Helping soap and cosmetic handcrafters navigate the rules and regs.
Find out more about all aspects of soap and cosmetic labeling, regulations, legislation, and news!
Update: The final rule was published in the Federal Register, but the online federal regulations have not yet been updated (See FTC updates business address requirements) The Federal Trade Commission is looking to update their regulations under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and “modernize the place-of-business listing requirement.” These are the regulations that apply to…
The FDA continues to update their website, clarifying and making things more understandable. I love the new articles as they are very clear and easy to understand (as well as many of them being targetted to small and emerging business). The only thing is that they are a little hard to find … I still…
Well, it’s finally happened. I’m OUT OF STOCK on the 2nd Edition of the book (2010)! The 2015 updated 3rd Edition (I’m calling it the “purple edition”) is almost finished. I’m on the final round of edits and updates. In a way, it’s good that the project was delayed a bit because now I’ll be…
As handcrafters, often working out of our homes, it’s always been an issue that the street address is required on the label (unless published in a current phone or city directory). The HSCG just announced that the petition they filed with the FDA in 2012 to allow the use of a PO Box in lieu…
Jackie Thompson’s long awaited book, Liquid Soapmaking, is finally here – and more than worth the wait. For those who make handcrafted soap bars, transitioning to making liquid soap can be daunting. While the chemistry is essentially the same, when it comes to the finished product, opaque bar soap is much more forgiving than liquid…
Recently there has been some discussion online (in a Facebook Group) as a result of a report of a conversation with someone from the FDA. The report was that this FDA representative said that if you wanted to use the word “moisturizing” to describe a soap, then your recipe would need to be submitted and…
I have posted numerous times, including here and here, about FDA warning letters concerning “drug claims” used for supposedly cosmetic products. After those posts went up, I had a number of people tell me about several national companies selling essential oils that were making all sorts of claims, and asking why they could get away…
The FDA recently updated several pages on their website that have to do with cosmetics. The regulations haven’t changed, but it appears that they are continuing in their trend to making them more understandable (although it is still a bit difficult to find things when you need them). Here’s a brief overview of some of…
This last week has been shaped by the bounty from our garden. I realized that keeping track of all the canning recipes is just one piece of good manufacturing practices
Ingredients are supposed to be listed in the ingredient declaration in “descending order of predominance.” In other words, the ingredient at the highest percentage (by weight) goes first, then then next highest, etc. Ingredients that are present at less than 1% can be listed in any order following the ingredients present at 1% or greater.…
I’ve been discussing, writing, and lecturing on the subject of soap and cosmetic labeling for nearly 10 years now. During that time I’ve discovered that people who are making handcrafted soap and cosmetics seem fall into categories when it comes to knowing and following the regulations. As with all things, how a person deals with…
One of the things that you often see on soap and cosmetic labels are bar codes. They are not required by regulation, but can make a big difference in where and how your products can be sold. Many of the large stores or chains use UPCs (“Universal Product Codes”) on all their products, both at…
