The cosmetics industry is Forever evolving, Beauty Bloggers and influencers have flooded the internet to review and promote various products.
Cosmetic brands are capitalizing on subscription boxes. Companies will need to be familiar with cosmetic labeling requirements.
Cosmetic products are regulated by the FDA, and as such there are very specific guidelines on how to label them.
Principal Display Panel (PDP)
Statement of Identity, which is the name of the product, and the Net Weight of the product. The Statement of Identity and Net Weight must be displayed on the front of the package
The principal display panel (PDP) is the surface at the front of any food package. This is the part of the package that faces forward on store shelves and is typically the first thing a consumer will see when they look at your product.
There are, of course, certain requirements for the PDP of your product package. According to the FDA, the PDP must include the following information:
- The name of the product/statement of identity: This should be the common name of your Creative/alternative names can be used as long as it is still obvious what the main product is and the name is not at all misleading. This should be the largest and most prominent font on the package and should run horizontally so that it is legible.
- The product brand: This often appears above the statement of identity and indicates who made the product.
- The brand must be expressed in smaller, less prominent font than is used for the statement of identity.
- The net quantity/weight/volume statement: This value lets consumers know how much of the product is contained within the package. The amount should be expressed in weight (i.e. ounces, pounds, or grams), numeric count (i.e. 6 pieces), or liquid measure (i.e. fluid ounces). Expressions of weight must have both metric and U.S. Customary System terms, such as 1 lb. (454g). The net quantity statement typically appears along the bottom of the PDP and must be a specific font size based on the area of the PDP.
You may also include a photo or artwork of your product on the PDP to provide consumers with a visual representation of what is inside. It must not, however, be so prominent that it distracts from the above-required label statements on the PDP, and it must be an accurate representation of your product.
Statement of Identity
The Statement of Identity should give the product name.Describe the product by the most name. a descriptive or fanciful name if the nature of the cosmetic is apparent, or by an illustration. By making the Statement of Identity bold and prominent on the PDP,
If your body lotion has peppermint, rosemary, and lemon essential oils or fragrance, and is made of shea butter, you cannot simply mention one of the ingredients in your Statement of Identity. You must either say “Body Lotion” or “Peppermint, Rosemary, Lemon Shea Butter Body Lotion.”
Net Weight
The Net Weight should be placed on the bottom 30% of the PDP, parallel to the base of the package. It should be set apart from any other written information on the PDP.The identity of the commodity may be expressed in terms of the common or usual name of the cosmetic, a descriptive name, or when the nature of the cosmetic is obvious, a fanciful name. It may also be expressed in form of an illustration.
The identity statement must be in bold type and in a size reasonably related to the most prominent printed matter, which is usually the name of the cosmetic. It must be in lines generally parallel to the base on which the product rests when displayed at retail.
Information Panel
The Information panel, which typically includes the Ingredients List, Manufacturer’s Address, and Warnings can be placed either on the outer packaging of your product, like a box, wrapper, etc. or directly on the container if you don’t have any outer packaging.
Ingredients List
Cosmetic products need Ingredients Lists too! The FDA stipulates that you list ingredients in order of heaviest to lightest ingredient.Always use the common or proper name for an ingredient or a technical name where applicable.
Keep in mind that if your cosmetic product also claims to treat or prevent a disease, or claims to alter appearance or structure of the human body, your product is also considered a drug and should abide by the FDA guidelines for both cosmetics and drugs. The label must first list the name and quantity of the drug(s), kind and amount of alcohol (if any), and then the remaining ingredients.
You want to make sure consumers can read what’s in your product, so do not use a font smaller than 1/16”. If the total surface area of your packaging is less than 12 square inches, you may use a font size no smaller than 1/32”. Keep in mind that font size is determined by the lowercase letter ‘o’.
Manufacturer’s Name and Address
The name and business address of the distributor, packer, or manufacturer of your productmust be displayed on the information panel.
If you manufacture and package your cosmetic product yourself, list your company’s name and business address. If you partner with a separate manufacturer, packer, or distributor, you’ll need to list their company name and address.
Warning Statements
Certain products require Warning Statements in order to prevent any type of health hazard to consumers. An example of this would be an aerosol product, which contains flammable contents under pressure.
The Warning Statement must be prominent and conspicuous on your label, in such a way that it will be easily read at the time of purchase and use. The statement must be in bold type on a contrasting background and can be no less than 1/16” in height.
