IO Genix Activated Charcoal

What is IO Genix Charbon Actif?

IO Genix Charbon Actif is a soft-capsule supplement combining three ingredients: activated plant charcoal, aniseed essential oil and peppermint essential oil. The daily dose of four capsules supplies 500 mg of activated charcoal, 280 mg of aniseed essential oil and 280 mg of peppermint essential oil.

Activated charcoal is not barbecue charcoal. It is a plant-based charcoal heat-treated at high temperature to develop an extreme porosity: a few grams develop an internal surface area measured in hundreds of square metres. It is that porosity which allows it to bind molecules to its surface, a physical phenomenon known as adsorption.

The two essential oils, for their part, are traditional ingredients of the digestive sphere. Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) and peppermint (Mentha piperita) are present here at a proper dose, 280 mg each, which is far from always the case with this type of formula. The rest of the Spanish range can be found in our IO Genix section.

What does a dose of Charbon Actif contain?

It needs to be said plainly what these 500 mg allow and what they do not. Activated charcoal is one of the few ingredients in this category to have an authorised claim in Europe, covering the reduction of excessive flatulence after eating. But that claim comes with a precise dosage condition, expressed in grams: it assumes 1 g taken before the meal and 1 g taken shortly afterwards. With 500 mg spread across the whole day, this product sits well below that threshold, and we will therefore not repeat that claim in connection with it. This is a piece of information you will find nowhere else on this type of product page, and it changes how you choose.

The dose of the two essential oils, on the other hand, is markedly more generous than what you usually come across. 280 mg each is a genuine amount, and it is probably what gives the product its character. No health claim is authorised in Europe for aniseed or for peppermint: so we describe what the formula contains, without attributing any effect to it.

A final word on the 1.2 g of fat per dose: it comes from the sunflower oil that acts as a carrier in the soft capsules, and not from any intended nutritional contribution. At 8 kcal for the daily dose, this product weighs on no one's intake.

Ingredients list

Bulking agent (refined sunflower oil), coating agent (gelatine, humectant: glycerine), activated charcoal, aniseed essential oil (Pimpinella anisum L.), peppermint essential oil (Mentha piperita L.), emulsifier (SOYA lecithin), stabiliser (partially hydrogenated soya fat), thickeners (colloidal silica, beeswax, hydrogenated soya fat).

Contains SOYA. May contain traces of GLUTEN, MILK, EGGS and FISH. The capsules are made from bovine gelatine.

How do you take Charbon Actif?

Dose: 2 capsules per serving. Liquid: at least 250 ml of water. Timing: before a main meal, or at the moment of discomfort. Frequency: two servings a day, without exceeding 4 capsules. Duration: a two to four week course.

A clarification is needed, because the manufacturer's documentation contradicts itself on this point and we would rather flag it than copy out both instructions. On one hand it states two capsules before each main meal, on the other a daily dose not to be exceeded of four capsules. Both cannot be true at once if you eat three meals. We are keeping the lower limit, which is also the one in the nutrition declaration: four capsules a day at most, that is two servings. Spread them across the two meals that give you the most trouble.

The glass of water is not decorative. Activated charcoal needs a sufficient volume of liquid to move properly through the digestive tract, and 250 ml is a minimum, not a suggestion. Taking it with three mouthfuls of water is the surest way to create further discomfort for yourself.

Swallow the capsules whole, without crunching them: they are soft capsules and their contents are not meant to be chewed. A two to four week course gives you an honest basis for judging, and the product is then taken again in spells as needed rather than continuously all year round.

The most important instruction on this page: leave at least two hours between taking activated charcoal and taking any medicine or any other supplement. We come back to it just below.

Who is Charbon Actif for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at an adult who gets bloating after meals and is looking for a comfort solution, either occasionally or over a few weeks. It can have its place before a heavy or unusual meal, rather than as routine use.

The central point to watch is the interaction with medicines. Activated charcoal binds molecules by adsorption, and it does not tell the difference between an intestinal gas and an active substance: it can reduce the absorption of a medicine taken at the same time. That applies to all treatments, including oral contraception. The manufacturer requires a minimum gap of two hours, and that instruction must be followed to the letter. If you are on long-term medication, speak to your doctor or your pharmacist before starting.

The manufacturer does not recommend it for children under 12 and asks pregnant and breastfeeding women to seek the advice of a healthcare professional. The product contains soya and the capsules are made from gelatine: it is therefore suitable neither for people allergic to soya, nor for vegetarians, nor for vegans.

One practical remark that the manufacturer mentions and that always comes as a surprise: stools turn black during the course. This is normal, harmless, and it disappears once you stop. Better to know beforehand than to start worrying on day three.

What not to expect from it: this is not a treatment, it is not a detox product — a term that means nothing in regulatory terms — and it is not a solution to persistent digestive problems. Entrenched bloating, pain or a lastingly disturbed transit are a matter for a doctor, not for a capsule.

Activated charcoal, enzymes or probiotics, which should you choose?

Three families of product compete for the same shelf, and they do not work in remotely the same way.

Activated charcoal acts physically, there and then, on whatever is in the digestive tract at the moment you take it. It is an occasional comfort product, to be taken at the moment of the problem. It changes nothing over time, and it is not designed to.

Digestive enzymes supply molecules that help break down certain nutrients. It is the more logical choice if your discomfort is linked to a particular meal or an identified food — a very rich meal, a large portion of pulses, an excess of dairy products.

Probiotics work on a different timescale: they are a long-term matter, over several weeks, and they target the balance of the microbiota rather than an immediate symptom. They are of no use for settling bloating within the hour.

One particular case is worth flagging, because we come across it often: if your bloating appears mainly after a protein shake, none of the three will address the cause. It is most often the lactose in a concentrate whey, and switching to a whey isolate or a clear whey is a more direct and less expensive answer.

Frequently asked questions

How many capsules a day at most?

Four, and that is the limit set by the manufacturer's nutrition declaration. Take them as two servings of two capsules, before the meals that trouble you most. The documentation also mentions two capsules before each main meal, but that pattern would exceed the daily dose if you eat three meals.

Why do you have to wait two hours before a medicine?

Because activated charcoal binds molecules by adsorption without distinguishing what they are. It can therefore reduce the absorption of a medicine taken at the same time, including oral contraception. The two-hour gap is a minimum, to be observed in both directions.

Do stools turn black?

Yes, in fact invariably, and it is harmless. The colour comes from the charcoal itself, which is not absorbed and ends up in the stools in its entirety. Everything returns to normal once the course is over.

Are these capsules suitable for vegetarians?

No. The soft capsules are made from gelatine, which is of animal origin. The product also contains soya in several forms, which likewise rules it out for people allergic to that allergen.

Is 500 mg enough against bloating?

It is a modest dose against the threshold adopted at European level for this type of effect, which is counted in grams and not in milligrams. The product draws its character more from its two essential oils, dosed at 280 mg each. We would rather say so than let you believe in a dose it does not have.

Can you take it every day all year round?

The manufacturer positions the product as a two to four week course, to be taken again as the periods require. Permanent use serves no purpose and complicates managing the two-hour gap with everything else you take. In spells, it is more logical and easier to stick to.

Can it be combined with other supplements?

Yes, provided you leave at least two hours between them — a supplement is a molecule like any other from the point of view of activated charcoal. In practice, take your multivitamin or your magnesium at another time of day.

Where can you buy IO Genix Charbon Actif?

The bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product we always start with one simple question about: “are you on any medication?”. The answer does not rule it out, but it decides how the servings have to be organised across the day. The rest of the section can be browsed in our sports nutrition range.