Founder Sarah Brown created the new Pai Skincare Carbon Star Detoxifying Overnight Face Oil (£39) in response to hearing from consumers whose skin was "fundamentally imbalanced", she explained over Zoom. And more specifically, for people with oily skin that was also dehydrated and in desperate need of moisture. The result is a clarifying and preventative oil that sits in the brand's Re-Balance range.
The star ingredient is black cumin seed oil, which has anti-bacterial properties that help fight the bacteria that can cause acne. "Carbon Star is like a single malt whiskey in the sense that one hero oil does a lot of the work," Brown said. "The hero oil is black cumin seed (nigella sativa oil), which is very complex in structure, contains enzymes, fatty acids 6,9, and 7, and contains vitamins and antioxidants." Additionally, the oil includes vegetable charcoal, derived from peat, which helps absorb excess oil on the skin, as well as copaiba oil, which is included for its anti-inflammatory properties.