Functional Ingredients vs Claim Ingredients

Apr 12
3 min read

Updated: Jul 21

As I continue to deconstruct (reverse engineer) and dupe products made by the “Big Guys”, I encounter so many ingredients on the labels that just aren’t necessary and will do nothing for your skin due to the minuscule amounts used in the formula (below the 1% line). The “Big Guys” don’t even need to use that much (typically 0.005%) even if they don’t have any impact on the performance of the product. Usually, it’s because these ingredients are too expensive to use in larger amounts and thus saves the “Big Guys” millions of dollars by including them in tiny amounts to make a claim.

These ingredients are primarily included as “claim ingredients”, there to tell a story, to attract customers by being visually appealing.

Think about it, if the manufacturer is trying to achieve a moisturizing product, why not just use Petrolatum or Mineral Oil? Both will do the job quite well but they don’t sound very good on a label. Same goes for Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, it creates great lather and will clean (also strip) the hair/skin really well but the consumer is going to turn a stink eye when seeing that on a label (thinking of floor cleaners).

It’s all really just a names game with how you promote and market your product. Consumers want to think that the products they use are special, with “chemical free” and “natural” ingredients that are easy to pronounce.

In skincare, "working or functional ingredients" refer to ingredients with proven efficacy and are often called active ingredients, while "claim ingredients" are often marketing terms that may or may not be supported by scientific evidence.

Active ingredients are those that directly address skin concerns, like acne or wrinkles, while claim ingredients are often included to make a product seem more appealing.

Remember though, we cannot make ANY claims about the products we make and sell.

Working Ingredients (Active Ingredients):

Defined:

These are the ingredients in a skincare product that are designed to have a direct impact on the skin, targeting specific issues like dryness, acne, wrinkles, or pigmentation.

Examples:

Salicylic Acid (for acne), retinoids (for anti-aging), Niacinamide (for brightening and texture improvement), and Hyaluronic Acid (for hydration).

Importance:

They are the primary reason you'd choose a product, as they are the ones that can deliver visible changes.

Testing and Regulation:

Active ingredients are often tested in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo to ensure their efficacy, and their use in skincare products is often regulated by agencies like the FDA.

Claim Ingredients:

Defined:

These are terms or phrases used in marketing to highlight the benefits of a product or ingredient, but may not be fully substantiated by scientific evidence.

Examples:

"Anti-aging," "brightening," "plumping," or "regenerating".

Importance:

While they can attract consumers, they shouldn't be taken as guarantees of efficacy.

Testing and Regulation:

Claims are not as rigorously tested or regulated as active ingredients, so they may not always accurately reflect the product's performance.

Some common ingredients used as claim ingredients: Vitamins, proteins, extracts, antioxidants, enzymes.

That being said, I LOVE working with these ingredients and use them as often as I can if the formula I am making permits it. Unique & new (to me) ingredients have opened up a whole new learning world for me and I'm diggin' it.

Some ingredients we use are considered drug actives, such as sunscreens, antiperspirants, antimicrobial, anti-dandruff, acne, skin lightening, hair growth, fragrances such as essential oils with therapeutic claims. Products are still being sold and marketed as cosmetics even though they contain drug active ingredients.

Essentially, if a cosmetic product makes claims about treating or preventing a condition, it may be regulated as a drug. According to the FDA, whether a product is a cosmetic or a drug under the law, is determined by a product's intended use.

I encourage everyone to break out of their comfort zone of ingredients and try new & exciting ingredients that make you stand out above the rest. Gone are the days of having a mediocre line of soap, bath bombs, lotion, body butter & sugar scrub. Everyone offers those and everyone’s been offering those for decades upon decades.

Be creative, be unique, be different. Stand out, experiment. Most of all, have fun! Just don’t make claims!