I have been using Beautycounter’s Counter+ Charcoal Cleansing Bar since early July now and wanted to share my thoughts on this product. It is a long-standing best seller and has more than 2,000 five-star reviews, but it took me quite some time to try it. My hesitation was due to my skin being temperamental (especially in the winter) and feeling easily dried out after cleansing, even with products designed specifically for dry skin. However, I am also prone to these tiny blemishes or clogged pores right along my hair line. Nothing too problematic, I just have maintain a good skincare routine and stay well-hydrated. Throughout summer and early fall, my skin tends to be much less dry, so I decided to change up my cleansing routine and give this bar a try.
The Counter+ Charcoal Cleansing Bar is made with Binchotan charcoal powder, which is a type of activated charcoal. This ingredient helps to detoxify and absorb impurities in the skin without being overly drying. The bar also contains organic green tea extract (a skin conditioning antioxidant), witch hazel (a soothing astringent), organic safflower seed oil (an emollient), and organic coconut oil (a skin conditioner with natural antibacterial properties). It is a three ounce bar, packaged in minimal and recyclable material, and is one of Beautycounter’s forty-five vegan products. The cost is $26 USD.
I added this cleansing bar to my night time skincare routine and have been pleasantly surprised by it. My skin feels very soft after cleansing and not at all stripped or dried out. My face feels clean, ready for a serum and/or moisturizer, and my hairline blemishes have disappeared, which is a huge plus. Most of the time, I simply wash my face with water in the mornings, but periodically I’ll use the Counter+ Charcoal Cleansing Bar for my AM cleansing routine with identical results, that is no feeling of dry or tight skin following cleansing.
If you have occasional blemishes, oily skin, or acne, you might consider trying this product. Or if you have a teen(s) in your household struggling with breakouts, this might be something for them to try. It has little to no scent, suds very easily, and lasts an extremely long time. The sudsy photo above is my bar in its present state, and that’s after almost three months of use. I expect it to last another three months easily.
Finally, there’s the multi-purpose aspect. Since this cleansing bar contains activated charcoal which draws out impurities, it is fantastic to use for chest or back breakouts, to wash your underarms (yep!), and to clean your makeup brushes. For my brushes, I create a generous lather in my hands and then swirl each of my brushes in those suds, repeating the lathering process as needed. For brushes with a lot of product on them (e.g. foundation brushes), I swirl the brush directly on the bar to work extra product into it, then swirl it in the palm of my hand, and finally rinse thoroughly with warm water. I squeeze excess water from the bristles, starting at the base of each brush, while trying to preserve the original brush shape as much as possible. Then, as in the photo above, I lay the brushes flat on a towel to dry (overnight is usually sufficient) with the bristles hanging off as much as possible.
If you have any questions about this Counter+ Charcoal Cleansing Bar, please leave a comment below or email me at [email protected]. I’ve been very happy with it and will continue using it into the coming months. My skin does get very dry in the winter, so I may need to go back to a cream or oil-based cleanser. But I’m curious to see how my skin does with it during colder months. And if you try this bar, let me know what you think!
