Garnier Pure Active Charcoal Gel Wash Reviews

I really appreciate the product comes in a pump. It makes it so easy to use in the shower. But the first thing I notice when I use this product is the fragrance is so strong I have to hold my breath. Not entirely pleasant and I do wish companies just don’t put fragrance in cleansers.

Other than that, it lathers really nicely and you only need half a pump of product to clean your face. It will go a long way.

The biggest thing I noticed about this product was reduction in the appearance of my pores. I mainly tried it to reduce blackheads but pores was the biggest change for me. It did help a little with clearing up my skin but I’m thinking it makes for a better preventative than solution as a week later my current blackheads are still there, just a bit less.

Overall I liked the product. It doesn’t take over as my favourite, but it was still good and I will happily continue to use it.

got selected to try this product and it the description made it sound like it would suit my needs perfectly (oily skin and prone to blackheads). I was worried it might dry my skin out, however I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't!

I definitely found it strong smelling - almost a masculine smell. I'm not really sensitive to smell, so I didn't mind it (and by the end I kind of enjoyed it). The packaging made me think masculine too. I found it interesting that the actual product was black, and it certainly lathered well (you only need a tiny bit). I'm a bit concerned that the pump bottle style might mean that water is getting into the product because I have been using it in the shower, and it's kept on the ground in there. Maybe the product is just slightly watery?

The product made my face tingle while it was on and for a little bit after, but it didn't seem to dry out my skin or overstimulate oil production. In fact, my skin actually felt soft rather than stripped after cleansing (I guess I had low expectations after other acne gel cleansers I've tried). Unfortunately it didn't appear to make much of a difference to my skin though. It felt nice on, but I didn't notice a reduction in blackheads. I also noticed some acne after not having many spots for quite a while (however I've recently introduced an oil into my routine so it may be to do with that). Definitely no major breakouts though.

I'll definitely keep using this as I think it might just take slightly longer to see results (and because it didn't dry my skin out and make it extra oily - yay). I'm not sure that I would purchase it though, because I haven't been wowed by it. It is a reasonable price though and easy to find (and a nice enough face wash), so it might be worth a shot.

I have mixed feelings about this facewash.

On one hand it makes my skin feel wonderful. I really like how it foams up and doesn't feel harsh on your skin at all. It's also not overly drying which I think is great cause other charcoal products I've used have left my skin feeling really dry. Definitely noticed less blackheads after using it for a few days.

But on the other had a really dislike the smell of it. It's much too strong and unpleasant.

Would the smell stop me from buying it in the future? Possibly. As much as I like the actual product and think that it does exactly what it says it does I can't get past the smell.

I had heard of a charcoal gel face wash before so to me this was one of a kind and I do like Garnier products so giving this a go was a no brainer.

The 200 ml bottle is a decent size and should last quite a while.

The product is a smooth gel, it does have a slight chemical smell but its not nasty. If you like more floral scents then this may not be for you.

I liked that the gel removed all traces of makeup and made my skin squeaky clean.

With regards to the main feature of this product - reducing blackheads - I cant say that I've noticed a huge difference. Perhaps I need to use it for longer, I'm not sure.

All in all its not a bad product, just don't be expecting to see results overnight.

My teenage daughter uses this and she loves it, but finds it does not get rid of blackheads. She keeps it in the shower so I have used it once or twice and find it is a nice basic cleanser. Will definitely buy again for the price and what it does.

I have never used Garnier cleansers, other than their excellent micellar water. I have combination skin but one of my major skin concerns has always been the blackheads clogging my nose, centre of my forehead, and around my mouth.

The sleek black pump bottle was surprisingly cool to see when I opened the BR package. The black colour is appropriate because it clearly denotes the charcoal ingredient, and the targeted black head removal action.

What I didn't really like was seeing the jet-black colour of the gel wash itself. It did lather into a white foam, but something about the black colour made me unwilling to put it on my skin. Maybe this is just me being weird though.

I love a good lather, but this gel wash only had minimal foamy goodness. This is understandable considering it is actually a gel formula. I couldn't help but this it would be easier to just choose: is it a gel or a foaming face wash? Why is there a need for it to be both?

The immediate tingling sensation when it hit my face was very unsettling. I have never - NEVER - had a bad reaction to face wash before, so I was seriously surprised and alarmed to feel the prickly tingly-ness. It didn't leave me with any visible damage, so maybe it's meant to feel like this? I know with charcoal and mud masques I often get the same feeling, but only after the masque has been applied for a few minutes - not immediately!

Ultimately I wanted to do justice to this product review, so I continued using it despite my dismay. And after a week of use every evening, I can confirm that my blackheads have been cleansed out of my skin. My nose was the area I felt most self-conscious of, so I felt really good knowing this had been cleared up.

But would I use it again? Based on the weird black gel/foam formula and the feeling against my skin, no. A once-a-week charcoal or mud masque which is only applied on my problem areas will suffice for my personal beauty regime.

I tried this on my face and it was far too harsh and drying for me to even keep using for the purposes of the trial. I decided to try it on my chest instead, as I am prone to blackheads there. It works alright, but requires serious moisturiser afterwards.

My skin is pretty sensitive and I am quite touchy about what goes on it, but always looking for the next holy grail so gave it a go!

The bottle definitely screams garnier and fits with the rest of their ranges. It is a really decent size for the price which is a bonus and the pump top lid is always a plus to minimise wastage.

I was quite intrigued with the colour, but dissapointed to find it is not actually thick black, but a dark grey. Although it is still pretty intense, I was envisaging a thick black tar like substance to schloop across my face. It is actually a great consistency and perfect for a face wash, despite my initial disappointment.

The scent is strong and chemically which put me off. You can tell that this is a strong and acidic product by it's scent, which isn't bad, but also isn't overly natural smelling. It's fine, it's not a plus but also not a negative.

Now it did seem to break me out, as in my face erupted in places that night. I have been stressed with exams so there's always other factors, but I did break out after using it. Because of that, I am not going to keep using it and hence the low rating.

I generally don't cope well with garnier products, so that is another reason my face went crazy!

All in all its not a bad product and I think in other circumstances with different skin types it can provide a nice deep clean, just not for me I'm afraid.

I really love the Garnier 3 in 1 charcoal mask, it does wonders for my skin. So I was intrigued by this when I saw it at the supermarket. So in my trolley it went.

I love that it has a pump, it is a gel consistency and a little bit definitely goes a long way. It has quite a manly fragrance but I don't mind it.  I started using this every morning as I find it is quite messy so the best place to use is in the shower.

It gives me a tingly sensation, its not bad and you get used to it. I have sensitive skin and I get no irritation, however this seems to dry out my face so badly. Even when I follow up with a great moisturiser. Such a shame! It makes my skin look clear and fresh but around my mouth, nose and eye area is super dry.

I can now only use this once or twice a week which is ok, I just rotate my cleansers. If you have dry skin then I suggest alternating this. It has lasted me ages because of this.

So the price is really good, the bottle is big and will last long. The texture is lovely, it is black but makes a white foam once on face. I hate the smell, it's way to masculine and strong for me. I don't think it does anything for blackheads but nice to use from time to time.