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Garnier Skin Active AHA + BHA Charcoal Anti-Imperfection Serum

Garnier Skin Active AHA + BHA Charcoal Anti-Imperfection Serum
Overall rating from 31 reviews so far:
4.1/5
Would use it again?
4.1/5
Did it do what it said it would?
4.1/5
Would recommend it to a friend?
4.0/5

All Garnier products are officially approved by Cruelty Free International.

Since 1989, Garnier has been committed to a world without animal testing.

Scientifically proven to visibly reduce imperfections by 35% in 4 weeks*. Immediately after 1 use, skin feels smoother and mattified**. In 28 days, pimples, blackheads, pores, residual marks, and redness appears reduced**.

*Cosmeto-clinical test, 43 volunteers, twice daily application for 28 days.

**Consumer test, 155 volunteers.


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Garnier Skin Active AHA + BHA Charcoal Anti-Imperfection Serum

Garnier Skin Active AHA + BHA Charcoal Anti-Imperfection Serum

Reviews

Overall rating:
5.0/5
8th July, 2023
0 members found this review useful
Great Serum!

The serum is black but don't be concerned. It absorbs immediately, leaves no colour on the skin and does not stain the fabrics. The serum is light, it leaves the skin feeling smooth, clean and moisturised. The serum is easy and pleasant to use. After a few applications, I noticed an improvement in my skin. It evens out my skin tone, reduces the appearance of scarring and gives it a nice healthy glow. It doesn't work the miracle of making the skin look perfect, but my skin appears a lot less oily and more radiant. I did not notice any skin irritation or allergic reactions, which is very important to me. Highly recommend

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This review was placed by a Trial Team member who was randomly selected to receive and review the product by Beauty Review. This review accurately reflects the individual's experience of the product and is not influenced by Beauty Review in any way.
Overall rating:
4.0/5
8th July, 2023
0 members found this review useful
Garnier Skin Active AHA + BHA Charcoal Serum

Once again Garnier have produced an outstanding product. The Garnier Skin Active AHA + BHA Charcoal serum is a striking black colour, but when applied to your skin and rubbed in, it is light weight, non greasy and leaves no residual colour showing. Over the month of trialing this product I have certainly noticed the that my skin feels smoother and there is a decrease in redness and some imperfections. I only wish that the bottle was bigger!

Tips: Apply one pump to face morning and night after cleansing.

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This review was placed by a Trial Team member who was randomly selected to receive and review the product by Beauty Review. This review accurately reflects the individual's experience of the product and is not influenced by Beauty Review in any way.
Overall rating:
2.0/5
8th July, 2023
0 members found this review useful
Too sticky for me!

I've been using the Garnier Skin Active AHA + BHA Charcoal Anti-Imperfection Serum 1-2 times per day for a few weeks, and I really wanted to like it but I just don't think it agrees with my skin. I ended up having more breakouts than usual and my pores are more congested. I can't say for certain that this was CAUSED by the serum, but it definitely didn't do anything to PREVENT it. If you are sensitive to fragrance in your skincare products I'd say you should give this one a miss. This serum is pretty heavily fragranced which could be part of the reason why it didn't work so well for me. I didn't enjoy the texture of this serum; I like my serums to feel moisturising and almost melt into my skin, but this one feels quite sticky and tight, and kind of sits on top of my skin like a film if I don't spend extra time rubbing it in. The black colour of the product does disappear once you apply it, but I notice that it leaves little black splatters marks on my bathroom counter when I take the stopper out of the bottle (and I do try to be careful!). One positive thing I have noticed is that it does seem to help blemishes heal and fade faster. I had a couple of spots that just dried up and flaked away after a couple days. Overall I don't think I would use this again. I have tried other AHA + BHA products that work better for my skin and have a nicer texture and (lack of) fragrance.

Tips: Apply a heavier moisturiser over the top to combat the stickiness, and always remember sunscreen!

