So what does the term "cosmeceutical" actually mean? It's been in use for some years but definitions have become blurred with the increasing number of new product launches with performance-led features based around active ingredients. Independent skincare expert, Wendy Lewis, considers the term "cosmeceutical" to be quite overused and has lost its meaning in the vernacular. In France, the term is "cosmeceutiques" or "active cosmetics." Another term Lewis hears at medical conferences is "anti-ageing topicals", which refers to a cross between drugs and over the counter skincare products that produce a clinical effect on the skin.
Consumer confusion arises because there are so many brands that call themselves cosmeceuticals. Like organic or natural brands that do not have to adhere to certification by any governing body, any company can put the word "cosmeceutical" on the packaging. "To make a distinction based on quality or quantity of key ingredients would present far greater challenges, especially since these product ranges are not required to reveal percentages or potency since they are not regulated as stringently as pharmaceuticals and fall into the wide category of cosmetics," points out Lewis.
Definition Through Distribution
Apart from the products themselves, the method of distribution can be a pointer as to what is or isn't a cosmeceutical. Lewis explains: "In my view, today the main distinction between product ranges and their positioning is the channel of distribution as well as active ingredients. One clear distinction is the brands that remain truly in the professional channel, ie sold exclusively through physicians, clinics and medical spas. The main difference is that the products are not sold direct to the consumer online or at a retail store where there is no skincare professional to offer advice or conduct a skin consultation."
Lewis maintains that the term "cosmeceuticals" really should be used to define products or ranges that do not require a prescription, but are primarily available through professionals {eg doctors, aestheticians, healthcare professionals, technicians}. True ‘cosmeceutical' brands cannot usually be purchased at the retail level, ie at the mall or on the high street. "However, there are so many products now sold through distributors that some cosmeceutical manufacturers are often astonished to find their physician-only product sold through discounters and warehouses when they are not supplying these outlets," states Lewis.
