Cosmetics Key Terms

Knowing key terms for cosmetics will help you stock your shelves

By Raechel L. Conover

Cosmetics cover a wide range of products, from personal cleansing supplies to beauty supplies. Many cosmetics use the terms formulated and collagen in their descriptions to entice customers to purchase their product. A type of makeup that has been around for centuries is called mineral makeup, while hypoallergenic and cruelty-free are two controversial terms in the cosmetics industry today. It is important to know all of these terms so that you are able to meet your customers' needs.

Cosmetic products

Cosmetic products are products that are intended to be applied to the body for beauty, cleaning or to alter one's appearance. Many products in today's market are classified as cosmetics, including makeup, shampoos, hair dyes and body washes.
Try: The Food and Drug Administration offers a complete definition of cosmetics with examples.

Mineral makeup

Perhaps the first form of makeup, mineral makeup was used by women in Egypt thousands of years ago to protect their eyes from the sun. Mineral makeup is made up of all natural ingredients and does not contain chemicals or preservatives. It is thought to be better for the skin because it doesn't clog pores or cause irritation in most users.
Try: Learn more about mineral makeup and its benefits at Mineral Makeup Shoppe.

Collagen

Collagen is the structural component of the human skin that holds everything together. As a person ages, collagen is lost and becomes less firm, showing the signs of aging and prompting many cosmetic products to focus on improving the collagen of your skin.
Try: Make-Up USA discusses what collagen is, how it ages and what products can be used to stimulate the collagen in your skin.

Formulated

A common term used to describe most cosmetic products, formulated means that ingredients have been mixed together to achieve a desired result. That desired result could be a color, an effect or texture. In the cosmetics industry, there are stock formulas and custom formulas.
Try: Explore custom-formulated options at Kira Labs.

Hypoallergenic

Hypoallergenic describes cosmetics that are said to be less likely to cause an allergic reaction. While that sounds great, it has been hard to regulate the term hypoallergenic when applying it to the cosmetics industry because it is nearly impossible to pinpoint ingredients that no one will be allergic to.
Try: Web MD has an analysis of the term hypoallergenic.

Cruelty-free

A controversial and somewhat confusing term in the cosmetic industry, cruelty-free in its simplest form means a product has not been tested on animals. But dig a little deeper and you will see that it means at no point in the process of making the product was any ingredient or process tested on animals.
Try: Learn about the cruelty-free movement at CCIC or Honeymark International.