Gone are the days of walking into a department store and choosing your skincare based on simply a fancy label. There has never been more information available at the touch of a finger tip, and we have never been more educated about our products.
Great skincare doesn't always come at an enormous cost and its efficaciousness is about what's inside more than a pretty bottle. This is what cosmeceutical products are about, and why cosmeceutical skincare is slowly becoming the new standard in the realm of beauty. This wave of skincare uses active ingredients, the ones that have been scientifically proved to change and impact the skin. This means that cosmeceutical skincare products are one that will have a real effect - beyond simply feeling and looking nice on the skin - and help you achieve any skin goal you may have. With this in mind, we're rounding up our favourites. Find below, 10 cosmeceutical skincare brands you need to know about.
Rationale
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Rationale founder Richard Parker grew up with sensitive skin, and it was his experiences in early life that set him out on a path to develop - not just skincare - but solutions. A cosmetic chemist, he has been working in skincare since 1992 and eventually founded Rationale, a brand that is now considered one of the most innovative, intelligent, effective and also honest skincare brands on the market today. Parker's difference is his pioneering research into the relationships between skin genetics and epigenetic environmental influences - and how this affects skin, and what we can do about it. In particular, Rationale dedicates focus to sensitive skin types - the ones that can't typically handle highly active formulations - and creating effective products that can be used by anyone with any kind of skin.
Aesthetics RX
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Australian brand Aesthetics Rx is a cosmeceutical brand that formulates using ingredients based on plant cell culture and bio-technology. Using a blend of natural botanicals with scientifically-proven ingredients, this is a brand that is committing to creating the most effective and transformative skincare on the market. Aesthetics Rx selects ingredients based on their efficacy, highest quality standards and also on their ability to be renewably sourced in order to create the biggest impact on skin health, but the lowest impact on the environment. It's also cruelty-free and vegan, and has a selection of sunscreens designed for the Australian environment.
ESK
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ESK or Evidence Skincare is an Australian-made cosmeceutical line. The difference is in the name, in that this brand is all about evidence. The brand exclusively uses ingredients and percentages that have been proven to affect and improve the appearance of the skin. Created in 2012 by wife and husband team Dr Ginni Mansberg and Daniel Rubinstein, ESK was born from a frustration with misinformation and fancy jargon in the beauty industry. So together they created a line using only evidence-based formulations that are proven to work.
Synergie Skin
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Founded by cosmetic chemist Terri Vinson, Synergie Skin was created when Terri asked herself what she would want to use on her skin. The answer was highly-active products that were free from ethically-questionable ingredients. Her first products focused on SPF and sun protection owing to the Australian exposure to the sun. After the success of her first launches, Synergie Skin grew into the fully-fledged brand it is today. A member of the Australian Society of Cosmetic Chemists (ASCC), the Vogue Cosmetic Advisory Board (first non-doctor to be accepted), the Australasian Academy of Cosmetic Dermal Science (AACDS): senior formulating advisor, Terri is a stickler for only using quality ingredients, with appropriate shelf lives.
Bespoke Technology Skincare
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Dr Katherine Armour founded Bespoke after years of listening to the needs of her patients. A medical and cosmetic dermatologist, Dr Katherine's patients were often frustrated by complex, multi-step and product heavy skincare regimes. So she sought to create a cosmeceutical line that was highly effective but simple, with products that multitasked. Bespoke takes a minimalist approach to skincare, choosing ingredients that have a multitude of skin benefits in order to create it's all-in-one formulations that support the skin barrier while targeting any areas you may want to improve.
Liberty Belle
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Created by Plastic Surgeon Dr Chris Moss, he designed Liberty Belle as a cosmeceutical brand his patients could trust - one that is safe, effective and offered superior results for the skin. As a world authority on skin rejuvenation and longevity, Dr Moss used his clinical expertise and applied this to formulating skincare. With a goal to remedy the failings he saw in many existing products on the market, Liberty Belle was born.
Medik8
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Founder Elliot Isaacs studied physiology, pharmacology and biochemistry at the University of Leeds. Inspired by his travels, Isaacs wanted to create a performance-driven product that didn't compromise on environmental ethics. Thus Medik8 was born. He started Medik8 in a tiny lab in the back of his Dad’s pharmacy, and today it's one of the biggest cosmeceutical-grade skincare brands in the world. Due to the the strength and high-performance of the products, they are aimed at those with maturing skin.
iS Clinical
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For many, iS Clinical is likely one of the first times you heard about cosmeceutical skincare. It was founded in 2002 by Bryan Johns, a biochemist who sought to take his scientific background and approach to formulating skincare. Using pharmaceutical-grade ingredients combined with innovative chemistry, iS Clinical has developed some of the most active and effective formulations on the market. Of particular interest is the brand's work with "extremozymes", the enzymes produced by plants that survive the harshest climates and conditions on Earth.
CosMedix
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One of the older cosmeceutical brands out there, CosMedix is a cosmeceutical brand that looks to natural ingredients and botanicals to formulate its products. Many of its formulations utilise Nobel Prize-winning technology to create skincare that is proven to affect and improve the appearance of skin. This brand is typically a salon and aesthetician-only brand, but you can access it in Australia through Adore Beauty.
Cosmology Skincare
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Like other cosmeceutical brands, Cosmology Skincare is created using ingredients proven to affect skin and in percentages that are high enough to be effective. But where this brand is different is in its on-site questionnaire. Not everyone has access to a dermatologist or expert diagnoses, and choosing the right products for your needs isn't easy when you're not a skincare expert yourself. Cosmology's questionnaire allows you to receive a personalised selection that is tailored to your needs.
Qr8 Mediskin
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Qr8 MediSkin is a prescription cosmeceutical brand that offers custom treatments for individual skin needs. The ingredients Qr8 MediSkin use are pharmaceutical grade, so they have a pharmaceutical impact - meaning, they work. The unique aspect of this brand is that the products are designed to fit in with your current routine, so if you only need one or two products, they can just slot in with what you're already using. But you will need a prescription for this brand from a doctor. It's not sold over the counter.
