Is There Anything Medical About ‘Medical-Grade’ Skincare? (2025)

When you look up the word “medical” on Merriam-Webster.com, you’ll find that it is defined as “of, relating to, or concerned with physicians or the practice of medicine.” Synonyms via Dictionary.com include “curative” and “therapeutic.” These words and definitions evoke scenes of doctor’s offices, fluorescent lighting, and old-school prescription pads. And while you don’t need an Rx to buy an expensive product from a medical-grade skincare brand, the term certainly makes you think there’s something more effective about these skincare products than their drugstore counterparts.

You’ve likely spotted medical-grade skincare shining on glass counters at a dermatology clinic or medical spa—or watched a video of a seemingly poreless “skinfluencer” making recommendations for pricey formulas in fancy packaging. There’s something lavish about owning a beauty product of this caliber, something alluring that tells us if we own something beautiful and glamorous, then we are beautiful and glamorous too. But I can tell you from personal experience that the feeling quickly fades when you realize you’ve drained your wallet with little to show for it.

That’s why it’s important to look past the facade: Whether a brand calls itself clinical, professional-grade, cosmeceutical, or medical-grade, these companies rely on medical terminology to denote a superior effect, says Aegean Chan, M.D., F.A.A.D., dual board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist practicing in Santa Barbara, CA.

And this terminology is working. The market for medical-grade skincare is projected to reach the $168.06 billion mark by 2030, according to a report from 360iResearch. #SkinTok videos, for example, promote medical-grade products—selling dreams of a perfect complexion, flooding our feeds with information about what we “need” to buy for beautiful skin—while brands are hard at work marketing themselves as a cut above the rest. Unsurprisingly, these products often come with a hefty price tag to match.

It begs the question: What is it about these medical-grade cleansers, serums, and moisturizers that make them the “gold standard” in skincare? Are they truly regulated or formulated differently? Do they really provide better results? Here’s what you need to know.

When medical-grade skincare was first on the rise in the late ’90s and early 2000s, the term was a fancy way of saying that you could only purchase the products through an authorized medical retailer—like at a dermatologist’s or plastic surgeon’s office, or through a medical esthetician. While this is still true for a select few brands, many medical-grade skincare products can now be purchased online through retailers approved by the brands themselves. That’s why the term “medical-grade” can feel a bit misleading, says Karan Lal, D.O., M.S., F.A.A.D., a double board-certified dermatologist in Scottsdale, Arizona.

However, Dr. Lal notes that there are some products made by medical-grade skincare lines that use certain patented technologies or active ingredients that aren’t found elsewhere on the market—but it requires due diligence on behalf of consumers to figure out which products fit that bill.

There is a certain aura around the medical-grade skincare category that makes people willing to spend (sometimes big) money for these products. It begins with marketing: The way these brands give their products an air of superiority with the sort of “evidence,” “science,” and “medical” language used on product labels and marketing material. This terminology gives the products a health halo, leading consumers to believe that the formulas must be safer, more advanced, or more effective, explains Annie Lam, licensed esthetician and skincare educator at the blog Estie.Bunny.

“The concept of ‘medical-grade’ skincare being more potent than drugstore products is not necessarily true. It implies that these formulas have higher concentrations of ingredients which consequently makes them ‘better,’” explains Esther Olu, a cosmetic chemist and licensed esthetician based in Los Angeles, CA. “Medical-grade skincare is trying to market their products as cosmeceuticals, but that is not a regulated term. Once you go over a certain concentration (of specific ingredients), you are entering prescription territory. Both medical-grade and non medical-grade brands need to follow regulations.”

Marketing has a lot to do with the consensus about medical-grade skincare products. The medical-grade label is a “marketing term used a lot in skincare sold in medical spas,” Dr. Chan explains. You’ll find similar terms like “evidence-based,” “clinical,” or “scientific” in a lot of these brand’s copy often as a way to justify higher price points, Dr. Chan adds.

Without naming names, one popular medical-grade skincare brand touts its products as superior to drugstore and department store products on the basis of pH, purity, and concentration of active ingredients. That brand uses terms like “superior ingredients” and “high potency” to describe its formulas. Other brands employ similar language: “advanced,” “cutting-edge,” “scientific,” “professional.”

Some medical-grade skincare brands do have studies made available to clinicians and the public (private and third-party) that back up many of the claims they make for their products, Dr. Chan says (citing SkinCeuticals as an example). And there are fewer of those than you might think. A brand isn’t required to conduct such studies to designate themselves as “medical-grade,” Dr. Chan warns.

Cosmetics are regulated by the FDA, but “there is no definition for a ‘medical-grade’ cosmetic in the FD&C Act [Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act],” explains Courtney F. Rhodes, press officer for the FDA. She also explains that “the FD&C Act does not define cosmeceutical or any other in-between term.” How a product is regulated under the FD&C Act depends in part on its intended use. In assessing the intended use of a product, the FDA relies on a number of factors, including but not limited to the claims made on the label. Use of the term “medical grade” in the labeling could suggest that the product is intended to be used as a drug.

The term medical-grade in skincare specifically is not monitored by any type of regulatory body. “There’s nothing that anybody has to do to label something medical-grade,” Dr. Chan emphasizes. “I could take the lotion that I made in my kitchen down to the farmer’s market and label it medical-grade.”

In the United States, topical skincare products generally fall into two categories: cosmetics or drugs, although some products, based on their intended use, may be both. If a product meets the criteria for both a drug and a cosmetic, it must comply with FDA requirements for both categories. Examples include a moisturizer (cosmetic) that is also a sunscreen (drug), or a shampoo intended to clean the hair (cosmetic) as well as treat dandruff (drug).

