Shereene IdrissBoard Certified Derm, Founder and Chief Nerd

Medical Grade Skincare #shorts

23 Jun 2023 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:58

A short monologue arguing that the label “medical grade” in skincare is largely marketing and does not guarantee superior ingredients or efficacy. The speaker acknowledges some medical-grade brands/products they like (MBR; Definage’s 8‑in‑1 bio serum as an option for those who can't tolerate retinol; Environ’s retinol alternatives) but cautions that not all such products justify higher prices and warns about small brands making inappropriate medical claims while trading on the “medical grade” prestige factor.

Chapters

Are medical grade products bullshit or not. The reality is it is purely marketing. It does not make it a superior product. I would not believe the hype. It does not mean that the quality of the ingredient is better. It just means that a company wants to be sold at either a doctor's office, an esthetician, a spa of some sort and wants to have a prestige factor associated with it. Some medical grade products are great. For example, in my practice in my office, I really like MBR. I think definage has a great really pretty 8 in 1 bio serum, especially if you cannot tolerate a retinol. And Environ has some nice retinol alternative as well. But that doesn't mean all medical grade products are great and are they worth the price tag. Plus, beware if you see quote unquote medical grade products or brands trying to claim certain medical advantages. The reality is they're probably very small brands that are flying under the radar and claiming things that they really shouldn't be claiming in terms of a cosmetic product. And they're probably trying to get away with it because they're quote unquote medical grade.