The cosmetics industry is absolutely booming. Beauty gurus and makeup artists have flooded YouTube to review and promote various products, and brands are capitalizing on subscription boxes. In order to stand out, you’ll need a beautifully packaged product! First, you’ll need to be familiar with cosmetic labelling requirements. Cosmetic products are regulated, and as such there are very specific guidelines on how to label them. Labelservice can help you navigate through all of the regulations as you design your labels.
The following must appear on the labels of cosmetic products sold in the United Kingdom:
- The name and address of the responsible person based in the United Kingdom,
- Quantity declaration
- PAO (Period after Opening) or minimum durability date if applicable,
- Warnings and precautions,
- The batch number,
- The function of the product,
- The declaration of ingredients,
- The country of origin for imported products.
Ingredients must be listed on any outer packaging. However, if there is no outer packaging, it must be on the main container. The label must have the title INGREDIENTS followed by all the ingredients in the product, with a few exceptions. The ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight. The exception is ingredients with a concentration of less than 1% – they can be listed in any order (after all the main ingredients).
Ingredients have to be named following a standard terminology. It ensures consistency between different brands. It also makes it easier for the consumer to identify any ingredient that causes them issues, like an allergic reaction.
The amount of product (at the time of packaging) must be on the label. The label may have this as either weight or volume. The net contents must be given in metric for the EU market. However, you may also see ounces (“oz”) listed as well. It is because products may be sold in countries where they don’t use the metric system. For example, the weight will also be listed in “US OZ” for products sold in the USA.
The “e” symbol (which means “estimated”) is a guarantee that the product is filled correctly, as per the average system of measures used in the EU. The term “Net Wt.” may also be seen by the weight/volume. Some products are exempt from this requirement, including free items, sachets for a single application, and anything less than 5g or 5ml.
There’s so much more to ensure your labels are compliant. Contact us and we can help!