Drug

• Articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and articles to affect the structure or function of the body of humans or animals
• Includes over-the-counter products or prescription products
• Will have a drug fact label

Cosmetic

• Articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance
• Can be accessed at drugstores (no prescription needed)
• Does not require a drug fact label

When it comes to acne products, for example, certain ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide automatically classify the product as a drug. Whether it is over-the-counter or prescription only depends on the concentration of those active ingredients. A drugstore acne serum or “medical-grade” acne serum can contain salicylic acid up to 2%—anything higher must be prescribed by a physician. Benzoyl peroxide and sulfur products are both available over the counter in strengths up to 10%.

Cosmetic labeling claims must be “truthful” and “not misleading.” If a product is also labeled or promoted to have the intended use of a drug, it’s a drug according to the law, and it must meet the requirements for drugs. However, brands do use language that straddles the line between drugs and cosmetics, even when the product is not considered a drug.

Medical-grade is not a prohibited term—and while for the most part “medical-grade” skincare brands may be operating within the law, in the past professional skincare brands have received warning letters from the FDA for marketing cosmetics with drug claims.

There’s an undeniable aspect of exclusivity. These products were previously only available through doctors’ offices and med spas, which built confidence in consumers. While they are still sold through those channels, you can now purchase them online more easily, and that common thread of trust continues on.

Medical-grade skincare products also have a prestigious quality to them, Dr. Lal notes. “Luxurious feel, consistency, packaging—those are things that you get with medical-grade skincare.” And while there’s no shame in wanting those things, they’re not going to magically turn back the clock on wrinkles or make acne disappear overnight.

Perhaps the biggest buzz comes from the chatter of “skin experts” on social media claiming that medical-grade skincare is an absolute necessity for healthy and beautiful skin. “Us praying our client buys the medical-grade products we recommend and throws away their Cetaphil,” reads the text on one video from a master aesthetician on TikTok with more than 180,000 followers.

The language “When your client says they use Tula Skincare to try to clear their acne,” appears in another video of an acne specialist playing an invisible tiny violin (a common internet trope indicating that someone needs a reality check). “Let’s invest in professional over drugstore products,” the caption continues. Note: This specific skincare influencer has a Linktree with an online shop in her TikTok bio with an array of products from other popular brands like Face Reality, GlyMed, and Clearstem.

Lam has seen this type of “skincare shaming” and is frustrated by the phenomenon. “It makes people feel like good skincare is inaccessible,” she says. “These ‘skincare experts’ that say medical-grade skincare is the only skincare worth using make it that much harder for people to want to take care of their skin. Not everyone can afford a $90 serum, and I personally don’t think they should have to.”

Whether it’s an esthetician, a dermatologist, or some other skincare enthusiast who has curated a trusting mass of followers, many readers might not know that some influencers have a financial agenda behind their content. While this is true of not just medical-grade skincare fanatics on social media, it is a category ripe for cash due to a combination of high product prices, consumer trust, and murky marketing lingo. “If you see anyone ever pushing medical-grade skincare, it’s often because there’s money involved,” Dr. Lal says, referring to a wide category of influencers. “There’s a financial bias and backing between any recommendation.” A hefty percentage of Dr. Lal’s patients regularly “fall into the trap” of spending hundreds of dollars on medical-grade skincare products, leaving them unable to afford the types of science-backed in-office treatments he recommends for their conditions or concerns.

Maybe, but not necessarily. Truth be told, there are effective skincare products at every price point—and the choice of serums and lotions you slather on your face is ultimately yours. If a product from a medical-grade skincare line is, in fact, “better” than a similar formula from another brand, it’s not because of the label, the packaging, or where you can purchase it. Basically, medical-grade skincare is just like any other type of skincare. Whether a product is effective or worth the price is subjective. It depends on the formulation, the testing the brand conducts, and the consumer’s user experience with the product, Olu says.

“Do I think that medical-grade skincare products are necessarily better than other over-the-counter products? No, they can be different. I don’t think that they’re better,” Dr. Lal explains. “I think results are driven by having a regimen that you follow consistently.”

Depending on your skin concerns and goals, there may be a product from a medical-grade skincare brand that’s worth the investment—and ones that there are no “dupes” for. “It’s always best to do your research first and then make a decision about what you want to purchase,” Dr. Lal advises.

Know when to splurge—and when to save. Should you choose to try medical-grade skincare, consider investing in treatments containing active or proprietary ingredients. Products from the drugstore (like cleansers and moisturizers) tend to work well for the basic steps in your routine, Lam says. “From there, you can add ones that help treat specific skin concerns.” These products (like those that contain growth factors, peptides, retinols, and exfoliating acids) are available and effective from the drugstore, but some professional and medical-grade versions may have additional ingredients and more thorough testing and clinical studies.

Don’t be fooled by marketing lingo. Terms like medical-grade, high-potency, clinical, professional, or science-backed on a product’s label or in advertising does not give any real indication into how effective your purchase might actually be. If a product truly works, its formulation, clinical studies, and user experience will prove it.

Be your own detective. Do a little digging before big spending on medical-grade skincare. Some brands conduct clinical studies and will make the data available to consumers. “If a product is clinically tested and has good testing protocol, then you can somewhat expect to reap the benefits of the product, medical-grade or not,” Olu says. Brands with trustworthy clinical testing will make this information readily available on their websites, according to Dr. Chan.

Seek authorized retailers. No matter what skincare products you’re buying, you should purchase them from authorized retailers, Dr. Lal recommends (these retailers are often listed on the brand’s website). Buying from unauthorized retailers puts you at risk of receiving counterfeit, expired, or otherwise unsafe products. Dermstore.com is a smart option for discovering lots of medical-grade skincare brands, Dr. Lal says. When in doubt, purchase directly from the brand or from an in-person provider.