I like keeping my skin healthy, so I try and keep my eye out for products that could slow down or prevent skin aging and help me deal with skin problems like acne flare-ups or chronic dryness.
Unsurprisingly, most of the products I end up finding usually fall under a relatively new category of skin products called "cosmeceuticals.
" This is a pretty obvious thing to mention, but I really just have to put it out there, in case anyone misses out on it: "cosmeceuticals" is a kind of combination word made up of "cosmetics," and "pharmaceuticals.
" There.
Now that that part of my little definition-of-terms is out of the way, I can go on to say that, cosmeceuticals are primarily cosmetic products that are applied to the skin and claim to have active ingredients that are powerful or effective enough to have the same kind of healing effects on the skin as drugs have on the rest of the body.
Hold On a Second, is "Cosmeceuticals" Even a Real Word? Actually, that was the first question I asked.
I mean, it kind of sounds like some sort of bogus marketing gimmick meant to draw in hypochondriac skin-care addicts who want to be able to apply their flu medication by smearing it on their faces or something.
As it turns out though, "cosmeceutical" is an actual term.
It isn't recognized by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and neither are cosmeceutical products subject to FDA review.
Ok, so "cosmeceuticals" isn't a legally recognized term, but it HAS been around, and it's used in cosmetic advertising to describe topically applied skincare products with active ingredients like botanicals, antioxidants, vitamins, essential oils, and herbs.
What's Up With Cosmeceuticals? Alright, let's clear something up first: cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products.
They're usually safe to apply without prescription, but are meant to serve a specific skin-care function.
Cosmeceuticals include anti-aging products, mild acne-management creams, and products meant to help people deal with skin problems like chronically dry or oily skin.
Hypoallegenic cosmetics are also often marketed as cosmeceuticals, since they're formulated a special way, with a specific problem in mind.
One of the biggest criticisms that a lot of people have of cosmeceuticals and the usage of the term is that it can be misleading.
People who aren't very familiar with cosmeceuticals might think that products marketed as such could be used for medical purposes.
They might also think that these products go through the rigorous testing that medical drugs have to undergo, for quality control and efficacy.
Sure, these products are tested for safety, but as far as effectiveness is concerned, as the old folks say; "The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
" If it's manufactured by a reliable company, then a cosmeceutical anti-aging cream, for example, will probably effectively make skin healthier and get rid of a few of those fine lines that people seem to hate so much.
Not all cosmeceuticals are created equal though, and some products might not effectively deliver on their promises at all.
Your best bet, when buying cosmeceuticals, is to research, ask questions, and have a sense of humor, if the product you buy turns out to be a dud.