What Is Charcoal In Skincare And What Does It Do?
Many ingredients in skincare get swept up in trend cycles so often that we forget that little evidence exists to support the benefits being claimed. Charcoal is one of these ingredients. In this article, we’ll discuss what it is and how it works in skincare.
What Is Charcoal In Skincare?
This natural ingredient has been used in medicine to remove toxins in the body, but the idea that charcoal can do the same for your skin isn’t backed by research. Charcoal is the result of burning carbon-based materials, and activated charcoal has been treated to produce a much larger surface area for absorption. Activated charcoal works by using dispersion forces, and because of its large surface area, it has a lot of space to form dispersion forces with other substances. This gives activated charcoal its sticky characteristic, making it effective at removing substances it comes in contact with.
The Supposed Benefits Of Charcoal In Skincare
Charcoal has a number of benefits according to manufacturers and skincare companies. However, very little evidence can be used to justify these claims. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of charcoal, which are anecdotal.
Rids skin of impurities
It has been said that using charcoal on your skin may help with cleansing the skin’s surface. However, studies have found activated charcoal to exhibit no clinical data that proved its ability to ride the skin of impurities.
Reduces the appearance of pores
Studies have actually shown that pores were enlarged during the process of using activated charcoal. Although these enlarged pores would allow for deeper cleansing, charcoal was not found to reduce the appearance of pores. Pore size is determined by genetics and there is generally not much you can do to permanently change their appearance.
Deeply cleanses and fights acne
Theoretically, the sticky texture of charcoal works to treat acne by removing dirt and oil. However, these claims lack scientific evidence. It’s unclear whether its ability to remove toxins can be translated to removing toxins from the skin topically. Without the proper research, it’s impossible to say charcoal itself is an effective treatment for acne.
Side Effects Of Charcoal In Skincare
Generally, charcoal is inert and isn’t known to cause allergic reactions. Although this ingredient will likely do no harm, it’s still important to take into consideration the product you’re using and the other ingredients in that product’s formula.
Takeaway
Although skincare companies and product manufacturers say otherwise, there simply is not enough evidence to suggest that charcoal has benefits when used topically on the skin. Many ingredients rise to popularity through trend cycles, but it’s important for us as consumers to do our research. Making informed decisions about your skincare routine will lead to happy, healthy skin.
