'My skin just looks better.' 13 women tried that popular charcoal serum for oily, acne-prone skin.

You know what's not a fun time? When you catch a glimpse of yourself in the work bathroom at lunch to find your makeup has just completely packed its bags and slid right on outta here. No text, no nothing.  

After applying a carefully curated skin routine, the face you left the house with this morning has completely changed its tune from dewy complexion to a straight-up grease trap. Us oily skin girlies know this all too well. If we could report our skin's rudeness to HR, we just might.

However, what we do learn along the way is that it really comes down to building the right routine with the right kinda products for specific skin goals and concerns. So, if your skin is more oil prone, and you're looking to improve texture and reduce pimples (particularly those cystic baddies that keep turning up unannounced), then according to dermatologists, a few skincare ingredients should be in your repertoire.

Now, there are AHAs and BHAs (alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids) which target different needs. AHAs are handy for increasing the shedding of dead skin cells retained at the surface of your skin (basically an exfoliating queen), whereas BHAs are bacteria-fighters that get RIGHT into our pores and cut through oil.

There's niacinamide – a trusty ingredient you've likely heard the buzz about in recent years – that improves “orange peel” textured skin (a satisfying visual). 

Then there's charcoal, an absorbent ingredient that can help remove toxins from the skin. Think of charcoal as a magnet that basically binds to oil, dirt and other impurities in the skin.

There are plenty of noteworthy ingredients for us oily-skinned beauties to check out. But, some dandy products like Garnier's Pure Active AHA + BHA Charcoal Anti-Blemish Serum ($34.99), bring a few of them together into one hard-working formula to visibly reduce pimples, minimise the appearance of marks and improve skin texture. 

This anti-acne serum has a highly concentrated formula of 4 per cent AHA, BHA, niacinamide and charcoal, with a unique black colour that rubs in clear (fancy). According to their Cosmeto-clinical test (43 volunteers, used twice daily application for 28 days), the serum was proven to reduce blemishes by 35 per cent in 4 weeks!

As soon as we read that, we obviously felt we needed to have exactly 150 women from Mamamia's You Beauty Panel to rate it first and tell us every little detail on its performance.

77 per cent of Panellists agreed that it's an effective serum for reducing blemishes, and 74 per cent said they'd be recommending it on to friends!

Here are some of their real, honest thoughts after trialling for themselves.

Grace, QLD: "Powerhouse combination of ingredients."

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"I’m impressed with the powerhouse combination of ingredients in this product! Given the combination of AHA and BHA I introduced this product slowly into my routine and was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t experience any irritation (despite having fussy and sensitive skin). Nice weighty bottle and easy to use dropper."

Susan, WA: "Instant mattifying effect and made my pores look smaller."

"So, I am bit of a skincare snob and don't usually purchase supermarket brands, but was pleasantly surprised by this Garnier serum. I have very oily skin and upon applying this there was an instant mattifying effect and made my pores look smaller.

"It did help to keep the oiliness away as my makeup wasn't sliding off my face by lunch time. At one point I felt the suspicious twinge of a blind pimple brewing on my chin and dabbed some of the serum on it regularly and the offending potential zit went away without erupting. 

"Overall pretty impressed with this for the price! I have already recommended it to someone in the You Beauty Facebook group."

Kelsey, NSW: "Really great results."

"Really liked this serum. I was a bit unsure when I first started using it because of the texture… felt like the bottle wasn’t going to last very long, but it absolutely has! Impressed at how effective the product is, and love how quickly it drys into the skin. Really great results! Couldn’t be happier!"

Tabitha, QLD: "My skin has never looked better."

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"Overall, I enjoyed using this serum. Was a lovely texture and consistency! Since using the Garnier serum, my skin hasn't never looked better."

Jacqueline, NSW: "I'd definitely recommend and repurchase."

"Great! Initially I experienced a few breakouts on my chin and near my brows but I persevered and just after the 10 to 14 day mark, I noticed a huge difference in the pore size on my nose and chin. I'd definitely recommend and repurchase."

Samantha, VIC: "Loved the formula."

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"Amazing, loved the formula and it provided great results. Would buy again and recommend it!"

Tessarne, NSW: "My face felt supple and glowy."

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"I enjoyed it! I used it every morning and it went on very smoothly. It went on nicely under make up too. Despite the dark colour, it absorbed quickly into the skin without any residue. My face felt supple and glowy, and I never had a blemish when using this serum. I also liked it doubled as multiple serums in one."

Danielle, VIC: "Makes skincare fun to use."

"So impressive! Have never seen a product this colour that turns invisible once rubbed into your skin. Makes skincare fun to use and gives great hydrating results!"

Bianca, VIC: "The best serum I've ever used."

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"Loved it!!! Full marks from me. The product was exactly what I needed in my routine. It was effective on my blemishes, and it's honestly the best serum I've ever used."

Sarah, NSW: "Sits well under makeup and helps reduce my blemishes."

"I was cautious at first as I didn't want to irritate my skin with too many actives. But I have now found it sits well under makeup and helps reduce occurrence of my blemishes. I'd recommend it and buy it again, it's a good affordable option which was gentle on my skin."

Jasmine, QLD: "Nourishing on my sensitive skin."

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"Very good! It feels nourishing on my sensitive skin and acne hasn't been too bad since using it! I'd buy this serum again."

Kristel, SA: "No new pimples and my skin just looks better."

"I wasn't sure at first. I used for 2 weeks and saw little happening, but I stuck with it and I'm pretty happy and surprised. I started using this serum just as my skin was a little crazy. Now there's such an improvement in my blemishes – I have now finished the bottle, and wake up with no new pimples and my skin just looks better. I'm repurchasing this!"

Mona, VIC: "Visible reduction in pores and blackheads."

"I've really enjoyed this product, I'd give it a 4/5. It had made my skin smoother and a visible reduction in pores and blackheads."

Shop the Garnier Pure Active AHA + BHA Charcoal Anti-Blemish Serum online or in-store at Chemist Warehouse.

Feature Image: Garnier/Mamamia.