Best Charcoal Masks in the UK

The LDREAMAM has a unique formula that works on all levels and can suit all skin types. The main ingredient here is the premium-quality bamboo charcoal that is able to quickly remove pore-clogging dirt and extra oils from the skin, thus making your face cleaner and more youthful. The mask penetrates deeply into your pores and effectively sucks up fat, blackheads and toxins. With that, it brings cooling and soothing sensations, making your skin look fresher and smoother.

Besides charcoal, the mask includes aloe extract and glycerin in its composition. Aloe contains lots of natural antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins A and C to relieve skin irritation and help with such conditions as psoriasis, eczema, and lichen planes. Because of its highly anti-inflammatory properties, it also aids in treating burns and acne. Another benefit to aloe extract is that it can slow down the signs of ageing and help with future lines and wrinkles.

As for glycerin, it's also famous for treating skin conditions like acne, infections, and wrinkles. It attracts moisture to the skin and acts as an emollient, making it soft and supple. That said, glycerin won't add more oil to it or clog pores.

Despite the affordable price tag that the company's products are always accompanying, L'Oreal Paris Pure-Clay Charcoal Face Mask has the richest formula.

Adopting yuzu lemon extracts, the mask will be able to smooth out rough skin, clarifying its tone and shedding dead skin cells to polish the surface. Thanks to the seaweed ingredients, the formula excels at reducing imperfections and soothing the skin, while the eucalyptus extracts are absorbing excess oil and the red algae extracts are unclogging pores, also removing dead skin cells to exfoliate, purify, and refine the skin.

As much as these contribute though, the primary ingredient here is natural charcoal, cleaning out pores and capturing the deepest impurities, from dirt and debris to different toxins. Thanks to this ingredient, the creamy, non-drying mask is able to leave the skin feeling clean, velvety, and rebalanced, making even dull and tired skins come alive.

The creamy consistency tends to leave this, to some extent, sticky residue behind though, so you'll sometimes have to rinse twice.

The PINPOXE charcoal face mask is one of the most popular choices of Britain customers. It's a full facial wax that is fast, effective, and beneficial for all skin types. Besides showing great results at removing blackheads and blemishes, the mask does an amazing job by promoting the general health of your skin. That is to say, it stimulates the blood circulation and boosts the production of collagen, helping your facial skin stay elastic and wrinkle-free for longer. Also, it promises to reduce stubborn stains or oil spots on your face. That's why it's a great choice for those who would like to regulate the hyperpigmentation issues.

As mentioned, it's a full-face peel-off mask that can unclog pores on your nose, cheeks, chin and T-zone. Putting it on the face is a very easy process - owing to the thick consistency, it doesn’t run and, thus, stays in place. Although it dries and tightens up quickly, the manufacturer recommends leaving it for 20-25 minutes to let it fully work its magic. At first, your skin may feel cool and then it starts tightening. But the fun part starts when you need to remove the mask - the mask literally pulls the skin. Yet, once you're done, you'll see that most of the blackheads and dried skin have come off with the mask. It'll really leave your skin ultra-smooth, soft, and clear.

So, if you don't mind some pain sensations that come with pulling off and want a good facial wax that will leave your skin well-hydrated and pimple-free, this blackhead remover is up to the task.

If you're not willing to overpay for big names and don't suffer from severe blackheads, you may be interested in this cult mask by Shills. This peel-off mask costs just a fraction of professional products but provides deep cleansing and exfoliation. Specially formulated to peel off dead skin, remove dirt, and eliminate spot-causing bacteria, it acts like a magnet to draw out most of the impurities from your skin. And as an extra benefit, the blend of calendula, rosemary and grapefruit can help users restore a glowing complexion.

We would like to point out that despite the fact that the Shills black mask is certified and fully compliant with all UK and EU regulations, it's not recommended for use by people with sensitive skin, irritations, and some conditions like eczema. Also, it should be applied very carefully - make sure to avoid eyebrows, hairline, and sensitive areas around the eyes and lips. It's better to use it only on those areas where you need to unclog pores. It should be applied in a medium-to-thick layer (somewhere around 2mm) and left for 30-40 minutes. Afterwards, you need to carefully peel it away. If the mask doesn't come off in one go, you can wash away the remains with warm water.

For sure, after a couple of uses, your skin will become softer and cleaner. Although the mask isn't that powerful at blackhead removal, it shines in its ability to remove other impurities from the surface of the skin.

Aiming to use active ingredients from nature and combine them with skincare actives, the folks at Garnier have come up with the innovative Pure Active 3-in-1 Charcoal treatment. It deftly combines charcoal that is able to absorb excess sebum and mattify the skin with salicylic acid (BHA) that efficiently stimulates the exfoliation process. The added ingredient, blueberry extract, helps with fortifying the skin's matrix and preventing the appearance of wrinkles. Also, it's able to even out your complexion and give you a glow-getter status.

As we've mentioned, it's not a typical charcoal mask but a 3-in-1 product that can be used as a wash to purify your skin; as a scrub to unclog resistant blackheads; and as a mask to neutralise oily shine. If you'd like to use it as a wash, you're free to apply it on a daily basis to a wet face. It easily lathers from a gel and feels clean after a thorough rinse. When applied as a scrub, it should be gently massaged into the skin and then rinsed with warm water. Also, we would recommend you to have a hot shower to open the pores prior to application. Even if you use the Garnier Pure Active daily, it won't dry out your skin but will make it tighter, nicely-exfoliated, and squeaky clean.

That said, if used as a mask, it should be applied up to 3 times per week and left for 5 minutes. By using this product in all three ways, you'll achieve the best results possible. All this makes it perfect for those suffering from acute acne, blemishes and just generally awful skin. Also, it's a good offering for teenagers that don't like waiting a long time for the mask to set.