Cosmetic health products are used for beautifying skin, hair, lips and nails by cleansing, perfuming and altering their appearance or texture. They provide cleansers to remove impurities as well as fragrance to give an improved aesthetic appearance or texture for these parts of the body.
Some cosmetics may also qualify as drugs, including fluoride toothpaste and antidandruff shampoo, depending on their intended use.
Definition
Cosmetic products are substances or mixtures designed to clean, perfume, protect, or keep genital areas healthy; alter their appearance; or even help with body odor issues. They may include soaps, sprays, pastes, lotions or spray-on solutions designed for such uses.
Many products fall under this category, such as shampoos and soaps, moisturisers, bath bombs and perfumes. Cosmetics with therapeutic claims must comply with regulations set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), while the TGA also oversees chemicals used in personal care preparations and grooming aids.
Benefits
The cosmetic industry is responding to an increased desire for anti-ageing products by combining pharmaceutical and cosmetic ingredients in new skin care products known as cosmeceuticals, which blur the lines between drug, aesthetician, patient and consumer.
Good cosmetics should not contain harmful ingredients that could potentially harm skin and hair, and instead should contain vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids to hydrate and nourish both.
Water footprint (WFP). This measurement takes into account both fresh and treated water needed to produce the product as well as any pollution that results from manufacturing processes, including wastewater runoff into surface or groundwater sources, which may lead to eutrophication which depletes oxygen supplies and kills aquatic life. Therefore, it is crucial that consumers learn about WFP of cosmetic products they love.
Ingredients
Cosmetic health products typically incorporate natural raw materials, with bioactive compounds with beneficial properties, such as antioxidants or anti-aging substances, being the hallmarks of their composition. As these ingredients may be chemically unstable, stabilizers must often be added in order to maintain stability in their finished form.
Cosmetics must meet certain safety guidelines, including not containing any ingredients that could irritate or cause skin damage when used as intended. In Canada, all cosmetics manufactured under clean conditions and submitted via notification to the government for oversight purposes is mandatory in order to enable monitoring against the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist which lists restricted or prohibited ingredients.
Items which claim therapeutic effects, or can prevent or treat disease, are legally considered drugs and must be labeled with either a DIN (Drug Identification Number) or an NPN (Natural Product Number). Products which possess both characteristics of cosmetics and drugs will require consultation with Health Canada prior to marketing.
Regulations
Current FDA rules do not mandate cosmetic manufacturers submit their products for premarket testing; rather, companies can voluntarily register them through FDA’s Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program.
Cosmetic products must clean, improve or alter the appearance of skin, hair or nails and be safe to use when used according to instructions. Cosmetics do not make therapeutic claims or claim to cure diseases; any combination beauty preparation with drugs (like anti-dandruff shampoo) are considered medications and require a DIN or NPN number on its label for identification purposes.
Some cosmetics should be left-on for extended contact with skin, hair and mucous membranes; others can be rinsed-off products which will eventually end up washing down drains to water treatment plants for disposal into oceans, lakes, rivers or streams. While advances in wastewater treatment systems may reduce some types of chemical pollution, prevention remains the best approach.
