Cosmeceuticals - What are They and Do They Work?

I participated in a forum on cosmeceuticals yesterday and it was very interesting. Most of the participants were chemists and marketing people so their insights come straight from the anti-aging battlefront so to speak.

I hope it is okay for me to share or paraphrase some of their insights. I think we coined a few new phrases.

Fairy Dusting
Definition: Using an infinitesimal amount of a cosmeceutical active in a formula just so you can list it as an ingredient - though it would have zero benefit.

I always caution cosmetic consumers to read ingredient lists from top to bottom. The ingredients are in order of concentration from highest to lowest. You won’t get much anti-aging "action" from any "actives" in the bottom half.

The bottom half is where you should expect to find ingredients that require only a tiny amount to perform their functions – like preservatives, fragrances and colorants.

It’s not only important to read the entire list to see if you are being mislead about the product efficacy, but also to see if there are any ingredients that you are allergic to or concerned about. Those frequently are found in the fragrance and preservative section at the very bottom.

Functional Cosmetics
Definition: A suggested alternative for the term "cosmeceutical" which many find too broad and even misleading. A functional cosmetic must be clinically proven to actually do something positive for the skin. I like that.

The forum is ongoing, so I may be back with more industry insights in the future. Please stay tuned …

Tags: cosmeceuticals, ingredient lists, effective ingredients, anti-aging skincare, ingredient sensitivity, ingredient allergies, functional anti-aging cosmetics, skin anti-aging insights