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Difference in formulation between “medical-grade skincare” and over the counter brands
Hello! I am a clinician who sells “medical-grade” skincare products in a physician’s office. Example brands that we sell are: SkinMedica, Obagi, Neocutis, Colorescience, Skinceuticals. What is the difference in the formulation between these lines that are sold direct-to-physician and, say, an over-the-counter line like Drunk Elephant, Glossier, Peter Thomas Roth? Is there a true difference in how “physician-grade” versus over-the-counter skincare lines are developed and manufactured?
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9 Replies
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Nope … no difference. It’s a marketing/sales channel strategy that does not have anything to do with the products. There may be some occasions where some ingredients in certain products must be dispensed by a physician, but that would not be common with the lines you have listed in your note.
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Thank you for your perspective Mark! In your opinion, do you think there is a difference in the level/quality of clinical testing between medical grade lines and other lines?
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@MarkBroussard is right. The only difference is in the way the products are marketed.
As far as there being a difference in testing, there are no products on the market that are more thoroughly tested with a more diverse group of consumers (and in a lab) than the products put out by companies like P&G, Unilever, and L’Oreal. These big companies have money to put into R&D.
These two “clinical” brands are likely thoroughly tested.
Skinceuticals - owned by L’Oreal
SkinMedica - owned by pharmaceutical giant AllerganThese “clinical” brands likely have the minimal required testing. They focus their business spends on marketing. Brands like Olay have more testing behind them than the following brands.
Colorescience
Neocutis
Obagi -
I’ll note that all of these brands also sell their products through online channels … diluting the “professionals only” channel strategy. But, presumably they get a boost in consumer’s perception of effectiveness if they are carried in physicians offices and recommended by physicians and estheticians.
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The ‘pharmacy only’ cosmetics (we call it ‘dermocosmetics’) we sell here are often slightly different to ‘common’ cosmetics insofar that their ingredients are ‘on the safe side’ and hence, they contain less to no perfume, colours, and known allergens but also less to no plant extracts as well as claim ingredients (well, they often contain 1 or 2 plant extracts and a claim ‘drug’, because, you know…). Some even come +/- without preservatives (airless dispensers). They, not necessarily all but many, contain less and more stable ingredients (synthetics over plant oils) but else, they are just cosmetics and often not even the best made ones; if you sell ‘med grade’ then it’s probably going to be okay if rheology and sensory profile aren’t top notch. It’s just another angle to catch fish in a different corner of the pond.
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@Perry! if they claim medical grade skincare, have they to required FDA approve? For testing, they carry the testing by themselves?
Thanks
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@Dtdang - No. The FDA does not “approve” any cosmetic product. Yes, all testing on cosmetics is done by the manufacturer.
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@Perry thanks a lot
have wonderful holidays & new year -
I’ll add that there is no category “Medical Grade” cosmetics … “Medical Grade” is a marketing term implying that some of the ingredients used in the product are USP-grade as opposed to Cosmetic-grade
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