Blog Posts

Find out more about all aspects of soap and cosmetic labeling, regulations, legislation, and news!

  • California Cosmetic Regulations Updated

    Two bills concerning cosmetic manufacturing in California have been working their way through the legislative process. California Governor Jerry Brown just signed AB 2775 on Sept 14th, and SB 1249 went to the Governor on September 12th. What does it mean for handcrafted cosmetics? AB 2775 – Professional Cosmetic Labeling California AB-2775 requires that all cosmetics…

    Read More …

  • Are Your Product Claims Fake News?

    You may have heard that Google, Facebook and other social media sites are trying to figure ways to weed out fake news before it makes its way into the wild. That they are using a combination of artificial intelligence, computer algorithms and live human reviews to decide what’s real and what’s fake. That they have…

    Read More …

  • An Almond Doesn’t Lactate

    Last month, pointing out that “almonds don’t lactate,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced that the FDA will soon issue a new guidance on the use of the term “milk.” Currently milk is defined as “the lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows” or goats.121 CFR…

    Read More …

  • If One, Then All?

    “If you put one ingredient on your soap label, you have to list them all” is an idea is being bandied around a lot lately.  But is it true? As with most questions about legal stuff and regulations … yes … and no. Cosmetics If the product is a cosmetic, then the answer is a…

    Read More …

  • Natural Colorants, More

    Since my last post about natural colorants I’ve gotten some questions about using ingredients that change the color of the soap or cosmetic but that really wasn’t the point of the ingredient. Lets review the definitions.  I’m just including the important bits, and bolding the really important bits. Color Additive Any material that is capable…

    Read More …

  • Natural Colorants for Soap & Cosmetics

    For most people making and selling handcrafted soap and/or cosmetics “natural colorants” means ingredients such as herbs and spices that will change the color of your product.  If you do a Google search for “natural colorants” you will find articles, posts, messages, books, webinars and more detailing the many ways you can make beautiful and…

    Read More …

  • Trade Secrets

    You’ve developed the perfect product and you want to keep the formulation secret. Can you hide some of the ingredients? Well, yes and no. Trade Secret Any formula, pattern, device or compilation of information which is used in one’s business and which gives him an opportunity to obtain an advantage of competitors who do not…

    Read More …

  • Looking for Product Drug Claims

    When we talk about “drug claims” we are actually talking about the statements that tell the consumer that product is intended to be used to diagnose, mitigate, treat or prevent disease or to change the structure or function of the body. How does the FDA determine the intended use of a product? Where do they look?…

    Read More …

Sign up for my newsletter to get notifications of new blog posts and occasional newsletters with general information.

I don’t spam! Read the privacy policy for more info.