Although we don’t usually publish content based around eye liner or mascara, we have a bunch of content based around various color comparisons online and have noticed people asking for a carbon black vs blackest black comparison article. More and more people have been reaching out to ask about these two popular colors with each month that passes too.
Due to the majority of people reaching out specifically asking about the differences in the colors, we have decided to Publish this dedicated article going over the main differences. Our hope is that we will be able to help any of our readers who are looking to use either carbon black or blackest black with their makeup or in their arts and crafts.
Although some of our regular readers from the arts and crafts space may be interested in using either of these colors for their artwork, we expect the majority of people reading this article to be looking for advice on the makeup products In this color. Due to this, we will be focusing the majority of the article towards the differences in the carbon black and blackest black eyeliners and mascara products.
Carbon Black Vs Blackest Black Comparison
Due to the way digital art hex codes work, it is very difficult to see the difference between the two colors in our color sample above. That said though, in real life when you have a carbon black and a blackest black mascara in front of you, the difference between the two is obvious.
The main difference between carbon black and blackest black products is the pigment that brands use. A blackest black mascara uses an oxidised iron oxide pigment in its black state and is the “blackest black” possible with iron oxide. A carbon black mascara uses a carbon compound as its pigment and it can be darker than blackest black due to not being limited by how dark the iron oxide is able to oxidise.
If you are wanting to darkest possible mascara or eye liner then going with a carbon black formula will usually offer you the best possible performance but things are not as simple as that. This is due to other ingredients in the formula being able to lighten or darken the color with different brands adding different additional ingredients as well as different qualities of iron oxide for their blackest black products.
The Carbon Black Color!
The majority of the time, going with a carbon black mascara or eyeliner product will always offer you the darkest possible black and easily beat the blackest black products. The issue is, many cosmetic brands now offer “carbon black hues” where they intentionally lighten the naturally dark color of carbon black to allow their carbon based products to compete with other shades of iron oxide based products.
This is why you often see people saying that their carbon black mascara is lighter than a blackest black mascara due to them actually using a “carbon black hue” product rather than just “carbon black”. This is easy to see on the product and it will clearly say that it is a hue of carbon black and not normal carbon black so be sure to check prior to purchasing.
A true carbon black product will always have a darker color than the darkest possible blackest black product due to carbon being able to go much darker than iron oxide. Thankfully, the prices of the carbon black cosmetic products has fallen over the last three to five years so they are now inline with the iron oxide cosmetic product prices.
The Blackest Black Color!
When it comes to blackest black, things get even more confusing due to brands using different qualities of black iron oxide for their cosmetics and still labelling them as blackest black. Black iron oxide is a naturally occurring product found in the earth but the actual shade of its black can change drastically from location to location.
This is why some blackest black mascara can be black where as others can be a shade of grey or have a hint of silver in them. The problem is that unlike the carbon black cosmetic products that will label their color variants as a hue, most brands use label all of these blackest black cosmetic products as “blackest black” even though they can look very different to each other.
This is why you often see people complaining about the various colors of the iron oxide based cosmetic products from the cheaper cosmetic brands. They have little to no quality control over the actual color of the iron oxide that they use and although the product is safe to use, they usually go for the cheaper variants of the pigment to keep costs low and end up with a random color.
What Is The Difference Between Carbon Black And Blackest Black?
When brands have used the purest form of their pigments for their cosmetic products, a carbon black makeup product will always be darker than a blackest black product. As we touched on earlier in the article, this is due to the carbon pigment being able to go much darker than the iron oxide pigment of blackest black.
As we move away from using the purest form of each pigment, you will still usually find that carbon black is darker than blackest black due to carbon being more consistent in its colors. This can be a quick and easy way for you to get a dark colored cosmetic product if you are on a budget and need to go with a cheaper brands as blackest black can look silver of grey.
When you start to add the various intentional hues of blackest black and carbon black then it really does depend on the specific hues that you are comparing. Some are darker than others so you could technically have a darker blackest black then a carbon black hue but there are a number of variables to consider for this type of thing.
Should You Use Blackest Black Or Carbon Black?
Due to both color options usually being around the same price, we usually recommend that our readers go for a carbon black mascara due to it being darker and much more consistent in its color, especially for the cheaper products. This tends to give you a better idea of what to expect from the color and be able to plan the rest of your makeup and outfit accordingly.
That said though, personal preference does come into play so we know some of our readers will prefer to go with a blackest black mascara and this is fine too. One thing that we would recommend if you do opt to use a blackest black mascara is to try and ensure that you are going with a more repoutable brand.
The more expensive brands tend to have much better quality control on their iron oxide pigment products and pay more for them to ensure that you get a more consistent color. Although it does cost you more to ensure that you are getting a nice black cosmetic product, it removes the potential of the silver or grey hint when applied.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over our carbon black vs blackest black color comparison to an end. In our opinion, carbon black is better due to being more consistent while being the same price as blackest black so this is our recommendation for our readers. That said though, in some situations you may want to go with blackest black due to other makeup that you are going to be using or due to your outfit.
