Ac
Activated Charcoal
Charcoal Powder · Activated Carbon
The black-mask ingredient. It looks dramatic, but it doesn’t pull toxins out of skin.
What it does
It’s a very porous form of carbon used in water filters and in emergency care for poisoning, because it grabs small molecules. On the face its effect is limited; the 'pulls toxins from your skin' claim doesn’t match how skin works. Masks use it more for the black look than for anything measurable.
The evidence, graded
expert consensusUS safety reviewers (final report, January 2024) assessed three charcoal ingredients made from plants. Activated charcoal is another name for charcoal powder. Products use them to make a formula opaque, and charcoal powder also to scrub or absorb. Skin tests in animals and lab models showed no irritation or allergy. They judged all three safe as used, but had too little data to judge airbrush sprays.Burnett 2024 · Cosmetic Ingredient Review ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Pairs worth knowing
Browse all 1238 ingredients — grouped by what they do, each with whatever evidence we can cite.
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