Activated charcoal. What is it?

What we know is that activated charcoal is reheated and oxidized charcoal, providing it with a much larger surface area than its regular counterpart. This new form of charcoal has a high grade of porosity, which is exactly why it is so effective at eliminating dirt and oils. It simply absorbs all the impurities into itself, making it the perfect ingredient to center skincare products around. Especially for men. More on that later...

What does activated charcoal do?

Before getting into the details of why activated charcoal is a great ingredient in skin care, it is important to know how diverse the uses of activated charcoal can be because of its properties. It has been broadly used in industries where it has the function to remove various toxins, chemicals, and gasses. It is also the main ingredient in water purification systems, as well as fish tank filters. Activated charcoal is essential and plays a huge part in our daily lives, without us even knowing.

In medicine, activated charcoal finds a variety of uses, among which the most known is that it can be used to help patients with stomach issues like parasites and diarrhea. It can even be used as a teeth whitener. The truly remarkable property, however, is the ability to absorb poison or drugs from the stomach, and as such it has helped to cure serious problems for many people.

The same properties that absorb the toxins from the stomach and purify water to the levels of safe consumption enable the activated charcoal to do wonders for the skin as well. The way activated charcoal works is both quite simple and miraculous at the same time.

Activated charcoal vs. regular charcoal

For starters, there is a difference in their production. Activated charcoal, also known as activated carbon is a product of the further refinement of charcoal, through either physical or chemical activation. They are both different and simple methods and are not particularly expensive, so the activated charcoal remains accessible to everyone. This fact is very beneficial to the filtering and beauty care industry.

If you are wondering what activated charcoal does better than plain charcoal and what the difference is, that is quite simple. When making art, a fire or even removing odors is in question, normal charcoal does the trick. On the other hand, activated charcoal has a much more suitable chemical composition for cleansing and decontaminating.

In simpler terms, after the charcoal is activated and becomes more porous, it is as if rough pebbles get transformed into dust. Anyone who has ever walked barefoot on pebbles knows that they feel uncomfortable, while fine and feels quite pleasant. As such, the finer activated charcoal more easily bonds to oils and dirt because of the increased surface area. Activated charcoal can absorb about 100 times its own weight, and washes off easily, making it an ideal ingredient in cleansers and scrubs.

Benefits of activated charcoal for men's skin

There is no one single answer as to how activated charcoal works to benefit the skin. It does a few different things to that effect, all at the same time. First of all, it removes excess oils and dirt, which has been sufficiently made clear by now. Second, it is an extremely mild exfoliant. Last but not least, activated charcoal is a completely natural product, safe enough to consume. This makes it an ideal ingredient for people with sensitive skin. Men's skin is thicker, denser, and more porous than women's skin. Thus, it's doubly important for men to make sure to use this detoxifying ingredient.

Face masks with activated charcoal are especially proficient in trapping excess oils and dirt from your pores. With regular usage, people who have oily skin can notice that they are no longer suffering from clogged pores. This can lead to an overall improvement of your skin's health. Our Gentlemen's Facial Mask (and many of our other products) is so rich in activated charcoal, it has a grayish color to it, as well as the best facial cleanser for men on the market!

Why activated charcoal?

To answer this question, first, you need to know what activated charcoal does. If you have been diligently reading this article, then you clearly know the answer to that question. It purifies the skin. In fact, it does a better job at targeting and removing anything unwanted than almost any other ingredient out there. It does all that, with only a fraction of the price of other ingredients, while retaining quality.

Beau Brummell for Men has been using activated charcoal as the main ingredient for years. It is responsible for the gray color many of our products have. Products we manufacture with activated charcoal are:

• The Gentlemen's Facial Scrub
• The Gentlemen's Facial Mask
• The Hand Repair Lotion
• The Gentlemen's Face Wash