Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque Review

After thinking I had missed this free sample, it magically arrived in the mail (woohoo!), and so I used it that night. The thought of a charcoal mask was exciting, I hadn't tried a "proper" one before, let alone one from a high end brand!

The sample sachet had enough for one use, but for me, one use is enough to tell me if I like a product. It was dark grey and smelled kinda good, maybe not a smell for everyone but I liked it. I also found it really hard to put on my face and have it stay on my face, and I can see I'm not the only one. It liked to come off as I tried to spread it around - maybe I should've tried wetting my hands and face first.

It dried really quickly and came off easy with water - but it left my face in an awful state. I was red and hot and it was a really unpleasant situation for my face. It was almost like I'd been out in the sun all day with no sunscreen. My face wasn't any softer than it usually is with a normal mask either, so that's another reason I wouldn't buy it.

My skin the next day wasn't any worse for wear but it still felt sensitive and just unpleasant. My face felt dry and crap after the mask, and even a lovely thick night cream at bed time didn't fix it the day after. I'm glad I tried it, but I definitely wouldn't buy it.

I think someone on the forum posted a link to a free sample. I had missed it , but I subscribed to Demalogicas site and luckily I was emailed a chance to get a free sample. Within days I recieved this small sample. My skin is dry in winter and combination in summer. I've only tried Bonbon Solid Charcoal bar. I absolutely loved it. I couldn't wait to give this a try.

One sachet is enough for application. Labelling on this is easy to read . The mask itself is a deep grey colour. The texture of it is pastey and grainy like a clay mask. The scent of it reminded me of a combination of lavender and chemicals. An unusual scent.

With my first application I lightly cleansed my skin beforehand. Did a patch test along my jawbone and it came up ok. I got a half a teaspoon of water and mixed this sachet with it. Quickly I brush this on to my face. It goes on easily . I leave this on for ten minutes . After that I wash it off.

I had no skin irritations with this mask. My skin appeared brighter and softer. I wouldn't go out and purchase this because it's outside of my price bracket. I did enjoy how this mask made my skin feel.

Dermalogica’s Charcoal Rescue Masque is made with active charcoal and claims to rescue dull or lacklustre skin.

To apply this masque you had to apply it to your face and neck then leave for 7-10 minutes. When removing, Dermalogica recommends wetting the masque first to get the most out of the chemical reactions essentially. However I found wetting it first also made it significantly easier to remove. But when applying, you need to work fast as it dries quickly and if you don’t put on a thick enough layer it also seems to fade away.

After applying it, the masque started to get what I assume were dead skin cells coming to the surface. My skin also got really tight feeling under the masque.

After 10 minutes I patted the masque over with water making it the wetter consistency it was when I first applied it and removed it with a face towel.

After using the masque my skin felt tight and soft. However, it didn’t feel brighter though nor had it removed all the impurities. It was however pretty easy to remove and in that sense user friendly.

The main reason I wouldn’t use it again was the smell. It wasn’t that nice to smell but for them few minutes the masque was on I could cope. But the smell seemed to linger after I had removed the masque and just wouldn’t go away.

I did really like that it was made with more natural ingredients though.

I managed to get my hands on a sample sachet of Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque, as I wanted to compare this to Freeman Beauty's Charcoal & Black Sugar Mask. Both of these masks (or masques) contain activated charcoal which powerfully draws out excess oil and impurities in the skin.

The sample sachet was big enough for a single use (the full sized masque is packaged in a white plastic 75ml tube with a charcoal grey flip top lid) and the masque has a smooth, slightly grainy consistency and dries quite quickly so you have to be quick when spreading it on the skin.

According to Dermalogica's website, this masque can be used up to four times a week, but personally, I feel that that's too often and it will start to really dry out even the oiliest skin causing further problems like excessive dryness or skin overcompensating and producing even more oil. I tend to exfoliate and use a mask only once or maybe twice a week, otherwise my skin does go into 'overdrive' and produces even more oil and I tend to break out.

So, to compare the two, Freeman Beauty Charcoal & Black Sugar Mask comes in a bigger tube, is more affordable, is available from selected online retailers (smaller sachets are available in selected pharmacies and department stores), is suitable for all skin types, contains activated charcoal which adsorbs (attracts and holds onto) excess oil and impurities as well as black sugar for exfoliation. It has a thick, sticky consistency with large sugar particles and is little messy to apply and difficult to spread but it remains 'wet' while on the skin and there is no dry feeling once it's washed off.

Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque comes in a smaller tube, is more expensive, is available from selected pharmacies, salons and online retailers, is suitable for all skin types, contains activated charcoal which adsorbs (attracts and holds onto) excess oil and impurities as well as volcanic ash and sea silt for exfoliation. It has a smooth, slightly grainy consistency with tiny exfoliation particles and is easy to apply and spread but dries like a clay mask, so work quickly.

Both masks feel warm on the skin when first applied and when they are wet and gently massaged onto the skin afterwards to exfoliate. Both wash off easily with warm water and leave the skin feeling smooth, clean and soft. The Dermalogica masque left my very oily skin feeling dry and chalky after use and I had an urge to wash my face with foaming cleanser to try and get rid of this feeling.

To be honest, in this case, expensive doesn't necessarily mean better. The Freeman Beauty mask works just as well as the Dermalogica one, its more affordable, you get a bigger tube and it isn't as drying on the skin. It all comes down to a the matters of personal preference; sticky paste vs smooth paste, the feel on your skin and how much money you can afford to spend on a face mask.

Personally, I won't be buying or recommending the Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque.

For me this was a disappointment- I was expecting great things and for that price so I should get them.

This mask was easy to apply. I didn't need much to cover my face so you will get many uses from a tube.

Things that were good - it dried quickly and was easy to remove. It sort of ends there though.

Not impressed parts - price, I didn't notice any difference to my skin- possibly a bit drying and was a tad gritty for my liking. My pores didn't look refined and I found I'd usually use a hydrating mask in the days after as my skin felt like it needed it.

I think they have jumped on the charcoal train with a not so great product.

I have since found a Charcoal mask at less than a quarter of the price, with great results, I feel I won't ever purchase the dermalogica one again.