Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ)
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 the promotion of cosmeceuticals. These have ingredients, such as vitamin C and niacinamide, that have an active effect on the skin but meet the regulatory definition of a cosmetic.
Some people view prescriptions as a bureaucratic hurdle to be jumped over, so work around this by buying the product online without the health-care consultation or prescription.
But as these three examples show, skincare isn’t always a case of “the stronger the better”.
1. Tretinoin
Tretinoin is a prescription-only medicine in Australia where it’s been used for many years to treat acne. Evidence for treating photoaging (sun-induced skin ageing) and other conditions has made it one of social media’s “holy grail” skincare ingredients.
But tretinoin requires care. It increases sensitivity to the sun, can be highly irritating to the skin (especially when starting treatment) and should not be used while pregnant.
Overuse or inappropriate use of tretinoin can damage the skin barrier rather than improve it, making the skin more vulnerable to irritation, dryness and infection. This can be particularly problematic when used by younger people who may be influenced by social media skincare trends despite having healthy skin.
If people don’t recognise the treatment causes these side effects, they may try additional skincare products to address them. This can create a vicious cycle of irritation, disappointment and trying more products – part of a broader emerging phenomenon known as cosmeticorexia.
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2. Hydroquinone
Hydroquinone stops the skin producing the pigment melanin. So it’s used to treat pigmentation for conditions including freckles and melasma.
It’s available over-the-counter in Australian pharmacies at concentrations up to 2%. For higher strengths, a prescription is needed, which can be prepared by a compounding pharmacy.
But hydroquinone doesn’t work for all pigmentation and you should stop using it if it doesn’t work for you.
Hydroquinone has also been linked to safety concerns, including a rare but permanent skin discolouration called exogenous ochronosis, and debate about whether it increases the risk of cancer.
Safety concerns are more likely when hydroquinone is used at higher concentrations and for longer periods.
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3. Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are used to treat a range of skin conditions, and their availability depends on factors including their strength (how much active ingredient a product contains) and potency (how strongly the active ingredient affects the skin).
Intentional use of corticosteroids as cosmetics may not be common. But they may be used inadvertently in skin lightening creams that aren’t legally available in Australia.
Skin lightening has been recognised as an international public health issue and products often contain a combination of ingredients. These can include corticosteroids, hydroquinone and mercury.
Skin lightening products are also being used to bleach the vulva and anus.
Using these types of products over large or sensitive areas of the body can cause irritation, and conditions such as stretch marks and dermatitis.
Using skin lightening products also increases the risk of serious side effects in other parts of the body. This includes adrenal insufficiency – a medical condition when the body is unable to produce enough hormones to function properly.
Read more:
Women of color spend more than $8 billion on bleaching creams worldwide every year
What does this mean for you?
There are legitimate Australian online suppliers of these higher-strength skincare treatments. Where a prescription is required, you will first need to consult a health practitioner registered with the regulator Ahpra.
Buying prescription medicines from overseas websites, especially without a prescription, carries additional risks. Products may be counterfeit. Medicines imported without a permit can be seized at the border. You may also be fined or face legal proceedings.
If you’re unsure whether an online supplier is legitimate, speak to a health practitioner. You can also check whether the product is approved for supply in Australia before buying it by searching the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.
Read more:
Taking expensive medicines or ones unavailable in Australia? Importing may be the answer
In a nutshell
Stronger skincare isn’t always better. You might hear about a treatment online, but that doesn’t mean it’s risk-free.
Getting the right advice from a registered health practitioner, such as a doctor or pharmacist, helps make sure you find the best treatment for your skin.
Lauren Cortis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Original source: https://analysis1.mil-osi.com/2026/07/30/3-clinical-grade-skincare-creams-you-really-shouldnt-buy-online/