Biore Charcoal Pore Minimizer Review
Biore Charcoal Pore Minimizer is a new exfoliating cleanser infused with natural charcoal and micro crystals that act to draw oil and dirt out while exfoliating skin. I’m a fan of the Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser that released last year so I decided to give this a try. I’m also a huge fan of charcoal cleansers in general such as MAC’s Volcanic Ash and Freeman’s Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask as well as Lush Dark Angels Cleanser.
Let’s take a look!
Biore Charcoal Pore Minimizer for me is kinda a thicker version of the original Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser. This comes in a bottle with a spout which flicks open to disperse a small amount of the gel.
The formula is a gel piece which a thick grainy texture that quite reminds me of Freeman’s Charcoal Face Polish formula. They even smell a little alike with a minty kinda herbal fresh scent. You can wet your face and apply this by massaging in gentle circles. After rinsing you’ll find your skin tingles a bit. I like the tingle but unfortunately, those sensitive might not love it as there is menthol in this formula which can be upsetting for many skin types.
Charcoal has been making an appearance in nose strips and many skincare products in Asia for literally ages but just recently started showing up here in the US. It’s still kinda wobbly on its feet here in the US though. Charcoal is apparently a great magnet for dirt and oil and draws it out of the skin.
This is pretty grainy but it’s mostly made up of those slippery beads which make an appearance in shower gels and cleanser . I find these never break down and are difficult to rinse off. It lathers up a little bit as you apply it but not a lot. For me it’s more of an exfoliating product and not a cleanser. I do feel a bit dry and tight after use unfortunately but it does exfoliate skin well and gives a good deep scrub. I don’t have larger visible pores but I’m doubtful this will make larger pores appear smaller so the name can be slightly misleading!
I feel like it does suck every little bit of oil from my skin so it might be better used in the Summer when I’m a little more oily and shiny! Right now my skin is absolutely dry chaos so this isn’t a great pick for me!
I do want to mention the packaging which I dislike. This has a little spout with a small lid that opens when you press down. I feel like the spout becomes clogged up after a few uses or if it doesn’t you end up with a harder denser gel than what’s inside the bottle since it’s been sitting in the spout hardening up! The packaging seems like a good idea but doesn’t quite work out so well!
Biore Charcoal Pore Minimizer does have a good deal of skin irritants like menthol and lots of fragrance so its likely not the best option in the world for many skin types. I like it ok but I prefer Freeman’s formula a lot better so if you’re searching for a budget charcoal scrub/cleanser I’d likely recommend that one! This formula is a bit to stripping for me and likely most will feel the same way unfortunately.
Biore Charcoal Pore Minimizer is available now at drugstores.
Tried it?
Do share!