Share this article:     

There are a lot of ingredients in cosmetics that are said to “work” for all kinds of benefits, like curing wrinkles, reducing the size of pores, skin lightening and more. The reality is, in the US, cosmetics are not allowed do anything beyond superficially changing the appearance of skin. If a product cures a disease or otherwise interacts with skin metabolism (e.g. boosting collagen production), it is considered a drug, subject to FDA drug regulations. Cosmetic marketers get around this limitation by carefully crafting product claims that don’t state any drug effects.

But there are technologies in topical products that are proven to work for specific conditions. Some of these are over-the-counter drug actives, while others are cosmetic technologies. Here is a list of cosmetic ingredients that have been proven to work in practice and not just in lab studies. If a technology is not on this list, that does not mean it doesn’t work. It just means I haven’t found any positive evidence that is compelling.

Topical skin ingredients that work

Functional Cosmetic Actives:

1. DHA – Makes skin darker
   No doubt about this one. If you put DHA (EU) on your skin, the skin will turn a slight orangish color. Cosmetic chemists have improved the technology to the point that skin looks more brown. Of course, they’re still working on the slight odor problem that the compound on your skin causes.
2. Depilatories – Get rid of hair
   These work. They contain calcium thioglycolate which is a strong base that dissolves hair. If you leave it on your skin, it can dissolve skin too, so you have to be careful. But for hair removal, this cosmetic works even better than shaving. Unfortunately, depilatories (EU) can cause skin irritation and have a foul odor, but they do work.
3. Petrolatum moisturizers – Makes dry skin look and feel better
   These oil-derived ingredients get a bad name on the Internet but there is no doubt about it, ingredients like petrolatum (EU) or mineral oil (EU) are excellent for improving the condition of skin. In fact, petrolatum is one of the best performing moisturizers that a cosmetic chemist can use. We keep looking for better alternatives but no single ingredient has topped it yet. Cosmetic formulators eagerly await the day when someone introduces a plant-based moisturizing ingredient that can compete on a performance level with these oil-derived compounds.
4. Cleansing products – Cleans skin
   Surfactants (EU) clean skin. They have a polar head group and a lipophilic tail group. Together they make oil and water compatible and help you remove it from your skin. Want to get your skin clean? Use a surfactant.
5. Alpha hydroxy acids – Exfoliates top layer of skin
   AHAs (EU) can help improve the appearance of wrinkles, and they might even help get rid of some skin discoloration. Lactic acid (EU) and glycolic acid (EU) actually have been demonstrated to remove that top layer of dead skin cells and stimulate production of new cells. This technology is on the borderline between cosmetic and drug, but as long as the cosmetic marketer keeps claims focused on exfoliation, the products remain in the cosmetics category. Use with caution, but you can have faith…AHA’s work.

Functional OTC drug actives:

6. Hydroquinone – Makes skin lighter
   If you want to lighten skin, hydroquinone (EU) works. In fact, it’s an OTC drug in the US. In the EU they have banned it, except when prescribed by a doctor, due to worries that it might cause cancer. Other compounds like high levels of vitamin C (EU), Alpha hydroxy acids, kojic acid (EU), and tretinoin hold some promise, but their effect has not been proven in the same way as hydroquinone. Remember, if an ingredient can actually lighten skin, it is a drug active. The only approved drug active for skin lightening is hydroquinone.
7. Sunscreens – Block UV light
   There is a reason that these things are over-the-counter drugs (OTC). It’s because there is scientifically verified evidence that they can prevent sunlight from causing sun burns, tans, and skin cancer. Sunscreens (EU), both mineral compounds and organic compounds, work.
8. Retinoic acid – Makes wrinkles go away
   Anti-aging cosmetics are packed with compounds which are supposed to give you the skin of a teenager without the acne. They promise to make your wrinkles disappear with things like peptides, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, polyphenols (EU), flavonoids (EU), etc. The number of new antiaging materials is mind boggling. Unfortunately, almost none of them have actually been proven to work when delivered from a topical cosmetic formulation. You know what does work? Retinoic acid (EU). In fact, it works so well that it is approved as a prescription drug by the FDA for treatment against…wrinkles! This is the class of the anti-aging actives. Everything else are just unproven posers.
9. Salicylic acid – Helps speed up disappearance of acne
   If you have acne, this compound is proven to help get rid of it. In the U.S., it is considered OTC, because when something can get rid of a disease, it is no longer a cosmetic but rather a drug. In the U.S., anyway. Salicylic acid (EU) helps clean pores and speeds up removal of the dead skin cells in the epidermal layer. There are other actives that work against acne but salicylic acid is the most versatile for cosmetic formulators.

Enjoy Perry Romanowski’s articles on the Knowledge Center? Join us for a free webinar on stability testing with Perry on June 9th at 9am, CDT! Get more details…

The views, opinions and technical analyses presented here are those of the author or advertiser, and are not necessarily those of ULProspector.com or UL. The appearance of this content in the UL Prospector Knowledge Center does not constitute an endorsement by UL or its affiliates.

All content is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior authorization from UL or the content author.

The content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. While the editors of this site may verify the accuracy of its content from time to time, we assume no responsibility for errors made by the author, editorial staff or any other contributor.

UL does not make any representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness or completeness of the content. UL does not warrant the performance, effectiveness or applicability of sites listed or linked to in any content.

Share this article:     