Have you noticed the recent craze about everything being black in cosmetic industry lately? Whether its a black mask, or as black powder straight from the pharmacy or even a teeth whitening powder. It has Activated Charcoal! We have taken a closer look at this beauty phenomenon and clear up what activated charcoal actually is, how it is produced and how it impacts beauty and our well being.

Activated charcoal: What it’s made of and how its produced

As its name suggest, activated charcoal consists mainly of carbon. Carbon has a rather porous structure, similar to a natural sponge. Its most important characteristic that is of interest to the beauty industry is its power to absorb. Basically carbon can actively bind substances to its surface and keep them there. Since we now know more about the superpower of activated charcoal, let's find out: How is it produced? Actually, there are various ways to produce charcoal and the origin could be either plant origins, animal origins or even mineral origins. In most cases activated charcoal is made of timber, peat or coconut husk or even of hard coal. Nevertheless, it pays off in giving a second glance at the ingredients list on the packaging to make sure that one has a 'vegan' variant to try, in order to avoid any unwanted surprises.

Active charcoal in Healthcare

2017 saw sort of a renaissance (revival) of active charcoal. It is actually a longstanding remedy even the ancient Romans and Greeks know about. Even today you can purchase active charcoal in the pharmacy. Its superpower of absorption is very important in healthcare. Toxins, chemicals and other adverse substances for the body can be bound by it.

Active charcoal helps with:

• Gastrointestinal conditions
• Digestive problems
• Supportive medication against intoxication

A miracle cure for beauty?

The striking pure black colour of activated charcoal is a great eye-catcher for the beauty industry. It is supposed to make teeth whiter, minimize pores on the skin and clean the hair of unwanted pollutants. We do agree activated charcoal has healing properties. Nevertheless, some activated charcoal beauty products should be handled with care. For example a toothpaste containing activated charcoal in order to whiten teeth: it does whiten unwanted pigmentation, but is also very aggressive to on the teeth. Used for a prolonged period, it is actually does more harm than good: the fine particles of activated charcoal function similarly to sandpaper.

In the long run, this can lead to serious teeth conditions. It's also advisable to be careful when using activated charcoal for the skin. These products can only be recommended for oily skin. The activated charcoal cleans the skin and improves the skin texture. When applied on dry skin however, it can have an adverse effect and dry out your skin even more.

The real wow-effect of activated charcoal comes from its striking black color which is unlike all other beauty products in this oh-so-white-industry. Beside all the positive aspects of activated charcoal, one should really check whether this trend is suitable for your own skin type. We believe this beauty trend of 2017 should definitely be handled with care.

The NAVI products from Doris Wagner can be used without any fear as – the Pure Refreshing Cleansing-Gel mildly cleanses your skin and the light Hydro- Day-Cream gives your skin moisture protection for the whole day. In order to provide your skin with the necessary vitamins and moisture throughout the day, even while in office, we have the smooth, Pore-Refining Hydro-Emulsion, suitable for all skin types. A perfect combination of valuable and rich ingredients in our Hydro-Night-Cream cares for your skin at night – in order to repair the skin of its daytime stress during your beauty sleep. We also offer a really effective remedy against dark eye circles – dark spots have no chance anymore with the Ultra-Whitening-Serum. Try it out for yourself!