Charcoal Cleansing Milk

Charcoal adsorbs oil and grime on the surface of the skin and gives the milk its colour. That is the whole of it. The idea that charcoal draws impurities out of a pore is marketing rather than dermatology, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.

Salicylic acid is the ingredient here with the strongest track record. It is oil soluble, so it gets into the pore lining rather than sitting on top of it, and it is a long-established treatment for blocked pores and blemishes. Its limitation in this product is contact time, because a wash is on the skin for well under a minute.

The alpha hydroxy acid loosens dead cells at the surface, which is what makes skin feel smoother after a week or two of use. It also raises sun sensitivity, which is covered in the warnings below. Niacinamide has decent published work behind it for oil control, redness and tone, and vitamin C has a large literature on pigmentation and antioxidant protection, but almost all of that research was done on leave-on formulas at defined concentrations and a controlled pH. In a rinse-off, most of both goes down the sink. They are a sensible addition to a cleanser and they are not the same thing as a serum.

Ingredient research is done on other formulas at other strengths. It tells you what an ingredient can do in principle, and it is not a clinical trial of this bottle.

Men on a scalp treatment spend a lot of time touching the forehead and the hairline, often under a hat, often with styling product on top. That strip of skin is where oil, sweat and residue collect, and it is the part of the face most likely to look congested. A cleanser aimed at it earns its place in the range.

Be honest with yourself about your skin type before you choose this one. Topical minoxidil is carried in alcohol and propylene glycol, and the tretinoin in the Minoxidil Signature Spray speeds up skin turnover. If your hairline and temples are already dry, tight or flaking, adding two exfoliating acids to that skin is the wrong move, and the Face Cleanser with aloe and cucumber is the one to use instead. This milk is for the oilier end of the range. If blemishes rather than oiliness are the main complaint, Salicylic Acid Face Wash is the more direct answer. Whichever you land on, follow it with the Face Hydration Cream.

This is a face wash and it stays on the face. It is not a scalp product, and a congested, product-heavy scalp is a job for the Deep Cleanse Scalp Shampoo.

Once a day, in the evening.

1. Wash in the evening rather than the morning, so that the acids are on skin you are about to keep out of the sun.
2. Wet your face with lukewarm water. Hot water strips skin that is already being exfoliated.
3. Dispense two pumps, roughly a five pence coin's worth, into damp hands.
4. Massage it over the face for thirty to forty-five seconds, working across the forehead, the nose and the chin and up to the hairline. Use your fingertips rather than a cloth or a brush, since the acids are doing the exfoliating.
5. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water after a minute at most. Leaving a wash on for longer does not increase the benefit and does increase the irritation.
6. Pat dry rather than rubbing, and apply the Face Hydration Cream while the skin is still slightly damp.
7. In the morning, rinse with water or use a gentler wash. Twice a day with this one is too much acid for most skin.

The common mistake is stacking. This milk already contains two exfoliating acids, so using it in the same evening as a scrub or a retinol cream is how people end up with a stinging, peeling face and blame the wrong product. Pick one exfoliating step per evening. And if you are applying a scalp topical, wash first and apply afterwards. Washing an hour later takes the dose off the hairline with it.

The immediate effect is cosmetic and it is the point of the product. Skin feels clean and matte straight away, and the oily film returns more slowly through the day. Surface smoothness usually turns up within one to two weeks, which is the alpha hydroxy acid doing its job.

Set your expectations low on tone and marks. Any brightening from a rinse-off wash is modest and slow, and if it comes at all it takes a couple of months of daily use. If uneven tone and post-blemish marks are genuinely what you are after, a leave-on product such as the Brightening Spot Cream is the format with a real chance of doing something about them. This is a supporting product, and it will do nothing at all for your hair.

For external use only. Avoid the eye area and rinse with water if it gets in. Keep it off the scalp, and do not use it on broken, sunburnt, or already irritated skin.

Sunburn alert. This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid that may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun, and particularly the possibility of sunburn. Use a sunscreen, limit your time in the sun while you are using it, and continue for a week afterwards.

Patch test before you commit. Apply a small amount to the inner forearm, leave it for the same length of time you would on your face, rinse, and check the area a day later. This matters more than usual if your skin is already dry or reactive from a scalp treatment. Do not use it if you are sensitive to aspirin or other salicylates.

Not on freshly needled skin. If you use the Dermaroller 0.5 mm on the beard area, leave this wash out of that evening's routine and give the skin a full day to close. Three women developed facial granulomas after microneedling alongside a vitamin C serum (JAMA Dermatology 2014;150(1):68-72), and the authors concluded that applying non-approved topical products before microneedling can introduce immunogenic particles into the dermis and potentiate hypersensitivity reactions. Those cases involved leave-on serums rather than a rinse-off wash, and they are still the reason we tell you to put nothing active into skin you have just opened up.

Stop using it if you develop persistent stinging, redness or a rash. Keep out of reach of children.