The trend of activated charcoal in the service of beauty comes from the East, where its virtues have been known for centuries. The finest activated charcoal is the one obtained from bamboo wood, the so-called “black diamond”, and today it is used for various cosmetic products.
In recent years the search for cosmetic products based on natural extracts has become a real trend. More and more people are looking for products without potentially harmful ingredients to avoid allergies and skin problems.
An ingredient that has many virtues for the whole body, and therefore also for the skin, is activated charcoal, known for its beneficial properties and increasingly used for the preparation of black masks and cosmetics. Activated charcoal is an excellent ally to eliminate impurities from the face, but also helps to make the skin brighter.
Let’s find out together its benefits and which the cosmetics that exploit them the most are …
Activated charcoal benefits
Applied on skin and hair, it has a purifying, sebum-regulating and detoxifying function, perfect for those with oily or mixed skin, but also for those with dry and sensitive skin and for those who live in environments polluted by smoke and smog. Active and ultra-absorbent, charcoal is able to remove excess sebum, counteracting the shine of the skin and giving it a matt effect.
Cosmetics based on activated charcoal
Activated charcoal is nowadays used a lot by the cosmetic industry and is present in a great variety of products.
Coal is a very popular ingredient in occasional and shock treatments such as face masks. These products that can be creamy, gel, peel-off or in fabric, generally have purifying function and normalizing sebum. They are particularly indicated in case of impure or oily skin, but they can also perform detox function for sensitive or dry skin because, unlike the clays, they do not dehydrate the skin.
In addition to the masks there are also anti-haze creams based on activated charcoal: these are also indicated above all for oily or combination skin as they regulate the production of sebum without drying up the skin. In addition, there are also several exfoliating products on the market (scrubs) which make use of the properties of activated charcoal to produce a smoothing and purifying effect on the skin.
Not only skin care products contain this very popular activated extract but also those for hair: shampoos, masks and scrubs based on activated charcoal are especially indicated to counteract itching, dandruff and oily scalp.
Finally, also make-up products based on activated charcoal could not exist. In this case the charcoal is present in a micronized form in mascara and pencils and is exploited for its dark color, but also to perform a volume and infilling action.
