The term cosmetics encompasses a heterogeneous family of products whose members are responsible for the wide-ranging task of body care and beautification. The definition of the term includes the delineation of the scope of action of cosmetic products, as well as their classification according to specific functions for individual areas of the body and the composition and nature of their active ingredients.
What are cosmetics?
Cosmetics have cleansing and nourishing functions and are intended to influence the external impression of the person, up to his body odor, according to the wishes of the wearer. The definition of the specific properties of cosmetics is laid down by law in Germany. Cosmetics are described as substances or preparations of substances that are applied externally to the human body or oral cavity. They have cleansing and caring functions and are intended to influence the external impression of the human being, up to and including his body odor, according to the wishes of the wearer. Their effective properties are not primarily intended to alleviate or heal diseases or bodily injuries. Thus, cosmetics are not subject to approval, but are subject to labeling. Although this definition is intended to distinguish cosmetic preparations from medicinal products, in practice the distinction is difficult in many cases. On the one hand, this applies where cosmetic care uses raw materials that are also used in medicinal products. On the other hand, all cases of application move into a borderline area in which cosmetics positively influence the external appearance precisely by alleviating the effects of physical deficiencies or hyperfunctions.
Application, effect and use
According to their spectrum of tasks, cosmetic products follow a classification into preparations with a caring or decorative function. Caring cosmetics serve to cleanse and protect the body and can be differentiated according to the area of the body in which they are used. Skin care, oral and dental care, hair care and intervention in the nature of body odor are the most important areas of application of cleansing, protective and caring cosmetic agents. Decorative purposes are served, for example, by the application of make-up for the face and eyes, nail polish or self-tanning products. In particular, the effect of caring cosmetics is often at the borderline of the tasks of so-called topical medicines, which are used locally on the surface of the body. Cosmetic care products for sensitive, irritated skin are closely related to medicinally active creams for inflammatory skin diseases. Moisturizing substances are similar in effect to drugs for eczema, neurodermatitis or psoriasis. The cosmetic treatment of blemished skin is moving into the vicinity of medical measures against acne. And the tasks of cosmetic deodorants are closely related to the functions of antihidrotics, which, in the form of ointments or powders, counteract increased perspiration. Similarities in the mode of action of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals are due not least to the fact that the same basic substances are often used in both product groups. Medicinally active substances such as panthenol, urea, evening primrose oil, witch hazel, linoleic acid, vitamin K and many others find their applications in both cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Plant, natural and chemical forms and types.
The rules for the production of cosmetic products are set by the EU. It establishes the labeling requirements for ingredients, prohibits the use of animal testing for toxicological tests, and imposes responsibility on the manufacturer or importer for the compatibility of the products distributed. There are over 8000 different substances approved as ingredients for cosmetics and many of them are highly controversial. Most classic preparations for skin care work on the basis of emulsions of water and chemically highly filtered mineral oils. Silicones, preservatives, nanoparticles and emulsifiers that keep mixtures of oil and fat stable are just a few examples of substances that have an increasingly bad reputation as ingredients in cosmetics and yet are widely used. Here, natural cosmetic products offer themselves as an alternative. However, there is no generally binding definition for the properties of natural cosmetics.A wide variety of seals stand for products free of mineral oils and preservatives or certify the use of plant-based raw materials from organic cultivation. Because binding guidelines are lacking, it is often very difficult to decide on the quality of cosmetic products based on alternative ingredients.
Risks and side effects
Emulsions whose fat components are derived from mineral oil are substance preparations that behave very stably in contact with atmospheric oxygen and water and are not susceptible to microbial degradation. They are therefore a well-tolerated and widely tested basis for the production of cosmetics. Unlike plant-based preparations, however, petroleum-based cosmetics do not contain unsaturated fatty acids that the skin can utilize as active ingredients. Plant hydrocarbons are very similar to those used by the human skin. They are easier to utilize than mineral oils and protect the skin from water loss by stimulating its metabolism. So while mineral oils are well tolerated but only superficially greasing, vegetable substances may react better with the skin but may be more likely to cause allergies. Because the tendency to allergic reactions is a matter of individual predisposition, compatibility must ultimately be tested on a case-by-case basis.