You’ve no doubt heard of cosmeceuticals, the term has been flying around for a couple of years now, but do you know what it really means or what makes a beauty product a cosmeceutical?

The term itself is an amalgamation of the words ‘cosmetic’ and ‘pharmaceutical’ and it sums the products up pretty nicely. The name was coined by the American Dr Albert Kligman in the 1970s to describe facial skincare products that behave like drugs in the way they functioned on the skin.

Often developed by plastic surgeons and dermatologists who give their name to the products (think Dr Sebagh, Dr Zelens and NV Pericconne MD) cosmeceuticals contain high and potent doses of active ingredients.

The most common aim of these concentrated formulations centers around anti-ageing, often with the objection of softening and minimising existing lines and wrinkles as well as preventing future damage. However, cosmeceuticals are certainly not limited to anti-ageing and there are many products which target specific problems like acne, cellulite, pigmentation and scar reduction.