What are skincare, personal care, makeup and cosmetic products?

What are personal care, skincare, make-up and cosmetic products?

Most personal care, skincare, make-up and cosmetic products may be described as 'cosmetics'.

A cosmetic is usually defined as a substance or preparation intended for placement in contact with any part of the human body.

This includes the mouth, the oral cavity and the teeth, with a view to:      

Altering the odours of the body Maintaining it in good condition Changing its appearance Cleansing it Perfuming it Protecting it

Cosmetics include soap, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, 'bath bombs', perfume, lipstick, mascara, nail polish, hair dye, deodorant and many other products.

However, it has to be mentioned that items used in cosmetics such as cotton swabs, tissues and nail files are defined as 'articles'.

What is an article?

An article is a finished good produced for a particular purpose - such as a glass bottle, a plastic straw or a piece of fibreboard.

The following items are not articles: Shampoo, conditioner, skin lotion soap perfume, cleaning products (detergent, soap, bleach), baby wipes, a bottle of cosmetics.

Therapeutic goods vs Cosmetics Products are classified to be either 'therapeutic goods' or 'cosmetics' based on three factors:   

The ingredients in the product The primary use of the product The claims made about the product

What is a cosmetic?

A cosmetic product is any substance designed to be used inside the mouth or on any external part of the body and used to change its odour or appearance, cleanse it, keep it in good condition or protect it.

Examples of cosmetics                      

Face and nail Lipstick and lip balms with SPF sunscreen Lipstick and lip balms without SPF sunscreen Nail care products including products to deter nail-biting and nail hardeners Make-up such as eyeshadow, mascara, primer and bronzer Nail polish and nail varnish Tinted bases and foundation without SPF sunscreen Make-up removers Face masks and scrubs Haircare and hairdressing products Anti-dandruff hair care products Hair tints, hair dyes and bleaches Products for waving, fixing or straightening hair Hair-setting products such as gels, lotions or sprays Shampoo and hair-cleansing products Hair conditioners Hairdressing products such as lacquers, brilliantines or lotions Oral and dental hygiene Toothpaste and gels Denture cleaners and adhesives Some dental whiteners and bleaches Desensitising toothpaste and gels are not cosmetics.

Perfumes                   

Perfumes and colognes Eau de toilette Eau de colognes Eau de parfum Personal hygiene Feminine hygiene products include intimate cleaners, deodorants, wash, gels or moisturisers.

Deodorants Cleansers, including soap, astringent or skin washes Shaving products, such as foams,creams and lotions Skincare products Depilatories Bath and shower preparations(salts, foams, oils or gels) After-bath powders Hygienic powders Some sunscreen products Some Anti-acne skincare products Skin moisturisers without SPF sunscreen (creams, lotions, gels or foams) Sunbathing products without SPF sunscreen Sunbathing products with SPF sunscreen

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Emollients such as lotions, gels,creams, emulsions or oils for the skin Products for tanning without sun (products without SPF sunscreen) Some of the skin-whitening products (those products without SPF sunscreen) Some anti-wrinkle products (those products without SPF sunscreen) Anti-ageing products (those without SPF sunscreen)

What is a therapeutic?

Therapeutic products are used to prevent, diagnose or treat a disease or its symptoms, or affect the structure or functions of the body.

Examples of therapeutics  



Primary sunscreens (products used for protection from UV radiation) are treated as therapeutics.

Moisturisers that contain a sun-screening agent and have a stated therapeutic purpose are treated as medicines( for example, "It helps protect skin from the effects of UV radiation" ) Some of the skin-whitening lotions (those that inhibit melanin production's physiological process) are considered medicines.

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Tablets that interact in unwanted ways with other medicines and are regulated or can have side effects ;

Who is responsible for regulating the cosmetic products Different countries have different rules, but normally in each country exists an Administration responsible for regulating the chemical ingredients in skin care, make-up,personal care and other cosmetic products that are not medicines or marketed as having therapeutic effects.