COSMECEUTICALS

Cosmeceuticals represent the marriage of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Examples of products typically labeled as cosmeceuticals include anti-aging creams and moisturizers. Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products with biologically active ingredients purporting to have medical or drug-like benefits. Dermatological research suggests that the bioactive ingredients used in cosmeceuticals do indeed have benefits beyond the traditional moisturizer. However, despite the reports of benefits from some cosmeceutical products, the term cosmeceutical remains a marketing term, as there are no requirements to prove that the products actually live up to their claims. Therefore it is up to the consumer to decide whether these claims are valid and worth the cost. An important distinction lies in the delivery method. The “cosmeceutical” label applies only to products applied topically, such as creams, lotions, and ointments. Products which are similar in perceived benefits but ingested orally are known as nutricosmetics. The term “cosmeceutical” is often used in cosmetic advertising, and may be misleading to the consumer. If the consumer interprets a cosmeceutical to be similar to a pharmaceutical product, he or she may conclude that cosmeceuticals are required to undergo the same testing for efficacy and quality control as required for medication.

This may allow the retailer to charge the consumer more for a product which may actually be less effective and/or of poorer quality than perceived. However, according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act “does not recognize any such category as “cosmeceuticals.” A product can be a drug, a cosmetic, or a combination of both, but the term “cosmeceutical” has no meaning under the law”. Additionally, the FDA states that: “Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act defines drugs as those products that cure, treat, mitigate or prevent disease or that affect the structure or function of the human body. While drugs are subject to an intensive review and approval process by FDA, cosmetics are not approved by FDA prior to sale. If a product has drug properties, it must be approved as a drug.” To avoid inquiry and punitive action by the United States Federal Trade Commission, cosmeceuticals which do not intend to be regulated as drugs by the FDA are carefully labeled to avoid making statements which would indicate that the product has drug properties. Any such claims made regarding the product must be substantiated by scientific evidence as being truthful. Generally speaking, it is to the financial benefit of the cosmeceutical manufacturer that their products are not regulated by the FDA as drugs, because the FDA review process for drugs can be very costly and may not yield a legally-marketable product if the FDA denies approval of the product. However, as mentioned above, the reputation of the product may be falsely enhanced if the consumer incorrectly believes that a “cosmeceutical” is held to the same FDA standards as a drug.

THE NEW ERA OF COSMECEUTICALS ?

C&M Cosmetic launches medical skin care products. Dermatologists who lead university hospitals and cosmetic experts developed them and performed the clinical trials completely for about 10 years. Those products are sold in about 500 hospitals including Kye Dermatology Clinic, which is the largest dermatology clinic in Korea, across the nation, and, recently, are exported to Hong-Kong and Japan. The product, which will be mainly introduced to China through the ‘Trade Promotion Mission for China’, is a transparent advanced soap, ‘N-Amino Bar’. The soap is produced by being molded for a long time. Unlike existing alkali soaps, its main ingredient is Glutamate, which is one of amino acids. This soap has good detergency, and keeps your skin at proper pH status, ‘pH5.5’, that is the most similar to the status of human skin after using this product. There is no skin tugging. This soap is suitable for sensitive skin and infant’s and child’s skin.

In addition, C&M Cosmetic will show a cosmetic ‘R10’, which is for people who need acne care or have sensitive skin and cannot use existing cosmetics comfortably due to skin irritation caused by Retinoic Acid. An official of the company says “This contains 10,000IU/g of Retinol and adds ‘Unshiu Oil’, Beta-Glucan, and licorice root to reduce skin irritation and improve skin relaxation. Thus, this is effective for treating acne.” In addition to them, C&M Cosmetic will introduce its cosmeceutical products such as ‘Soothing Gel’ developed by dermatologists to use it after laser treatment, ‘Enzyme Cleanser’ that separates senescent cells and enhances skin elasticity, and ‘Dandruff Care Shampoo’ for people with cradle cap.

Yoon Suk-Min, CEO of C&M Cosmetic, says “We have focused on developing cosmeceuticals with dermatology clinics where many people with sensitive skin visit.” Continuously, “Our good clinical trial results lead to the export of our products to Asian countries. In particular, these clinical trials, which are performed with Korean women whose appearance is getting the standard of Asian beauty, attract Asian women. We hope this visit to China will lay a foundation for entering into a new market” he mentioned.