February 23, 2015

Biore Charcoal Pore Minimizer Review

Affiliate / Purchased
I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

Biore Charcoal Pore Minimizer

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.

Biore Charcoal Pore Minimizer swatches

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!

Biore Charcoal Pore Minimizer2

Affiliate / Purchased
I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Suzanne

    Until recently, the only skincare product here in the U.S. that contains charcoal I can think of is Origins Charcoal Mask which has been around since the line started. I’m glad to see it popping up more often.

    • Isabella Muse

      there’s lush coal face, dark angels, freeman’s charcoal mask, also mac volanic ash, as well as quite a few Biore products lately and yes Originals Charcoal Mask as well 😀

  • Danadoo

    Im glad i read this review, i probably would have bought it and been disappointed. I like to try out different exfoliators but always come back to good ol’ St Ives apricot scrub, its worked for me literally for decades!

  • Kelsey

    Muse which do you prefer of the charcoal cleansers you’ve tried ? For example the Mac vlocsnic ash or Freeman’s ?

  • Cindy

    This is on my list of beauty stuff I’d like to check out. I recently started a late obsession with Asian skin care, picked up Daiso Japan charcoal peel off mask, and I’ve been loving it! Anything with charcoal is good for me and my oily skin.

  • Melissa

    This was one of the worst products I’ve ever used. I used it about 6 times over the course of 2 weeks and it aggravated my skin. I broke out in tiny bumps around my nose/cheek area, my chin, and my forehead. I also developed red blotches and small red pimples in places I never break out in. I don’t consider my skin to be super sensitive. The only other product that has given me a similar reaction was St. Ives apricot scrub.

  • Danii

    After a long period of time of not looking after my body (eating junk food, drinking excessively, sleeping with make up on), my skin had become very unappealing. The past few months, i have made a lot of changes to my diet, beauty routine, quit alcohol, etc. I noticed that my skin had become so clear and beautiful, i was loving it. I then started looking for a product to minimise my pores, I came across Biore Charcoal Pore Minimiser and the reviews were really good. I had used Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser before and found it was amazing so i thought i would give another Biore product a try. I purchased it the next day from Coles. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the package but i liked the product so i continued to use it.. After about two weeks, i woke up one day to notice multiple little pimples around my forehead, nose, chin, cheeks, EVERYWHERE! I was quite shocked at how quickly they appeared.. Its now been two days since then and my skin is looking as bad as it did when i was not looking after my body. Biore Charcoal Pore Minimiser is amazing to a lot of women but it is not for me.