What Is the Difference Between Makeup and Cosmetics?

Contents

1. What Counts as Makeup
2. What Counts as a Cosmetic
3. When a Cosmetic Is Also a Drug
4. How to Tell Which Kind of Product You Have
5. Makeup vs Cosmetics vs Drugs at a Glance
6. How Cosmetics Are Regulated
7. How Other Countries Draw the Line
8. Label Terms That Are Not Legally Defined
9. What a Category Label Cannot Tell You
10. When a Product Reaction Needs a Doctor
11. Questions People Ask
12. Where This Leaves You

What Counts as Makeup

Makeup, sometimes called color cosmetics, refers to products applied mainly to change or enhance how the face and body look. The main categories are:

• Face: foundation, concealer, powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter, primer, setting spray.
• Eyes: eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, brow products, false lashes and adhesives.
• Lips: lipstick, lip gloss, lip liner, lip stain.
• Nails: nail polish is often grouped with makeup, though it is sometimes treated as its own category.

Makeup is usually temporary and removable. Its main purpose is appearance, although many makeup products now include skincare ingredients or sunscreen.

The line between makeup and skincare is getting blurrier. Tinted moisturizers, skin tints, serum foundations, and lip oils combine color with hydrating or soothing ingredients, and many are marketed as hybrids. From a regulatory point of view they are still cosmetics unless they make drug claims, such as sun protection.

What Counts as a Cosmetic

The US Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act defines cosmetics as articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance.

That covers far more than makeup:

• Skin moisturizers and cleansers
• Shampoos, conditioners, and hair dyes
• Perfumes and colognes
• Deodorants (antiperspirants are drugs)
• Nail polish and removers
• Toothpaste for cleaning or whitening, unless it claims to prevent cavities
• Makeup of all kinds

Soap is a special case. In the US, traditional soap made mostly of fats and alkali and sold only for cleaning is regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, not the FDA. Many body washes and synthetic cleansing bars count as cosmetics.

When a Cosmetic Is Also a Drug

The key question is what a product claims to do. If it is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent disease, or to affect the structure or function of the body, it is regulated as a drug.

• Sunscreens prevent sunburn and are over-the-counter drugs in the US.
• Acne products with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid that claim to treat acne are drugs.
• Anti-dandruff shampoos with active ingredients like zinc pyrithione are drugs.
• Antiperspirants reduce sweating, so they are drugs; deodorants that only mask odor are cosmetics.
• Fluoride toothpaste prevents cavities, so it is a drug.

A foundation with SPF, a moisturizer with sunscreen, or an acne cleanser is therefore both a cosmetic and a drug and must meet both sets of rules.

If you use several drug-cosmetics, such as an acne cleanser, a medicated spot treatment, and an SPF foundation, it is worth checking the active ingredients together. Using more than one product with the same active can add up and increase dryness or irritation.

How to Tell Which Kind of Product You Have

You can usually work out a product’s category from the packaging in under a minute.

1. Look for a Drug Facts panel

   If the label has a box titled Drug Facts listing active ingredients, uses, and warnings, the product is regulated as a drug, possibly also a cosmetic.

2. Read the claims

   Words like treats, prevents, cures, or protects against sunburn signal drug claims. Words like beautifies, moisturizes, or enhances usually mean cosmetic.

3. Check the ingredient list

   Cosmetics list all ingredients in order of amount. Drug-cosmetics list active ingredients separately, followed by inactive ingredients.

4. Look for SPF

   Any SPF value on a US label means the product contains sunscreen and is regulated as a drug.

5. Consider the purpose

   If the main job is changing how you look, it is makeup or another cosmetic. If it is meant to change how your body works, it is a drug.

Makeup vs Cosmetics vs Drugs at a Glance

This framework is based on US rules. Other countries, including those in the European Union, define and regulate cosmetics differently, which is why the same product may be labeled differently abroad.

How Cosmetics Are Regulated

In the US, most cosmetics do not need FDA approval before they are sold, with the important exception of color additives, which must be approved for their intended use, such as around the eyes. Companies are legally responsible for making sure their products are safe and properly labeled.

The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 expanded the FDA’s authority, including requirements for companies to register manufacturing facilities, list products, and report serious adverse events. It also gave the FDA the power to order recalls in some cases.

Drugs face stricter rules. Over-the-counter drugs such as sunscreen must follow FDA monographs that set which active ingredients can be used and at what levels, or go through a formal approval process.

Knowing where ingredients come from can also matter. Our guide on where makeup ingredients come from covers minerals, plants, animals, and synthetics.

How Other Countries Draw the Line

The makeup and cosmetics distinction is fairly consistent worldwide, but the line between cosmetics and drugs is not.

• European Union: cosmetics are governed by the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, which requires a safety assessment for every product and maintains lists of banned and restricted ingredients. Sunscreens are treated as cosmetics rather than drugs.
• Canada: many sunscreens and some acne and anti-dandruff products are regulated as drugs or natural health products, while most makeup is a cosmetic.
• Japan and South Korea: both have intermediate categories, sometimes called quasi-drugs or functional cosmetics, for products such as whitening, anti-wrinkle, or sun protection items.

This is why a sunscreen from Europe or Asia may use filters that are not approved in the US, and why a product sold internationally can have a slightly different formula or label from one country to another.

For shoppers, the practical point is to read the label that applies where you live and buy from sellers who distribute products intended for your market.

Label Terms That Are Not Legally Defined

Many common marketing words have no legal definition for US cosmetics, so their meaning depends on the brand.

Counterfeit products are another concern, since they skip all of these rules. Our guide on how to tell if makeup is fake explains what to check.

What a Category Label Cannot Tell You

Knowing whether a product is makeup, a cosmetic, or a drug does not tell you whether it will suit your skin. Both cosmetics and drugs can cause irritation or allergy in some people.

For sensitive or acne-prone skin, ingredients and your own experience matter more than the category. Our guide to non-comedogenic makeup can help.

When a Product Reaction Needs a Doctor

Whether a product is makeup, skincare, or a drug, see a doctor or dermatologist if you notice:

• A rash, redness, or itching that does not settle after stopping the product.
• Swelling of the eyelids, lips, or face.
• Blistering or peeling skin.
• Eye pain, redness, or discharge after using eye products.
• Breakouts that keep returning with certain products.
• Any difficulty breathing, which needs emergency care.

In the US, you can report serious reactions to cosmetics or drugs to the FDA through MedWatch.

Questions People Ask

Where This Leaves You

Makeup is one part of the much broader world of cosmetics, which also includes skincare, hair care, fragrance, and other personal care products. In the US, cosmetics are defined by their purpose of cleansing or beautifying, while products that treat or prevent conditions are regulated as drugs, and some products are both.

Check for a Drug Facts panel and read the claims to understand what you are buying. Remember that marketing terms like natural and hypoallergenic are not legally defined, and see a doctor if any product causes a significant reaction.