Helping you undersand soap and cosmetic regulations — in plain English.
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Hi, I’m Marie Gale.
For over 15 years I’ve been researching and following the world of laws, regulations, standards and guidelines for the handcrafted soap and cosmetic industry. What started as a personal quest to understand soap and cosmetic labeling for my own products has grown into a deep understanding of the myriad of requirements that handcrafted soap and cosmetics makers are subject to.
My personal passion to assist others to understand and follow the labeling and other requirements that grew out of all that research. If I had my way, no handcrafter would ever experience the stress and heartache of unwittingly running afoul of the the laws and regulations.
There is peace of mind in knowing that your are compliant with the applicable regulations. I’m here to help you achieve that stress-free relationship with your products and your business.
Whether you know it or not, you’ve been an invaluable resource for me throughout our years in business as I’ve relied on your many books whenever I have questions. I’ve recently purchased “Navigating the Rules & Regulations” and am going through it with tabs & a highlighter and am learning more than I ever expected. — Julia
Latest blog articles
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Herbal Entrepreneur Conference 2021
I am so honored to be included in this year’s Herbal Entrepreneur Conference being held virtually March 21 – March 27th! This is the 3rd such annual conference. My session, “What You Need To Know About Labelling Herbal Products” will be on March 23rd at 11AM (PST).
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What does ADULTERATED mean?
In the US, you can make cosmetics without getting prior approval of the product, the ingredients, or the formulation. What you can’t do is sell (or put out for sale) a product which is adulterated or misbranded. That’s illegal. Most states have also adopted a similar law, so it is illegal at the state level […]
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What is the PRINCIPAL DISPLAY PANEL?
In labeling, the size and placement of the principal display panel determines where certain information must be placed and what size the text must be. Key Words to Know Principal Of a thing: first, chief, most important. Display Panel A separate or distinct part of a surface on which information can be shown. Which brings […]
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Cosmetic vs Non-Cosmetic Label Requirements
Cosmetics and non-cosmetics have the same BASIC label requirements — but there are a few differences.
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Net Contents – Weight and Volume
The net contents is required on all products. There are two different ways to measure products for sale – by volume and by weight.
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What is a DRUG?
Drugs of all types are around us every day. There are a number of different ways to define a “drug”. Here we’re going to take a look at the legal definition of “drug” and how it applies when you are making handcrafted soap and cosmetics (or other products). The regular English word drug comes from […]
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What are INCIDENTAL INGREDIENTS?
We all expect the ingredient declaration in cosmetics to be accurate and include all the ingredients in the product. However, in certain circumstances, “incidental ingredients” may be left off the list. It’s a loophole that can sometimes be abused.
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Essential Oil Companies Rated
A recent irticle by ConsumerAdvodate.org found 30% of the EO samples they testet were adulterated.
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What is a COSMETIC?
Cosmetics have been around since, well, forever. People have probably always tried to apply stuff to their face and body to look better; Cleopatra is probably the earliest and best known woman to take the the application of cosmetics to a true art form. The words cosmetic and cosmetics trace their history to the Greek language. […]
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FDA Warning Letters: Products Containing CBD
The FDA sent out 15 warning letters last week (Nov. 2019) to companies that are illegally marketing products containing CBD. I thought it might be interesting to take a look at what the FDA is going after and why. The FDA’s Position First, let’s review the FDA’s position on the marketing of products containing CBD. […]
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What is LABELING?
When you start to learn about what it takes to legally label your soap and cosmetic products, you may not realize that within the laws and regulations there is a very specific definition of labeling. It’s not what you would expect it to be, and it’s not a definition you can get by looking in […]
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What is a LABEL?
One frequent point of confusion when it comes to understanding the labeling laws and regulations is exactly what is meant by the word label. The problem is that there are several regular English definitions for label, each one meaning a slightly different thing AND there is a definition of label that is used in the […]
MORE RESOURCES
Label Review
$125 per label
If you want another set of (experienced) eyes on your label to make sure it meets all the requirements, a label review is a good choice. A Label review checks your label against the pertinent regulations. You get a checklist of showing if corrections are needed (or not), along with documentation to help you understand the requirements. Label reviews take about a week. Once your review is complete, you can send the revised label and I’ll take a look to make sure everything is in order.
I wanted my labels to be as close to compliant as I could get them. I took advantage of your label review service and can’t thank you enough for your expert advice. It was money well spent! — N.M.
Consulting
$100 – $125 per hour
Consulting is the tailor-made solution to address whatever your concerns are with your labeling, GMP, MoCRA compliance, safety substantiation, and the like. Consulting can be as simple as just answering the questions you have by email, phone or online meeting, or it can cover reviewing all your labels, ingredient declarations, website copy, safety substantiation documentation, and good manufacturing practices. It’s your call – I’m here to help with what you need.
I speak on behalf of the entire team that we are all very appreciative of your work in helping us grow our brand. It is a big step for us, and you have been instrumental in making that a reality. Thank you for your help. — D.C..
Books
