I was weary using this as I know charcoal can be very drying and my skin is currently combination, so I didn't want to dry out the already dry areas just to have the blackhead prone areas (my forehead and cheeks) look better. However my blackheads have been worse than usual this summer, so help was needed.
Before I get into it... the packaging is nice. I like the pump and the look of the product. It has a medicinal feel about it. The scent is clean, fresh and reminds me of men's deodorant, but not in a cheap and nasty way.
I have been using a pump of this every morning on my forehead and cheeks after cleansing with my Ecostore cream cleanser (thanks Beauty Review!). It leaves my cheeks and forehead feeling cleansed and really smooth. It hasn't stripped my oily areas. If anything I feel they've been more matte during the day. Since using I've seen no new blackheads and my stubborn blackheads have become smaller and less gunky.
I'm also using this on my back and have seen/felt a reduction in back pimples, which is fantastic.
I've knocked it back a point on the recommendation, because even though it is gentle, it does dry skin - so if you're oily skinned, go for it. Combo skinned, go for it on your oily areas. Dry skinned - I'd pass.
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.