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FDA Sends Warning Letters to Two Essential Oil MLMs
>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 with […]
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Updated Info on FDA site
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 the […]
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Quest for the Perfect Pickle and GMP
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
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Calculating Percentages for Blended Ingredients
>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. […]
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Labeling Regulations – Don’t Know vs. Don’t Care
> I’ve been discussing, writing, and lecturing on the subject of soap and cosmetic labeling for nearly 20 years now. During that time I’ve discovered that people who are making handcrafted soap and cosmetics seem fall into several categories, when it comes to knowing and following the regulations. As with all things, how a person […]
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Getting UPC Codes on Your Labels
>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 retail chains use UPCs (“Universal Product Codes”) on all their products, both […]
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Packaging & Labeling – More Than Just the Requirements
>When we talk about soap and cosmetic labeling, very often the discussion is about the regulations and the requirements. It’s true that the package label must contain very specific elements, but what about the rest of the label content? What about the “labeling,” defined as the materials and text that goes with the product (like […]
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Making Soap, 1955 Style
>I recently found a marvelous brochure, Making Soap at Home from February, 1955. Prepared by Irene Crouch, Extension Agent Home Management, and published by the Extension Service (North Dakota), this little document outlines how to make soap at home. “A thrifty housewife can save many dollars a year by making soap of good quality.”
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Quick Labeling FAQ Updated
e just updated the Quick Labeling FAQ on my website. It’s easier to follow, covers the basics more clearly and is updated to take into account recent changes made to the FDA websi
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Insect Repelling Soap and Cosmetics
>Updated September 25, 2017 Several people have asked me recently about soaps and cosmetics that repel insects. What are the regulations and how do they get labeled? Once there’s a “pesticide” claim (that is, that the product repels insects), the product falls under the jurisdiction of the EPA, under the authority of the Federal Insecticide, […]
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What About “Natural”?
>Can you call a cosmetic product “natural?” And what does that really mean, anyway? Nowadays, there are so many products of all types being marketed as “natural” it’s getting crazy! I recently saw some piece of furniture marketed as “natural” because it was made (mostly) of wood. Where does it end? The first thing to know […]
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FDA Cosmetic Website Updated
>The FDA recently (2014) updated the cosmetic section of their website and added some new pages that clarify regulations, particularly for small manufacturers of soap and cosmetics. Some of the most commonly asked questions are very clearly answered in FAQ format.
Helping you undersand soap and cosmetic regulations — in plain English.
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