ABSTRACT
The Origin of the Cosmeceutical Concept 3
Enter Cosmeceuticals 4
The International Scene 6
Cosmeceuticals: A Diversity of Opinions 7
References 8
I introduced the term “cosmeceuticals” almost 20 years ago at a meeting of the
Society of Cosmetic Chemists. I thought this neologism was both timely and
useful, as it would reconcile archaic legal statutes with modern science. I
defined cosmeceuticals as topical formulations which were neither pure cos-
metics, like lipstick or rouge, nor pure drugs, like corticosteroids. They lay
between these poles, constituting a broad-spectrum intermediate group.
Some were closer to drugs, such as the alpha-hydroxy acids-designed to
exfoliate the outer, loose stratum corneum, a structural effect-whereas others
were closer to cosmetics, like rouge-designed to give color, a purely decorative
effect.
