Can Activated Charcoal Really Detoxify Our Body, Skin?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- You may have heard the hype about activated charcoal, an easily absorbed powder. It's being added to everything from beauty products to food and drinks. But does it really detoxify the body and skin?

As WCCO's Jennifer Mayerle reports, it's recently been pulled from some shop shelves.

The charcoal craze has taken hold of social platforms. Hundreds of thousands have posted with the hashtags #charcoaltoothpaste, #charcoalmask and #charcoallatte. It's supposed to help detox the body, unclog the pores and whiten your teeth.

"People love the color, people love the uniqueness of it," said Ben Hertz, owner of Penny's Coffee in Minneapolis.

The people behind Penny's Coffee are forward thinking. Six months ago, they added items with activated charcoal to the menu. Hertz said it became 3 percent of their beverage business.

"You take the powder and you introduce it to water or milk or our soft serve mix," Hertz said. "It's supposedly something that is good for your health from time to time."

The shop had a disclaimer on its menu about possible drawbacks, such as making medications less effective.

Minneapolis food inspectors, however, recently alerted businesses that activated charcoal should not be used in food or drinks. FDA guidelines say it hasn't been studied and therefore isn't recognized as an approved additive, so Penny's pulled it.

"Is it a problem? Absolutely. But do we want to follow the rules? Absolutely," Hertz said. "We want to make sure that what we're selling our guests is actually healthy for them to be putting in their bodies."

Retired dentist Kim Harms says brushing with charcoal toothpaste could actually wear away the enamel on teeth and have lasting, unintended consequences.

"We need to protect (enamel) and make sure we don't use acids or abrasives. You may be affecting the way your teeth work and function when you're 65, when you're 70, when you're 80, and you know you gotta look long term," Harms said.

So what about adding the ingredient to your face? Cleansing soaps and masks including the ingredient claim to decrease oil and clear blackheads.

"People will see something, especially on social media, there's a lot of hype behind it so everybody jumps on the bandwagon before anybody has really had a chance to look into it," said dermatologist Allison Hoffman.

Hoffman said the claims are true, but warns activated charcoal hasn't been tested and says people with dry or sensitive skin should especially steer clear.

"It would strip your skin and then you could end up with very dry skin, sensitive skin and you could get a lot of redness and cracking and peeling," Hoffman said.

Activated charcoal is allowed in Europe as an approved food additive and coloring.