{"product_id":"charcoal-cleansing-milk","title":"Charcoal Cleansing Milk","description":"\u003cp class=\"q-lead\"\u003eA low-foaming cleansing milk with charcoal, vitamin C, niacinamide, an alpha hydroxy\nacid and salicylic acid, in a lotion texture rather than a foaming gel. It is meant for skin that\nruns oily or congested across the forehead, the nose and the hairline. The honest caveat is in the\nword wash: something you rinse off after a minute cannot do what a leave-on serum does, so treat the\nacids and the vitamin C as a mild surface effect rather than the reason to buy it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat is in it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharcoal adsorbs oil and grime on the surface of the skin and gives the milk its colour. That is\nthe whole of it. The idea that charcoal draws impurities out of a pore is marketing rather than\ndermatology, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSalicylic acid is the ingredient here with the strongest track record. It is oil soluble, so it\ngets into the pore lining rather than sitting on top of it, and it is a long-established treatment\nfor blocked pores and blemishes. Its limitation in this product is contact time, because a wash is\non the skin for well under a minute.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe alpha hydroxy acid loosens dead cells at the surface, which is what makes skin feel smoother\nafter a week or two of use. It also raises sun sensitivity, which is covered in the warnings below.\nNiacinamide has decent published work behind it for oil control, redness and tone, and vitamin C has\na large literature on pigmentation and antioxidant protection, but almost all of that research was\ndone on leave-on formulas at defined concentrations and a controlled pH. In a rinse-off, most of\nboth goes down the sink. They are a sensible addition to a cleanser and they are not the same thing\nas a serum.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIngredient research is done on other formulas at other strengths. It tells you what an ingredient\ncan do in principle, and it is not a clinical trial of this bottle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy it belongs here\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMen on a scalp treatment spend a lot of time touching the forehead and the hairline, often under\na hat, often with styling product on top. That strip of skin is where oil, sweat and residue collect,\nand it is the part of the face most likely to look congested. A cleanser aimed at it earns its place\nin the range.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBe honest with yourself about your skin type before you choose this one. Topical minoxidil is\ncarried in alcohol and propylene glycol, and the tretinoin in the\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/minoxidil-signature-spray\"\u003eMinoxidil Signature Spray\u003c\/a\u003e speeds up skin turnover.\nIf your hairline and temples are already dry, tight or flaking, adding two exfoliating acids to that\nskin is the wrong move, and the\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/face-cleanser\"\u003eFace Cleanser\u003c\/a\u003e with aloe and cucumber is the one to use instead.\nThis milk is for the oilier end of the range. If blemishes rather than oiliness are the main\ncomplaint, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/salicylic-face-wash\"\u003eSalicylic Acid Face Wash\u003c\/a\u003e is the more direct\nanswer. Whichever you land on, follow it with the\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/face-hydration-cream\"\u003eFace Hydration Cream\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a face wash and it stays on the face. It is not a scalp product, and a congested,\nproduct-heavy scalp is a job for the\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/deep-cleanse-shampoo\"\u003eDeep Cleanse Scalp Shampoo\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow to use it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce a day, in the evening.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eWash in the evening rather than the morning, so that the acids are on skin you are about to\n    keep out of the sun.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eWet your face with lukewarm water. Hot water strips skin that is already being exfoliated.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eDispense two pumps, roughly a five pence coin's worth, into damp hands.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eMassage it over the face for thirty to forty-five seconds, working across the forehead, the\n    nose and the chin and up to the hairline. Use your fingertips rather than a cloth or a brush,\n    since the acids are doing the exfoliating.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eRinse thoroughly with lukewarm water after a minute at most. Leaving a wash on for longer does\n    not increase the benefit and does increase the irritation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003ePat dry rather than rubbing, and apply the\n    \u003ca href=\"\/products\/face-hydration-cream\"\u003eFace Hydration Cream\u003c\/a\u003e while the skin is still\n    slightly damp.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eIn the morning, rinse with water or use a gentler wash. Twice a day with this one is too much\n    acid for most skin.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe common mistake is stacking.\u003c\/strong\u003e This milk already contains two exfoliating acids,\nso using it in the same evening as a scrub or a retinol cream is how people end up with a stinging,\npeeling face and blame the wrong product. Pick one exfoliating step per evening. And if you are\napplying a scalp topical, wash first and apply afterwards. Washing an hour later takes the dose off\nthe hairline with it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat to expect\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe immediate effect is cosmetic and it is the point of the product. Skin feels clean and matte\nstraight away, and the oily film returns more slowly through the day. Surface smoothness usually\nturns up within one to two weeks, which is the alpha hydroxy acid doing its job.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSet your expectations low on tone and marks. Any brightening from a rinse-off wash is modest and\nslow, and if it comes at all it takes a couple of months of daily use. If uneven tone and\npost-blemish marks are genuinely what you are after, a leave-on product such as the\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/brightening-spot-cream\"\u003eBrightening Spot Cream\u003c\/a\u003e is the format with a real\nchance of doing something about them. This is a supporting product, and it will do nothing at all for your hair.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWarnings\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor external use only. Avoid the eye area and rinse with water if it gets in. Keep it off the\nscalp, and do not use it on broken, sunburnt, or already irritated skin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSunburn alert.\u003c\/strong\u003e This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid that may increase your\nskin's sensitivity to the sun, and particularly the possibility of sunburn. Use a sunscreen, limit\nyour time in the sun while you are using it, and continue for a week afterwards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePatch test before you commit.\u003c\/strong\u003e Apply a small amount to the inner forearm, leave it\nfor the same length of time you would on your face, rinse, and check the area a day later. This\nmatters more than usual if your skin is already dry or reactive from a scalp treatment. Do not use it\nif you are sensitive to aspirin or other salicylates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNot on freshly needled skin.\u003c\/strong\u003e If you use the\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dermaroller-0-5mm\"\u003eDermaroller 0.5 mm\u003c\/a\u003e on the beard area, leave this wash out of\nthat evening's routine and give the skin a full day to close. Three women developed facial granulomas\nafter microneedling alongside a vitamin C serum (JAMA Dermatology 2014;150(1):68-72), and the authors\nconcluded that applying non-approved topical products before microneedling can introduce immunogenic\nparticles into the dermis and potentiate hypersensitivity reactions. Those cases involved leave-on\nserums rather than a rinse-off wash, and they are still the reason we tell you to put nothing active\ninto skin you have just opened up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStop using it if you develop persistent stinging, redness or a rash. Keep out of reach of\nchildren.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Quintéa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57981145022846,"sku":"QN-CHARCOALCLEANSINGM","price":34.99,"currency_code":"RON","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1019\/9849\/4078\/files\/charcoal-cleansing-milk.png?v=1790587668","url":"https:\/\/quintea.eu\/products\/charcoal-cleansing-milk","provider":"Quintéa","version":"1.0","type":"link"}