Evaluating new cosmeceuticals

Evaluating cosmeceuticals can be challenging, as this category of functional cosmetics is rapidly changing and complex. The following nine steps can be followed to logically evaluate a new cosmeceutical and determine its value for a given patient: (1) Examine the packaging. (2) Note what claims are being made. (3) Read the ingredient disclosure to obtain a basic understanding of what skin benefit the product delivers. (4) Identify those active ingredients designed to improve skin appearance. These ingredients should provide longer-lasting cumulative improvement with continued use. (5) Identify those inactive ingredients that are part of the vehicle providing improvement in skin texture and feel. These are more temporary in nature. (6) Perform an Internet search on those ingredients with which you are unfamiliar. (7) Evaluate the research supporting the product benefits to include white papers or published papers. (8) Determine the mechanisms of action for the ingredients and what the product actually accomplishes on the skin surface. (9) Put some product on the back of your hand and assess dry-down characteristics, smell, viscosity, and so forth.