Activated charcoal is a relatively new trendy ingredient in the U.S. beauty world (it has been used widely in Korean beauty for decades) that does more for your skin that ordinary masks or cleansers. It can absorb its weight in dirt, oil, toxins, pollutants, and other impurities, leaving pores cleaner and smaller than ever before. If you suffer from acne, oily skin, or are just looking for a more powerful way to cleanse your face, adding charcoal products to your beauty routine will help keep your skin looking more healthy than ever!
Here are some of our favorite charcoal products that can work wonders on your skin.
Julep Charcoal Konjac Sponge
This sponge
helps leave your complexion comfortably matte, smooth, and free of all impurities. It is gentle on skin and there is no need to use a soap with it, since the activated charcoal is removing all of the gunk from your pores. Use it in the morning before applying your makeup, and you’ll notice a difference in how your favorite foundations and concealers apply.
Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask
You may look like a zombie with this mask on, but every minute that it sits on your face, your skin is getting clearer. While Origins
recommends this mask for all skin types, it is especially great for oily skin, because it removes excess oils from the skin without leaving behind a tight, dry feeling.
Clinique City Block Purifying Charcoal Cleansing Gel
When you don’t have time for a mask, you want to make sure you are getting the most out of your cleanser. Use this cleanser after taking off your makeup to remove any remaining impurities from your face and be sure to follow up with a moisturizer. Since the charcoal will have removed everything from your pores
, your skin will absorb more hydration from the moisturizer.
Sephora Collection Deluxe Charcoal Antibacterial Brush Set
Activated charcoal isn’t only beneficial on your face, but it can keep your makeup brushes clean longer (which is great, because cleaning makeup brushes is the worst). These brushes apply both wet and dry formulas and come in every size you need to craft the perfect look. Not only does the charcoal keep the brushes fresher, but it makes these brushes ideal for sensitive skin. Shop SEPHORA COLLECTION Deluxe Charcoal Antibacterial Brush Set, $62
Boscia Charcoal Pore-Minimizing Hydrogel Mask
Combine two of the top beauty trends, sheet masks and charcoal, and you’ll get a skin-saving power mask that has all the luxury of a sheet mask with the added detoxifying benefits of charcoal. By leaving this on your face for 20 minutes, your skin will be feel purified, soft, and even a bit firmer than it did before. The Boscia mask fits to the contours of your face, so you don’t have to worry about the product evaporating before it hits your skin. Shop Boscia Charcoal Pore-Minimizing Hydrogel Mask, $8
Sephora Collection Detox It Out: Charcoal Swabs
Cotton swabs are an essential part of any beauty guru’s makeup bag, but what if they could also help purify your skin? You can use them to fix makeup smudges or take makeup off at the end of the day, and the charcoal infused swabs will help remove every last bit of product from those hard to reach or sensitive areas like the eyes. You can also use them for makeup application, where the charcoal will act like a BeautyBlender
to make sure you are never applying more product than you need. Shop SEPHORA COLLECTION Detox It out: Charcoal Swabs 30 swabs, $8
Biore Charcoal Pore Strips
Biore has also recently come out with a full line of charcoal products
, which includes a bar soap
, a foaming cleanser
, and our favorite –charcoal pore strips
. These also little strips pull out more gunk than ever! The addition of charcoal to Biore’s classic pore strips goes even deeper to detox and cleanse your pores.
