The Wherewithal of Activated Charcoal

This trendy ingredient and treatment can be useful—in some cases

Activated charcoal may have a wide range of uses, but many products including it with limited evidence it works.showcake/Shutterstock

Activated charcoal continues to pop up in more over-the-counter personal products such as toothpaste, deodorant, and skin cleaners. That leaves many consumers curious about what it is, how it works, and if it lives up to all the hype.

Medically, the carbon-rich material has been used to treat overdoses and poisonings. People have long known about its use as an antidote—it even goes back to the early 1800s.