Ingredient Spotlight: Activated Charcoal

If you’ve logged on to social media lately, you’ve probably come across many trends in which charcoal has taken center stage. Scrolling through, you’re likely to see charcoal lattes, ice cream, water, and toothpaste.  You’ve also likely seen charcoal taking over the beauty world, in the form of masks, scrubs, and other skincare products. 

Intrigued by this inky black ingredient? Read on for how you can incorporate this skincare powerhouse into your self-care ritual. 

What is Activated Charcoal?

Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been made to allow it to be more porous than traditional charcoal. Activated charcoal contains a negative electric charge which in turn allows it to do a great job of attracting and trapping toxins in or on our bodies before they're absorbed. It can be derived naturally from wood, coconut shells, or peat.

Charcoal has been used for centuries, from treating stomach ailments to purifying water and eliminating unpleasant odors. In skincare and body care, using charcoal for the skin is based on the idea that if it can help remove impurities from the body when ingested, it may be able to do the same for your skin. Think of charcoal as a magnet for oil, dead skin, dirt, and grime. Activated charcoal can absorb over a thousand times its own mass in harmful substances, helping in naturally drawing out impurities.

What are the Benefits of Using Activated Charcoal?

Helps Remove Impurities from the Skin

Activated charcoal is very effective at promoting a look and feel of detox to the skin. As we talked about above, activated charcoal is an ingredient that is excellent at helping to attract toxins in the skin. This can have a powerful effect when it comes to binding to impurities on the surface of our skin, such as dirt, pollutants from our environment, and build-up.

If you feel like your skin needs some resuscitation, a few sessions with our Active Silt Mask will help to reveal more youthful-looking skin in no time. Along with activated charcoal, this mask contains actives such as colloidal freshwater silt, which can help smooth skin texture, and sea buckthorn essential oil which calms and soothes the skin. We recommend applying to the face and neck and rinsing after 20 minutes.

Provides Gentle Exfoliation

In addition to its impurity-removing properties, activated charcoal’s slightly gritty texture makes it a great option for gentle exfoliation. We know that exfoliation is essential for removing excess dead skin cells, which can clog pores, cause blemishes, and result in an uneven, dull skin appearance. Best of all, exfoliants that contain activated charcoal should be gentle enough to use on sensitive skin since the granules are so small. If you’re concerned, try a patch test before using it all over. 

Our Silt Facial Scrub purifies and protects skin from environmental irritants and grime that can cause breakouts. It contains many actives such as colloidal freshwater silt, volcanic-derived micro exfoliants, bentonite clay, and coconut-derived activated charcoal combination to give skin a renewed appearance. Apply evenly to clean face and neck area, using quick circular movements to exfoliate. Leave on the skin for 2-3 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Looking for a charcoal-infused body scrub? Try our Silt Body Scrub. 

Balances Oily and Acne-Prone Skin

Natural oil production is necessary for keeping our skin moisturized, glowing, and free of wrinkles, but overproduction of oil may cause problems for our skin. Excessively oily skin can trap dirt and other impurities from the environment, which sit on our skin, resulting in clogged pores. Activated charcoal also contains antibacterial properties, which may help lift acne-causing bacteria from the pores. Ultimately, it may reduce the appearance of acne and improve the look of the skin.

If you find your skin is looking congested, our Charcoal Clay Mask can deeply purify the skin to improve the appearance of blemishes and skin irritations. Made with a heaping dose of coconut-derived activated charcoal, bentonite and french green clay, skin-loving algae, Cucumber, Elderflower, Green Tea, and our special essential oil blend created especially to improve the look of congested, acne-prone skin, this mask is the solution to a clear, healthy-looking complexion. Consider it like a vacuum for all the nasty stuff that can cause irritation and breakouts.