Let me begin by noting the obvious – nothing is going to be an overnight magic bullet for severe skin problems, especially acne. However, Coalface is one of the better products I’ve used. It provides regular, gentle exfoliation courtesy of the small charcoal flakes included in the soap and sops up oil without being excessively drying. I love the smell – a dark, licorice/sandalwood scent – not everyone is a fan, but it does fade fairly quickly. Though I too have seen complaints of staining, I haven’t experienced this myself. Those used to more heavily packaged products do need to adjust to using a bar soap. Invest (not that expensive) in soap dishes that drain well. My choice is essentially a wooden grill type soap dish I found at IKEA – it allows full air circulation, and I set it on top of a folded paper towel (to catch any excess moisture dripping through) in my medicine cabinet between uses. Rather than rubbing the whole bar between my hands, I just scrub one damp palm across the top of the bar until I have a fair amount of soap, then rub hands together for lather. It’s very simple, just a bit different than the procedure for using liquid face cleansers.