Is Charcoal Soap Good For Your Face?
Is Charcoal Soap Good For Your Skin?
For most skin types, yes - charcoal soap is a solid, gentle cleanser that helps control surface oil and provides light exfoliation. What it isn't is a proven treatment for acne, aging, or skin conditions, despite how it's often marketed. Here's the difference between what's backed by evidence and what's still just a beauty myth.
In the past, charcoal was most commonly used as fuel for trains, barbecues, and other machines. It was burned as fuel and could supply power for hours and even days. While charcoal is still widely used as a fuel, it has also gained immense popularity in beauty products.
Why are we using charcoal on our faces? How can the thing we burn for fuel be good for every skin type? Why is everyone raving over charcoal skin products? We'll answer all of your burning questions about charcoal and explain why activated charcoal soap can be a great product to include in your skin care routine.
What Is Activated Charcoal?
First, the charcoal that we use on our faces is not the same as the charcoal we burn for fuel. The regular charcoal that we burn for fuel comes from wood and coal. We use activated charcoal (also referred to as activated carbon) in products like soaps. This type of charcoal involves more ingredients and undergoes an activation process.
In order to become "activated," charcoal materials like bamboo, wood, coal, peat, or coconut husks are burned at a very high temperature. This high-temperature steaming process (also referred to as controlled oxidation) purifies the materials and removes all of the oxygen from the charcoal.
Thanks to this process, the activated charcoal expands and so does its surface area. This creates a porous surface that works to trap toxins. Interestingly enough, just one tablespoon of activated charcoal can have a surface as large as a football field, allowing it to trap plenty of toxins.
Is Charcoal Good For You?
Activated charcoal is perfectly safe to use on your face and body. In fact, activated charcoal has been used to remove toxins from people's bodies for thousands of years, dating back to the Ancient Egyptians.
Activated carbon is now incorporated into a wide range of skin care products thanks to its ability to absorb excess oil and offer a deep clean. You can now purchase products like charcoal soap, body wash, and toothpaste from popular beauty brands.
While charcoal is the main ingredient in charcoal soaps, there are other additives included in the soap-making process. All ingredients are carefully selected for their skin benefits and to provide a pampered and luxurious feel. For example, in Crate 61's Activated Charcoal Soap, additional oils like extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, certified sustainable palm oil, avocado oil, and argan oil are included to give the soap a rich lather and skin-soothing properties. Many soaps also include organic essential oils to offer a delightful aromatic scent.
The Benefits of Charcoal Soap
Black charcoal soap is good for many things when it comes to caring for your face. Here's a closer look at the charcoal face soap benefits worth knowing about:
1. Supports Firmer-Feeling Skin
As we age, our skin can become dull, cracked, and not as firm due to a decrease in collagen. This can lead to premature aging and the formation of wrinkles. Activated charcoal soap can be a useful addition to a skin care routine focused on firmer, more radiant-looking skin.
As the activated carbon draws out toxins and removes excessive oil, pores can appear tighter and smaller, which many people notice as an immediate improvement in skin texture and radiance after cleansing.
2. Helps Minimize the Look of Pores
If you tend to spend a lot of time outside or in dusty or dirty environments, you might notice dirt settling on your face and into your pores, making them look larger, more noticeable, and darker. Even wearing makeup every day can cause dark and large pores if you don't take the time to remove all of your beauty products at the end of the day. Thankfully, there is a fast and simple way to clean your pores: activated charcoal soap.
One of the many benefits of activated charcoal is that it helps clear clogged pores. Its absorbent properties help extract dirt and grime from the pores of your face. This helps provide a deep, luxurious clean for your face while also reducing the appearance of enlarged pores. Instead of using pore strips and other skin care products to treat your large pores, incorporate activated charcoal soap into your daily routine.
3. Helps With Acne-Prone Skin
Acne and other blemishes on your face can make you feel self-conscious and embarrassed. They may even discourage you from going out. Charcoal soap can be a helpful addition to a routine for acne-prone skin.
Activated charcoal soap is known to be a helpful beauty product for acne-prone skin. The activated carbon will remove environmental buildup that can accumulate on the surface of your face after a long day. If this buildup and excess oil rest on your face for some time, they can contribute to skin blemishes, so regular use can be part of a routine aimed at clearer-looking skin.
4. Helps Control Oily Skin
While charcoal is definitely one of the best soaps for all sensitive skin types, it is particularly beneficial for those with oily skin. People with skin that tends to produce excessive oil tend to have a difficult time removing the facial oil that causes shine and blemishes like acne. Charcoal soap can help make treating oily skin easy.
