My first experience with cosmetic labeling came in college when I turned over the bottle of a shampoo and looked at the ingredient list. It was right 
around the time when I was learning how to name chemicals and I was confused why I couldn’t recognize almost any of the ingredients. It turns out that the cosmetic industry doesn’t follow the IUPAC system which is what they teach you in college. It follows the system set up by the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) as described in the INCI Dictionary. See our previous post on cosmetic labeling and the naming conventions in it.
But the ingredients names in your formula are only part of the labeling process. You also have to follow the labeling rules laid out by the FDA that affect ingredient order, placement on the label, text size, language and more. Here are the relevant facts.
Cosmetic ingredient list
In the United States, it is a requirement that all cosmetics be labeled with their ingredients. The LOI (list of ingredients) is supposed to be printed on the container and needs to follow some rules when listing ingredients.
- Ingredients above 1% need to be listed in order of concentration
- Ingredients 1% or below can be listed in any order
- Exception: Color ingredients are listed at the end
The names of the ingredients must be those found in the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) Dictionary.
Where does the list go?
Once you have the list, you’ll have to put it on the package in the proper position. The FDA requires that it be put on the principle display panel which in most cases just means somewhere on the primary package where people can read it. See this for details.
What kind of font?
To ensure that the ingredient list is readable, the FDA requires that the font size be no smaller than 1/16th of an inch unless your packaging is really small in which case you can make the font 1/32nd of an inch.
What language?
Products sold in the United States must be written in English.
What else do you include?
Other information you need to list includes
- Name of the product (e.g shampoo, lipstick, eyeshadow)
- Name of manufacturer or distributor
- Address of manufacturer including city and zip code
- Net contents in container
- Warning statements if required
For more details about what and how you specifically need to list information on your labels in the United States, see this section on the FDA website.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great article Perry! This information is very helpful. I need to be aware of the regulations before I purchase any labels for my cosmetics.
As I have been formulating my lipsticks and lip glosses for Kimistry Cosmetics, I wondered “How am I going to declare all of my ingredients on the small containers?” I noticed some companies only declare the active ingredients or some don’t have a declaration list at all. Is there an exception for lipsticks and lip glosses? Or are the ingredients provided to the customer and not necessarily to the consumer? Thanks and have a nice day!
Kim
There is not an exception for lipsticks. What many companies do is use an outer packaging and put the ingredient list on the outer box. The ingredients are listed for the consumers.
I would suggest you take a look at what other companies do when labeling their lipsticks. Take particular note of what big companies do. They are the most likely to be properly following the rules.
I like your article but you need to write more about how to handle customer compaints. I am working in cosmetic company last 6 years. We had lot’s of problems of labeling products with our customer. I am writing about cosmetic chemitry in my blog. Please feel free to leave a comment.
http://btumur.blogspot.com
Good a job Perry, keep writing articel. I will visit your blog once in well.