This product has been around for a while but I decided to try it recently to see if it would do my skin some good. I don’t have bad skin however I have noticed over the last few weeks that it has begun to break out more frequently. Pure Active Charcoal is designed to be used in 3 ways:

• A facial wash; apply daily to wet face and rinse thoroughly
• A facial scrub; gently massage to exfoliate the skin
• A facial mask; use up to 3 times a week, leave on for 5 minutes

This product is described as a “multitasking formula … enriched with natural origin charcoal, known for it’s absorbing properties” and claims to “visibly fight the appearance of blackheads and help protect against their reappearance”. I was excited to try it because I love face masks and charcoal is a great ingredient in skincare products due to its benefits. I tried the product for over two weeks.


My favourite way to use this product is as a face mask so I wasn’t using the product every day however, I didn’t see much of a difference using it the other 2 ways. I used it as a mask because it claims that using it that way absorbs excess sebum (an oily substance that clogs your pores) and reduces shine. I also enjoyed sitting with it on and reading a book. When applying the product, you can feel the pumice which scrubs your skin and leaves it feeling smooth after you wash your face.  It was exfoliating and soothing to feel this as you instantly feel clean and revived. I found that it didn’t irritate my skin as other facial products do and my eyes didn’t sting from the charcoal. I have tried a few charcoal masks that made my skin feel hot as if it was burning, however, this mask didn’t feel that way until around the 5-minute mark which is when I knew it was time to wash it off. After the first use, my skin was noticeably less shiny and it was smoother than normal which is expected having just scrubbed off my skin. It wasn’t until a few days later and a second wash with the scrub that I noticed a reduction in the number of blackheads on my face. My pores had been reduced in sized my skin looked noticeably cleaner.

The only thing I don’t like about this product is that it says it is a 3 in 1. Although you can use it in different ways, I expected more of a difference in my skin condition after each one. The differences were minor and the only major thing I noticed is that by using it as a mask, you got a deeper clean which is expected as you leave the product on longer.

You can see the icky bits being drawn out and the grains of pumice within the mask