Your social media feed is full of people talking about the “holy grail” of skincare.

You’ve Googled, lurked on the Reddit forums and decided it’s time to try a “clinical-grade” product.

But do you really need a prescription? Can’t you just buy it online without one?

Before you click “checkout”, pause. That higher-strength cream could have all sorts of side effects, including making your skin worse.

What do all the terms mean?

Clinical-strength, clinical-grade, science-backed, professional-grade. There are so many terms used to describe skincare today. But these terms are just marketing. They don’t have a specific or legal definition.

When it comes to accessing skincare products legally in Australia, just two terms matter – cosmetics and therapeutic goods.

Cosmetics are intended to cleanse, protect or alter the appearance of the skin. These can be generally sold directly to consumers.

Therapeutic goods are used to treat a medical condition (such as acne or rosacea) or change how the skin functions. So stricter rules apply to how they’re advertised and supplied.

Until recently, you were most likely to learn about therapeutic skincare from a health practitioner. That’s because prescription and pharmacist-only medicines can’t be advertised directly to the public.

But the world has changed.

Today, many people learn about these products through social media, discussion forums, and other online content.

To add to the confusion, there’s........

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