Luxe Apothecary Coconut Charcoal Face Wash + Bar Soap Review

I was sent these products by Cait & Co (the owners of Luxe Apothecary) in exchange for some photographs. All opinions of these products are 100% my own, as always.

I am a shoe in when it comes to beautiful packaging and Luxe Apothecary has that aspect of their business down to perfection! I can't be the only one, however, who has gone to the store, fallen in love with a product that has beautiful packaging, and brought it home only to be disappointed by the quality of the item inside. It's the worst, am I right?

These face washes from Cait + Co were sent to me in exchange for some photographs, but, of course, I had to test them out! Since I know I'm not the only person out there who loves beautiful packaging but also wants to use items that are effective and more than just a pretty trinket for my bathroom counter, I thought I'd share my thoughts about these products with you. First, let's jump in to how the primary ingredient is supposed to benefit you!
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What are the benefits of coconut charcoal?

Activated charcoal is generally touted as a product that helps pull toxins/impurities out of the body. I have used activated charcoal whenever I ingest gluten by accident to help shorted the duration of my symptoms and have noticed that it does take a day or two off of the duration of my symptoms, though there is some debate regarding if it is actually helpful or not. According to the many articles I read while brushing up on the subject for this review, charcoal has been tested and proven harmless to humans. *

Because of the highly absorbent properties of charcoal, it is said to help pull toxins and dirt away from your skin to help prevent breakouts and its antibacterial properties are said to help prevent infections from occurring. There is not a ton of research done to back up these claims, so you will need to try charcoal out for itself, but if you try it and find that it's working for you, than keep on using it!

Who is this good for?

​​- Anyone with blemish or ance-prone skin.
- Anyone with combination skin, particularly on the more acne-prone areas. (This is me!)
- Anyone looking for a face wash to help pull impurities from their skin.
- Anyone who is seeking a face wash gentle enough for daily use.

Who might dislike it?

- Anyone with dry skin simply because you may find that it pulls too much moisture out of your skin. I still think you would be fine to use it, but I would advise following up with a moisturizer to help re-balance your skin.
- Anyone sensitive to using saponified oils (this applies to the bar soap.)
- Anyone sensitive to lactic acid (this applies to the face wash.)

Additional Thoughts: If you have dryer skin, you might prefer the bar soap because it has more oils listed in the ingredients. If you have more acne-prone or oily skin, you might prefer the face wash since it has fewer oils listed in the ingredients.

Is it gluten free?

From what I can tell, yes, both of these products should be gluten free.

What was my experience like while using it?

My experience is primarily limited to using the face wash - I did use the bar soap once but it's harder to keep that product away from all the stray hairs my cat leaves floating around. That said, I had no complaints about the bar soap, it is just less practical for my lifestyle since I don't really want to wash my face with the addition of a few cat hairs.

Over the few weeks that I've been using this product, I've learned that I prefer to use it when I wash my face in the morning versus as part of my evening routine. This is because if I wore makeup during the day, I have other face washes that do a more thorough job removing my makeup. Using this product in the morning, I feel like it removes any oils that may have accumulated on my face overnight. It leaves my face feeling clean and refreshed and ready for the day - whether that day includes a full face of makeup, or is a makeup-less day. I find that it leaves my skin looking and feeling brightened, refreshed, and did help reduce the amount of oil in my pores. I'm really looking forward to using this product during the summer when I favor more natural, lighter coverage makeup looks!

One thing to keep in mind about the face wash is that it does not form a nice, foamy lather like some other soaps. I find that this is fairly normal with more 'natural' face products, but I have known people that don't feel like a product is working unless it lathers up. I'd encourage you to give this product a chance, because I have seen results.

Will I get it again after I run out?

I will definitely be repurchasing the face wash. I don't necessarily have any complaints about the bar soap - bar soap just isn't as easy to fit into my lifestyle, like I explained above. This is just a matter of preference, though, so I'd encourage you to try the one that fits your lifestyle best!

*I, of course, encourage you to do your own research and not merely take my word for it since I am not a healthcare professional.

Have you ever tried a charcoal face wash? What were your thoughts?