This charcoal peel-off mask claims to unclog pores and even texture

• The Shills Natural Science Purifying Peel-Off Black Mask claims to unclog the pores with the help of activated charcoal.
• This mask has been all over the internet and is known as being very painful to remove.
• Insider Producer Celia Skvaril decided to try out the mask for herself to see if it actually works.
• She spoke to Dr. Mamina Turgano who helped her determine if the mask did more harm than good.
• When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Celia Skvaril: This is - I'm getting a Brazilian wax right now. This is what it feels like. Hi, guys, how are you? I hope you are doing well. I feel like it's been a while since I've sat in this seat right here in my parents' basement, and it feels good to be back. Today I am trying this purifying peel-off mask by Shills Natural Science. I've seen a lot of people try this, and a lot of them say it is not the greatest feeling getting it off. So although I'm terrified, it has four stars on Amazon, so I thought it was worth a try.

This is a charcoal mask, and it claims to instantly brighten and soften your skin. It also says that your skin will become more toned and smoother. It will make your skin look healthier and more hydrated. [speaking sped up] A mask for every skin type. An easy solution to remove clogged pores, acne, wrinkles, blemishes, blackheads, and pimples. Regulates oil production. Gets rid of acne, [speaking in slow motion] scars, blemishes, marks, and even evens your skin tone. It does all that, apparently.

So.... It has been a hot minute since I have looked at my skin under the microscope. All I'm gonna say is we might see some things. Oof, yep, I was right. We are... what actually is that? Is that a booger? I just cleaned my hands, so no worries. And I put my hair up, obviously, because I don't think you want this getting stuck in your hair. And I look really good in a headband, so. Actually smells nice. Hey, Siri, can you set a timer for 20 minutes? Siri: Your timer is set for 20 minutes. Celia: Thanks, gal. [opening bag] While we wait. Video: Bill, we have a lot to talk about. [dramatic music] It definitely has not covered all of my skin. I feel like it's pretty dry. Like, look. OK, people were not lying. They were not lying. They were not being dramatic. This hurts like a.... [rock music]

So, I don't know if you can tell from this, but it's like, it is attaching itself to the sebaceous plugs, but then it can't, it doesn't actually have the power to pull them out. Like, it's not getting them out. It's just sort of expressing them a little bit more. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. [sniffs] I'm crying. Ah. [groaning] I'm gonna go see if my mom can help me get the rest of this off, because I'm sure she would love to get some aggression out on me. I told them that you would probably like this 'cause it's cathartic.

Dawn Skvaril: Oops. Take two! Take three! Should we redo the intro?

Celia: No.

Dawn: Yeah.

Celia: No, why? Oh! My gosh. [both laugh]

Dawn: Ta-da! Ooh, there's lots of holes.

Celia: That was it? Wow.

Dawn: It feels cool.

Celia: Just from looking at my face right now, I'm not sure that I really see that much of a difference. It feels pretty soft in the areas that I put it on, but even when I, like, just feel here, or feel my forehead, it still feels pretty textured. The lack of a lot of stuff on the peels is just not enough for me to make the pain and the process of all of this worth it. I know a lot of dermatologists feel very strongly about peel-off masks. And since they're so popular, I wanted to hear from a dermatologist and have her tell me all about them.

Dr. Mamina Turegano: I'm Mamina, or, well Dr. Mamina on social media, but Dr. Mamina Turegano. I'm a dermatologist. I practice here locally in New Orleans. I'm actually board-certified in dermatology as well as dermatopathology, which is a subspecialty of dermatology where we look at skin lesions under the microscope. I'm not a huge proponent of peel-off masks. I think that they can play a role for people who have excessively oily skin. And like the one that you have, that one contains charcoal, a lot of these peel-off masks have that as the ingredient 'cause charcoal can absorb and pull out whatever impurities, but mainly oil, sometimes dirt. There are other things that I think are better alternatives, and definitely would not recommend it for people who have dry skin.

Celia: So, it's obviously not a great feeling to take it off. And to me, I'm like, am I giving my skin trauma? Like, is it bad that it's so painful to get off?

Mamina: Yeah, I think that, you know, when it's adhered to the skin so tightly, peeling it off can actually potentially cause some damage to the skin. Some people think that it's a form of exfoliation, but I think that the act of stretching can maybe even be harmful and kind of causing almost, like, micro-tears in the skin.

Celia: If you can pull up that Google Drive link that I sent you, it should be in your email, and then we can look at the before together.

Mamina: I do see, yes, a lot of pores that are filled with - and you know what? Pores are filled with oil and dead skin cells. That's essentially what make up the contents in pores.

Celia: So, we can move on to the after. So, we got a - oh, wait. Let me know what you think. Like, if you see any difference.

Mamina: Honestly, looking at this, your pores look still very similar. They look like they're almost as clogged as the video before. What I'm noticing is maybe a little bit of surrounding flaking, like there's this attempt at trying to peel out the pores, but they're just, yeah, the substance is still in the pores. But something that I did also notice with the after video is the skin also looked even more dry. And I think what the mask might've done was just dry out your skin more.

Celia: So it really just did worse.

Mamina: I think overall it probably ended up doing worse.

Celia: OK, good to know. Awesome. Thank you so much, and have a good rest of your day.

Mamina: Thank you, you too.

Celia: Bye.

But you know what I'm seeing right now, is a piece of a Goldfish cracker on my keyboard. See?