Active Ingedients (Actives) : An active ingredient is a substance that makes a product functional. For commercial cosmetics, FDA regulations require that active ingredients be listed first on these products, followed by the list of non-active cosmetic ingredients in order of decreasing predominance. Examples of products that contain active ingredients (and thus are considered both cosmetics and drugs by the FDA) are dandruff shampoos, fluoride toothpastes, antiperspirants, and sunblocking / tanning preparations including foundations that contain sunscreens.

Cosmeceuticals (BioActives): In the cosmetic industry there is also a category of products that are called cosmeceuticals. The word is a combination of the words "cosmetics" and "pharmaceutical". Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products that are claimed to have drug-like benefits (but are not considered drugs by the FDA). Cosmeceuticals contain active ingredients that have not been tested by the same standards as drugs but may still show good clinical effectiveness. Such ingredients typically include vitamins, phytochemicals, enzymes, peptides, antioxidants, and essential oils and are widely used for various indications as, for example, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle or moisturizing treatements.