How Does Activated Charcoal Work on Your Skin?

Enter activated charcoal, the central beauty ingredient of our Charcoal Himalayan Pink Sea Salt Soap Bar. It's been added to cleansers, face masks, toothbrushes, and even juices for its ability to absorb toxins and pollutants on many levels.

What is Activated Charcoal?

Activated charcoal, which is carbon that's been treated to increase its absorbency, in varies fields. Normally, its used in hospital emergency rooms for years to treat alcohol poisoning and drug overdoses (between 50-100g). It works by attaching to toxins in the stomach and absorbing them before the bloodstream can - so it's a detoxify and clarify method.

Why is Charcoal Used in Soap?

The theory behind including activated charcoal in beauty products specifically soap bars is similar: it'll act like a magnet to attract and absorb dirt and oil. When dirt and oil in your pores come in contact with the carbon, they stick to it and then get washed away when you rinse.

Using Sea Salt & Tea Tree in Our Charcoal Soap

With our soap bar, we add Himalayan Pink Sea Salt balances skin's pH and improves hydration by imparting nourishing trace minerals along with Tea Tree known to reduce inflammation and prevent & heal breakouts. Adding these two other ingredients in the soap bar complete the cycle from detoxification and clarification of the skin with activated charcoal.

Here are the best ways to use activated charcoal for your skin:

Smaller pores

Throughout the day, toxins from the world around us clog our pores. When your pores aren’t clear, neither is your complexion. Activated charcoal–when used on your face helps pull dirt out of your pores, making them less visible. This leaves your face feeling fresh.

Balances oily skin

Oily skin? Activated charcoal may be just the ingredient you need to balance things out. Used in a soap bar, activated charcoal can pull the unwanted excess oils from your skin, leaving it smooth.

Treat acne

Depending on the specifics of your acne–how severe it is, what’s causing it and what else is going on–activated charcoal may be able to help. In soap bar form, it’s slightly gritty, which might provide the gentle exfoliating you need. It will also absorb oils and toxins on and below the skin. 

Soothe and heal bites, cuts and skin irritations

Whether you were stung by a bee or had a cut from the kitchen that’s become infected, activated charcoal can help speed the healing and relieve the symptoms. For minor skin ailments–including insect bites, stings, cuts, scrapes and minor infections–activated charcoal can be applied topically.