Try to go for varieties that haven’t been chemically treated – just activated using heat and oxygen. These are usually taken to help prevent flatulence and gas and are made from insoluble charcoal fibre.

Charcoal tablets – charcoal tablets (also charcoal capsules and charcoal pills).

Activated charcoal powder – this fine black powder is pure activated charcoal and can be added to home-made beauty products, food and drink, and taken orally.

7 What types of products have activated charcoal? The global activated carbon market size was estimated to be worth almost $5 in 2018 – and is expected to expand at an annual growth rate of 17.5% by 2025. You can buy activated charcoal at most health food shops and in chemists and shops selling wellness products. Back in 2014, Harper’s Bazaar called activated charcoal the ‘detox du jour’ and told of an emerging wellness trend in Los Angeles of consuming activated charcoal tablets and adding it to juices. Today, though, you’re likely to see activated charcoal on bathroom shelves and in kitchen cupboards across the UK.Īs you will no doubt have noticed, the detox trend has been going strong for a while now. These pores are very absorbent, hence activated charcoal’s reputation as a toxin sponge.īut why has it found its way into our beauty products? The rise of activated charcoalĪctivated charcoal was once most commonly found in hospitals, ready to be administered to patients who had swallowed a poisonous substance.Ĭharcoal medicine has also long been used for intestinal gas and bloating, based on traditional use. These pores give activated charcoal an almost unbelievable amount of surface area – 1ml of the stuff has around 1000sqm exposed surface. 3ĭuring this activation process, the carbon atoms in the charcoal are rearranged and the charcoal gains thousands of tiny holes in its surface, like the pores of our skin. This is then ‘activated’ by exposing it to oxygen and heat-treating it at extremely high temperatures. Strange though it may seem, the stuff that ends up in smoothies, face creams and toothpastes shares many of the same organic materials as BBQ charcoal – it’s just been through a few extra steps.Īctivated charcoal powder, also known as activated carbon powder, is made by finely grinding charcoal. It’s lightweight, black and dusty in texture.

1Ĭharcoal is familiar to most of us as the lumps or briquettes we throw onto BBQs in the summer.Ĭharcoal basically the black residue that forms when something with carbon - such as wood, coal or even coconut shells and fruit pits - is burned, and any water is removed.

What is this stuff – and why is it suddenly everywhere? And most importantly – should you be using it? What is it?Īctivated charcoal is known as a detoxifier. This reputation comes from its known ability in medicine to absorbs toxins from the stomach, such as if a person or animal has accidentally swallowed something toxic. Once almost completely unknown in the UK, activated charcoal seems to be everywhere from our toothpaste to our water bottles. If you’ve browsed health or beauty products at any point over the last couple of years, you’ll be familiar with activated charcoal.

Carbon charcoal