Cosmetic vs. Pharmaceutical Grade Products

TERMINOLOGYOver-The-Counter Product - Anything bought at a grocery, drug, department store – no matter how expensive. Anything bought through a make up club, on television or pyramid program. Basically, anything that is available “over-the-counter” to the general public.

Professional Product - Any skin care system or cosmetic that is only available through an esthetician, dermatologist, medical doctor or plastic surgeon.

GRADES

Industrial - This grade is used in motor oils and for other industrial applications.

Cosmetic - This grade is more refined than the industrial grade and is used in “Over-The-Counter” skin care and cosmetics. Products formulated with this grade ingredient are for the most part harmless. There will be nothing in them that will harm your skin, if using the correct product for your skin type; in turn, there is nothing in them that will do anything to improve the skin.

Pharmaceutical - This grade is used only in professional products because there are things that will most definitely make your skin react. For this reason only professional products are sold by estheticians, dermatologists, medical doctors, and plastic surgeons.

 

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Some ingredients in “Over-The-Counter” skin care and cosmetics which may cause problems for some skin types are listed below. Please remember; these are all “Cosmetic Grade” ingredients and not to be confused with ingredients that are “Pharmaceutical Grade”. Pharmaceutical grade ingredients are highly refined, pure and will not have the same effect on the skin.

Artificial colors, fragrances and preservatives are the three most common causes of cosmetic allergies and skin irritations. They can also inhibit the effectiveness of other ingredients.

Barrier type ingredients inhibit the effectiveness of the formula’s active ingredients even if the product is labeled non-comedogenic.

I hope this has helped you to understand the terminology better.  Your thoughts?