With so many options for beauty treatments in the market, it’s not new when you hear about certain products taking the world by storm. Over the last couple of years, activated charcoal has been the talk of the beauty town, as an effective remedy for purifying and cleansing your skin. From face washes to masks, to now even your food and drinks, activated charcoal is everywhere. But, like its many contemporaries, the question remains, is it worth the hype? We give you the details.
To begin with, let’s understand how charcoal works. Charcoal itself is just the carbon residue left over after slow heating high-carbon-content materials like wood, coconut shells or maybe sugar to get rid of most of the water they contain. It’s lightweight, highly portable, and burns for an extended time at a reliable temperature. They are mostly porous in texture, so as to absorb the toxins.
Activated charcoal is derived from charcoal and is treated in high temperatures to have more of these pores, which leads to a large surface area. They are then further ground to make a fine powder, which is used in most skincare and beauty products. Dr Sonali Kohli, consultant dermatologist at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai, “Activated charcoal acts like a magnet to draw out the impurities and toxins that are present in the skin. This is due to the fact that it has an opposite charge to your skin, which helps suck out the gunk that are clogging your pores, thus detoxifying your skin.”
If you’re looking to buy beauty products with activated charcoal in it, then face masks and scrubs, face washes, shower gels, body scrubs, and even some body lotions are some of the products you can begin with. Be sure that their label has activated charcoal listed as an ingredient so you know you’re buying the real deal. Some home-grown beauty brands with activated charcoal products are: Enn’s Closet, Mama Earth, Neemli Naturals, Bombay Shaving Company, and Cinnamon Soul to name a few. International brands like The Body Shop, too, have a wide range of activated charcoal beauty products.
Benefits
The most prominent benefits of activated charcoal are that in addition to extracting impurities and clearing up your pores, Dr Kohli shares that it also minimises their appearance over time. She further adds that it can also help with acne by removing excess sebum from your skin, and also lightly exfoliate your skin to leave it feeling soft and supple.
Drawbacks
For those who have dry and sensitive skin, excessive use of activated charcoal can have harmful effects. Dr Kohli elaborates, “Using activated charcoal products especially on such skin types can cause redness, itching, which in turn can further dry out your skin.” She recommends that only those with oily or combination skin use products enriched with activated charcoal, and opt for powder-based charcoal masks over face washes as you can dilute it accordingly.
The Takeaway
While many studies on the benefits of activated charcoal remain largely inconclusive on whether it actually benefits your skin, they do warn to use it in moderation due to its abrasive nature. Dr Kohli suggests, “You should include activated charcoal as a part of your beauty routine, rather than a standalone product no more than once in 10 days. Ensure that you moisturise after using any activated charcoal product to keep your skin from drying.”