming so popular, Hart says, is that activated charcoal is known to help purify and balance skin, adsorb impurities, and capture oil and/or excess moisture (similar to how it’s used in water filter applications!). She does note however that due to the “newness” of this ingredient in personal care and beauty, there isn’t a whole lot of scientific evidence pointing to dangers (other than make sure to rinse well or else you may end up with specs of black on your face, if using in a face wash or mask for instance), but like with anything else that is new, test it out on a small area before lathering your whole face/body!

Activated charcoal is really well suited for most skin types, but especially for those who may have impurities or excess oil they’re trying to remove.  For those with sensitive skin, I would always encourage before using any product (with or without activated charcoal) to perform a small patch test on their skin for the first couple of uses to ensure a product works for them. Remember, it’s hard to know whether it’s truly one ingredient that can irritate someone’s skin…usually it’s the cumulative effect of the entire formulation of many ingredients combined.