
The Top 5 Detox Essentials
for Great Skin
Your whole body benefits from a detox, but your skin really shows it. “A digestive rest can leave your skin clearer and more luminous. The best way to describe it is like seeing a glass of milky water become clear,” says facialist, acupuncturist, traditional Chinese medicine specialist, and founder Annee de Mamiel, whose detoxifying energy treatments at her clinic in London, not to mention her incredible skin-care line, are in constant demand. “So many skin issues can be caused by a poor diet—blemishes, redness, as well as dry, scaly, unhealthy skin. Detoxification is about resting, cleansing, and nourishing yourself from the inside out. It makes sense that every organ benefits from this rest, including the body’s largest organ, the skin.”
We keep these secret weapons for reset—salts, herbs, charcoal, antioxidants, and the famous goop dry brush—in our toolkit during detox for sure, but we deploy them all year long to feel happy, healthy, well, and of course as glowy as possible.
No. 1
charcoal
No. 1
charcoal
Charcoal is powerful. It’s given to ER patients who’ve overdosed or swallowed poison to help remove life-threatening compounds. It’s also the primary component in most water filters for the same reason: It attracts unwanted compounds and carries them out of the body and skin; charcoal is not absorbed by the body. You can consume charcoal in pills, drinks, or even food to assist in a detox (it’s important not to overdo it, however, as charcoal also binds to nutrients that we need and carries them out of the body), or you can use it in skin care, where it’s a highly effective purifier.
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Blemish-Soothing Charcoal-
and-Cacao Face MaskMade with bamboo charcoal, rhassoul clay, and frankincense, this truly helps calm breakouts and makes a just-as-amazing spot treatment.
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May Lindstrom
THE PROBLEM SOLVER
CORRECTING MASQUE
goop, $100SHOP NOW
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Salt-and-Charcoal Bath Soak
Steep in this gorgeous-smelling blend of activated charcoal, salts, and clay for twenty minutes, then get out, wrap yourself in a towel, and sweat it out under the covers for another twenty—it’s the ultimate detox.
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goop Beauty
G.TOX DETOX 5 SALT BATH SOAK
goop, $35SHOP NOW
No. 2
antioxidants
No. 2
antioxidants
Antioxidants help protect against the free radical damage that sunlight, stress, and pollution can inflict. (The reason an apple turns brown when you cut it and expose it to the air is oxidation or free radical damage; similarly, dullness, dark spots, premature lines, sagging, and uneven tone in skin can be caused by free radical damage.) We love the brightening, pore-smoothing benefits of malachite, an antioxidant semiprecious stone, as well as vitamin C, the most-studied antioxidant for skin.
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Skin Tonic Made with
Antioxidant MalachiteYou can practically feel your pores tightening when you smooth on this gently exfoliating, skin-transforming treatment. (Do it morning and night.)
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goop Beauty
G.TOX MALACHITE + AHA
PORE REFINING TONIC
goop, $75/$68 with subscriptionSHOP NOW
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Malachite-and-Vitamin-E
Antioxidant SerumAll you need is a few drops to flood skin with antioxidants like malachite and plumping hyaluronic acid—and take a deep, slow breath in as you smooth it on.
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de Mamiel
INTENSE NURTURE
ANTIOXIDANT ELIXIR
goop, $148SHOP NOW
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Antioxidant
Vitamin C PowderMix this brilliant powder with water, serum, skin tonic, SPF, or any other step of your routine for noticeably brighter, smoother skin.
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True Botanicals
VITAMIN C BOOSTER
goop, $90SHOP NOW
No. 3
HERBS
No. 3
HERBS
Plant extracts and oils have natural—and potent—effects that can support detox. They can work topically on skin or be ingested; our approach at goop is to use every available avenue, so we definitely do it both ways.
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Detox Shot with Milk Thistle
Extract and AntioxidantsMilk thistle extract and powerful antioxidants support the body’s own detoxification system in this daily supplement you drink like a shot. Mix the powder with water, knock it back, and it works from the inside out for a powerful daily detox with beautiful benefits for your skin.
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goop Beauty
G.Tox Detoxifying Superpowder
goop, $60/$55 with subscriptionSHOP NOW
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Rosemary- and
Jojoba-Infused Body OilSmooth on this blend of detoxifying botanicals after a bath or a shower—the scent and the way it leaves your skin feeling are just heaven.
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The Organic Pharmacy
DETOX BODY OIL
goop, $68SHOP NOW
No. 4
SALT
No. 4
SALT
Thought for centuries to draw impurities from the body, salt is rich in minerals that can support a detox. It also softens skin like nothing else. Epsom salts come from the actual town of Epsom in the UK and are notably high in magnesium, an essential mineral. Himalayan pink salt comes from ancient deposits high in the Himalayas; we love it in products as well as salt lamps and salt-room yoga studios. Salts from the famous Brittany coast of France come infused with minerals and nutrients from the algae that grows there, and salts from the Dead Sea are similarly packed with beneficial compounds.
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Shampoo and Salt Scalp Scrub
Massaging in this pink whipped shampoo-scrub feels (and smells) incredible, clears away all the gunk to support a healthy scalp, and leaves your hair so soft, it’s kind of a miracle.
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goop Beauty
G.TOX HIMALAYAN SALT SCALP
SCRUB SHAMPOO
goop, $42SHOP NOW
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Salt-and-Rose-Hip-Oil
Body ScrubExfoliating, detoxifying salts are swirled with rich essential oils, like helichrysum and grapefruit, to leave skin buttery-soft and gleamy with moisture.
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goop Beauty
G.TOX 5 SALT DETOX BODY SCRUB
goop, $40SHOP NOW
No. 5
dry brushing and clay
No. 5
dry brushing and clay
One of the most invigorating and detoxifying things you can do in the morning, dry brushing wakes up your entire being and your skin. Do it first thing for three minutes or so, before jumping into the shower and washing with glacial marine clay to feel a palpable surge of energy (and incredibly soft skin, too).
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OG goop Body Brush
Brush toward your heart to best support the body’s natural detoxification process.
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goop Beauty
G.TOX ULTIMATE DRY BRUSH
goop, $20SHOP NOW
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Body Wash with Detoxifying Natural Clay
Glacial marine clay sourced in the Pacific Northwest plus purifying essential oils like helichrysum make this wash a cleansing, skin-softening powerhouse.
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goop Beauty
G.TOX GLACIAL MARINE CLAY
BODY CLEANSER
goop, $30SHOP NOW
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Exfoliating Glycolic
Acid Miracle PeelThe concentration of glycolic acid is intense—15% is almost in-office treatment level—so use it to detox skin once a week only.
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goop Beauty
GOOPGLOW 15% GLYCOLIC
OVERNIGHT GLOW PEEL
goop, $125/$112 with subscriptionSHOP NOW
Bonus
Overnight Detox for Everyone
Exfoliating is about as close to an instant detox as it gets, and this super strong, swipe-on, once-a-week one is a powerhouse. Smooth it onto clean skin right before bed go to sleep—and wake up to glowier, softer skin that stays that way all week. It’s made with glycolic acid (the gold standard alpha hydroxy acid, much loved by dermatologists. It’s the easiest way we know to see a change in your skin, overnight.