If you’ve set a goal to start selling your soaps at craft fairs, farmer’s markets or online this year, this labeling information is valuable. Knowing how to label your items for sale is not only part of selling best practices, it’s also required by law! Marie Gale, a blogger friend and cosmetic labeling guru, has condensed information from the FDA website to fully explain how to list soapy botanical ingredient on your product labels. If you read nothing else, this is the crux of this guest blog post: “It’s very clear that the FDA, in accordance with the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, wants the common name as the primary name used for botanical ingredients in the ingredient declaration.”
If you’d like to learn more about cosmetic labeling or good manufacturing practices in general, Bramble Berry carries two books by Marie Gale: the Soap And Cosmetic Labeling Book and Good Manufacturing Practices for Soap & Cosmetic Handcrafters. — A.M.
There has been considerable discussion over the years on how botanicals should be listed in the ingredient declaration for cosmetics. Based on information on the FDA website, it is now clear that common names are required, and when used as a secondary listing, Latin names are accepted.
Although the “INCI name” (which usually means the Latin name) is commonly thought to be required, it isn’t – it’s optional.
Important Note: This information applies to soap and cosmetic regulations in the United States. Most other countries require that the Latin name for botanicals is used in the ingredient declaration.
