Cosmeceutical products may be purchased at specialty
stores at a cost in excess of $100.00 per ounce for the
finished product. Consumers willing to pay premium prices
for such products have high expectations that the purchased
product will function as claimed and will meet their
expectations for aesthetics and elegance. To satisfy consumer
demands, the formulator must select a cosmetic active agent
that will be compatible in the most appropriate vehicle. This
is a daunting task, because the formulator must select from
several hundred ingredients that can be incorporated into
various prototypes. The job is further complicated when key
clinical and technical data accompanying “active” ingredients
are unclear or nonexistent.