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This review was placed by a Trial Team member who was randomly selected to receive and review the product by Beauty Review. This review accurately reflects the individual's experience of the product and is not influenced by Beauty Review in any way.
Overall rating:
4.3/5
8th July, 2023
0 members found this review useful
Great product. Good addition to my skincare

This product was a few addition to try as apart of my skincare routine. I have hormonal acne and while using this product I found it improved my por size by shrinking them and reducing the amount of acne on my face. I thought the packaging looked great and definitely said what it would do. I was a little skeptical about using a black charcoal product but when rubbed in it turner. The only downside to this product is that you have to work quickly otherwise it dries out and is hard to work with. Otherwise I do recommend others to try it.

Tips: Work quickly with the product otherwise it dries out and only need to use a little bit at a time as it spreads easily

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This review was placed by a Trial Team member who was randomly selected to receive and review the product by Beauty Review. This review accurately reflects the individual's experience of the product and is not influenced by Beauty Review in any way.
Overall rating:
4.7/5
8th July, 2023
0 members found this review useful
Wonderful serum

I loved this serum- I was skeptical because it was black that it would dye my skin but it didn’t. I liked the smell and the feeling and the way that one drop was enough to cover your face and neck and it didn’t feel sticky or slimy after. It soaked in well. I have pretty sensitive skin and found it to have no issues on my face. I didn’t break out or get dry patches. I found it to decrease my large pores on my nose and reduce black heads and this month I didn’t get any hormonal acne so that’s a massive win! I would buy this again when it runs out! It’s the best one I’ve tried so far!

Tips: Keep using it it rocks!

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This review was placed by a Trial Team member who was randomly selected to receive and review the product by Beauty Review. This review accurately reflects the individual's experience of the product and is not influenced by Beauty Review in any way.
Overall rating:
3.0/5
8th July, 2023
0 members found this review useful
Just okay

As a background to my skin type, I have combination skin that is typically oily on my nose/chin and normal elsewhere. I’m prone to the occasional breakout on my chin. I have obvious pores around my nose which I'm always keen to try reducing!

The product comes in a small glass bottle with a pipette. One full squeeze of the pipette is all I needed to cover my whole face. I estimate that you could probably get two months of twice daily use of this product before it runs out.

The consistency of the product is quite goopy/sticky, but it doesn't feel bad on my skin. Immediately after use, my skin did feel more matte and smoother which was a good base to start with before applying makeup. The product has the same smell as every other Garnier product I've tried, it's hard to describe, but it's quite a fresh smell in my opinion.

I wondered whether I'd still be able to see the charcoal on my skin after use, but the black colour disappears when you rub it in.

I've been using this product for over a month now, but unfortunately, I haven't noticed any significant improvement in my skin. My breakouts seem to be about the same level they usually are. My pores appear the same and if anything, my skin seems even more red than it was a month ago.

I think the main issue with this product is that the AHA/BHA concentration is just too low. If it was a bit higher there might be better results. However, it is a drug store brand, so for the price it's not terrible.

I wouldn't discourage anyone from using this product if it sounds like something that would help your skin, but I wouldn't actively recommend this product.

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This review was placed by a Trial Team member who was randomly selected to receive and review the product by Beauty Review. This review accurately reflects the individual's experience of the product and is not influenced by Beauty Review in any way.
Overall rating:
5.0/5
7th July, 2023
0 members found this review useful
Love

I love love love this serum. Firstly it's black! How cool, and the colour just disappears when massaged in. It feels so silky smooth when applying and my skin feels so soft and smooth. It gives a suttle healthy glow but at the same time also a kinda silky Matte look without the tight dry feeling. Skin feels hydrated and plump. After using this serum for several weeks I can definitely see a difference in my skin. It looks healthy and refreshed and I have found myself not reaching for my foundation quite as much. My skin is combination type and I find i have less shine which is fabulous and my skin just looks fresh and more even. I love the packaging, the eye dropper is great so you can get the perfect amount out each time. I have worn it under makeup many times and it applys and stays on just as well. Overall I'm so impressed with this serum, it has worked so well on my skin and is Definitely going to be staying in my skin care routine. Highly recommend.

