Recently I've been seeing lots of charcoal-based skincare products around, along with claims that would make anyone sit up. The main argument is that applying charcoal to your skin will help to purify your skin. Thus, marketers tend to stress charcoal as pore-clearing, acne-reducing, skin-detoxing wonders. There are so many products out there, all with the same marketing talking points. Some products even stress that they have activated charcoal, no less (all it really means is that the charcoal is more porous and thus allowing a larger surface area for adsorption, but by and large its chemical properties will be the same). Just take a look at the graphic I've helped you guys put together, and you'll know what I mean:
Lookit all those charcoal-laden products! If such products work, why don't we all have awesomely detoxed skins?
So there is a lot of charcoal-laden skincare out there. But is there any truth to all the claims these products make? That's a question that's worth answering.