Activated charcoal effectively removes unwanted oil from your skin. Its porous surface extracts oils and other dirt from the surface of your skin, helping to control facial oil and give you an oil-free look any time of the day. Treat oily skin regularly by adding charcoal soap into your daily skin routine one to three times a week.
5. Buffs Away Dead Skin Cells
There are many skin benefits of charcoal soap, but its ability to remove dead skin cells is one of its most highly praised properties.
Charcoal's fine-grit texture gently exfoliates skin. This is perfect for people with dry or flaky skin because it removes dead cells and makes skin soft. If your face tends to dry out in the winter, a bar of charcoal soap is a great way to help your skin feel refreshed.
Charcoal's exfoliating nature has caused it to become a widely popular solution for those with dry skin. In fact, it has even been incorporated into shampoo bars to help clarify a dry scalp.
6. Removes Skin Impurities
Regular use of charcoal soap can help clear facial buildup, resulting in cleaner-looking skin. When used one to three times a week, activated charcoal helps pull excess oil, dirt, and grime from the surface of your face. As buildup is removed regularly, the chances of developing blemishes may be reduced.
7. May Help Support Sensitive or Irritated Skin
Some people with skin conditions like psoriasis use gentle charcoal cleansers as part of their broader skin care routine, since charcoal soap is generally mild and non-abrasive. Charcoal soap may also be a gentle option for those with reactive or easily irritated skin.
It's not a treatment for psoriasis or other skin conditions, so always consult your dermatologist before adding any new product to a routine for a diagnosed skin condition.
Activated Charcoal Soap Is Great For Your Face
Charcoal soap is a great addition to your skin care routine, no matter your skin type. It offers a deep clean, a mild exfoliating feel, and a rich lather. As with any cleanser, results vary by skin type, and it works best as part of a broader routine rather than a stand-alone fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is charcoal bar soap? Charcoal bar soap is a solid soap bar made with activated charcoal (also called activated carbon) blended into a base of skin-nourishing oils, such as olive, coconut, or avocado oil. The charcoal's porous surface helps lift oil, dirt, and light impurities from skin during cleansing.
What is charcoal soap used for? Charcoal soap is used mainly as a facial and body cleanser for people with oily or combination skin, or anyone who wants a deeper-feeling clean and light exfoliation from their daily wash. It's not used as a medical treatment - it's a cleansing step, not a cure for any skin condition.
What is charcoal soap good for? Charcoal soap is good for cleansing oily and combination skin, on the face and on oil-prone areas like the back and chest. Some people also use it as an occasional clarifying wash for the scalp. It's a cleanser, not a treatment.
What is activated charcoal soap good for? Activated charcoal soap is good for removing surface oil, light exfoliation, and giving skin a deep-clean feeling after washing. It's best suited to oily, combination, or normal skin used a few times a week, rather than daily use on dry or sensitive skin.
Does charcoal soap work? Yes, for what it's actually designed to do: charcoal soap works well as an oil-absorbing cleanser, and many people like its gentle, slightly gritty feel. It does not have strong clinical evidence behind the exfoliating, anti-aging, acne-curing, or pore-shrinking claims sometimes used to market it (Sanchez et al., 2020).
Is charcoal soap good for acne? It can help, but it isn't a treatment. Charcoal soap for acne-prone skin works as a cleanser, lifting excess oil and surface buildup that can contribute to breakouts. A 2020 review in Clinics in Dermatology found that clinical evidence does not support claims that charcoal treats acne (Sanchez et al., 2020), so use it alongside, not instead of, anything your dermatologist recommends. Start with one to three times a week and stop if your skin feels tight or irritated.
Is activated charcoal soap good for skin? Generally, yes. Charcoal soap is good for skin as a gentle, oil-absorbing cleanser for most skin types, especially oily and combination skin. Dry or sensitive skin should use it less often, since it can strip natural oils. It's a cleanser, not a treatment for skin conditions.
What's the best charcoal soap for face? The best charcoal soap for face use pairs charcoal with real plant oils (olive, coconut, avocado, or argan) rather than charcoal plus synthetic detergent alone, since the oil blend is what keeps the bar from over-drying your skin. Avoid products that make medical claims, and patch test first. Crate 61's Activated Charcoal Soap is formulated this way, blending charcoal with a five-oil base.
What are the disadvantages of charcoal soap? Charcoal soap disadvantages include over-drying with frequent use, especially on dry or sensitive skin, since its oil-absorbing properties don't distinguish between excess oil and the oil your skin needs. It also isn't a proven treatment for acne, aging, or skin conditions despite common marketing claims, and its light exfoliating texture may feel too rough for very reactive skin.
Source
- Sanchez, N., Fayne, R., & Burroway, B. (2020). Charcoal: An ancient material with a new face. Clinics in Dermatology, 38(2), 262-264.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2019.07.025
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