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This review was placed by a Trial Team member who was randomly selected to receive and review the product by Beauty Review. This review accurately reflects the individual's experience of the product and is not influenced by Beauty Review in any way.
Overall rating:
4.3/5
7th July, 2023
0 members found this review useful
Garnier skin active aha + bha serum

This is one of those products you can’t judge until you stick with it for a bit. I used this morning and night for just over 3 weeks and the first few days I really disliked it. Firstly the bottle is quite big and it lasts for a while. I don’t particularly like the smell it is quite chemically and almost like a toilet duck smell which is not super pleasant on your face. The serum itself is black so I didn’t rub it in properly which made it look like my face was dirty for the first couple days until I realised I had to rub it in quite a bit more. The texture is pretty sticky but give it 5-10 minutes and makeup goes on no problem on top. Didn’t notice any mattifying on my skin but it wasn’t a selling point for me anyway so no problems with that. I had some small breakouts when I started trying this and they seemed to clear up in a couple days. Throughout using this I had some small (likely hormonal) breakouts and they did clear up quite a bit quicker than they usually would so recommend this serum for that, also after about a week my face was noticeably smoother and I do think that my pores were less noticeable. However the game changer for me: I have acne scarring that is quite purple/red on my face every time I get a breakout which I would have to cover with makeup as they are pretty obvious so i wouldn’t go without makeup if I have these and they usually take about a couple months to start fading however with this serum they faded so quickly! After a couple weeks I was happy enough to go without makeup again which is amazing. Also any breakouts I did have while using didn’t seem to leave such dark marks. I would highly recommend just for that reason.

Tips: Make sure you rub it in well otherwise you will look like you will have a super dirty face. Also give it a couple minutes before makeup!

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This review was placed by a Trial Team member who was randomly selected to receive and review the product by Beauty Review. This review accurately reflects the individual's experience of the product and is not influenced by Beauty Review in any way.
Overall rating:
4.7/5
7th July, 2023
0 members found this review useful
Garnier charcoal serum

I like the clear bottle so you can keep track of when you’re low on product. The texture is gloopy to touch but not in an unpleasant way, the colour doesn’t show when rubbed in. It absorbs well and does make your skin feel mattified after application. A little goes a long way with this serum I only used one squeeze. I found it worked well on my redness and pores which took approx 2 weeks to notice, I use it once a day. I will be purchasing this product in the future.

Tips: Wait a min after application before continuing your skin care routine to l let it absorb.

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This review was placed by a Trial Team member who was randomly selected to receive and review the product by Beauty Review. This review accurately reflects the individual's experience of the product and is not influenced by Beauty Review in any way.
Overall rating:
4.0/5
6th July, 2023
0 members found this review useful
Blemish free

I have mixed feelings on this one and that is because it does what it says but I don't quite love it. I will admit I have been entirely blemish free using this product over the last few weeks and that isn't normal for me, I tend to always have at least one pimple pop up somewhere at a time but I have had the bliss of being zit free for once so I certainly cannot complain about that! The thing I don't enjoy about it is the sticky feeling when applying it. However the sticky feeling doesn't last and dries absolutely fine. The packaging is fairly simple, nothing stand outish about it but it is in a handy little bottle with an a dropper and it is lasting a long time. I have used this morning and night for weeks and barely made a dent in the bottle. It spreads very easily and has a scent that you would expect from a charcoal product. It is affordable so I think the value for money is certainly there and, like I say, it did do what it said but for me, this one was just missing the wow factor and excitement that I have found in other products. I would recommend it to friends that have problems with blemishes for sure and if you're a fan of charcoal products and good value, then I'm sure you'll love it.

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This review was placed by a Trial Team member who was randomly selected to receive and review the product by Beauty Review. This review accurately reflects the individual's experience of the product and is not influenced by Beauty Review in any way.

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