Cosmeceutics vs. cosmetics – a brief guide to a new way of skincare

The term cosmeceutics was forged in the 1960s, and the popularity of cosmeceutical products has been growing in popularity ever since.

When asked what are the best beauty products, I reply “do you mean cosmeceutics”? Cosmeceutics as a term confuses many, however, knowing what cosmetics is, let us solve the terminology so that we can more easily understand why cosmeceuticals should be one of those concepts that you will increasingly look for in the care of your skin.

Comparing cosmeceutics with cosmetics is somewhat like comparing apples and pears. Both are seemingly the same variety – creams in skincare bottles. But their results are very different.

What are cosmeceutics?

Cosmeceutics is a hybrid word created by merging the words “cosmetic” and “pharmaceutic”. The first to publish the word was Raymond Reed in 1962, and it was only in the late 1970s that Dr. Albert Kligman developed Retin-A, a preparation for the reduction of wrinkles, that interest in cosmeceutics increased. The effects of his product went beyond a regular cosmetic product.

The intention was to create a skincare product that has more powerful properties than cosmetics, but that does not belong in a pharmaceutical product. Cosmeceutics acts on structural changes in the skin and is ideal for helping with skin irregularities such as aging, acne and hyperpigmentation.

Cosmeceutics is more than just skincare. What distinguishes it from “ordinary” cosmetics is:

The active ingredients in cosmeceutical care are stronger and are used at higher concentrations than cosmetic products, but are still not as strong as in pharmaceutical products. Therefore, they do not require a doctor’s prescription and can be used regularly on the skin without major side effects as with medications.

Cosmetics usually do not have or contain very few active ingredients. And if there are, usually these active ingredients are not at scientifically proven levels or in the correct proportion. A cosmetic skin care product will feel good or smell on the skin, but will not have a profound effect on the skin.

In order to classify the product as cosmeceutical, biologically active ingredients must have a proven clinical effect and be at scientifically proven levels, which have a positive impact on the skin. They must ensure that the active ingredients can penetrate the skin properly and have the ability to produce visible changes in the skin.

Cosmetics cannot penetrate the epidermis to access deeper layers of skin. It can refresh the complexion for a few hours, but it cannot act on structural changes nor bring long-term results.

Cosmeceutical products and their active ingredients can penetrate deeper dermal layers of the skin to enable changes, such as: reducing acne, hydrating the skin, reducing visible signs of aging, reducing damage caused by sun exposure, and promoting a healthy and radiant complexion. In fact, cosmeceutical products have been scientifically developed to produce impressive, fast-acting and visible results.

At the same time, the skin does not need to be problematic to use cosmeceutical care, but if you want to keep youthful, glowing skin for as long as possible, just start with this new way of skin care.