The word Cosmeceutical is made up of 2 words, cosmetic and Pharmaceutical.
To make this short, in general, cosmetics are the products we get on the high street and Pharmaceuticals is products you would need a prescription for and get at a pharmacy. Now today those lines are a bit blurred, as companies are bringing out more and more products that are high in active ingredients and are more easily available, but this is just as a general guideline to understanding what a cosmeceutical is.
Cosmetic, as a generalisation, works on the top layers of your skin as they often have none or very low percentage of active ingredients, and pharmaceutical is a product that will target a skin problem head on and is quite high in active ingredients, therefore would need a prescription from your doctor or a dermatologist to buy.
