I read the whole entire FDA guidelines for labeling but I still have a question. If I use 2 oz. of liquid soap base in a scrub do I need to label the scrub with the liquid soap base ingredients as well or, can I write "liquid soap" in addition to all the other ingredients? Does that make sense? I know that sentence is wordy.
Example would be: Evening Primrose Oil, liquid soap, white granulated sugar etc.
I recently made a soap for babies with chamomile tea that has me in a dither on how to properly label it with the INCL in the proper descending order of ingredients. This also got me to thinking about how I would go about labeling my favorite lotion once I have tested it out enough I feel safe to sell it. It is made with a herbal tea and several extracts that I have made myself. The issue with this is without expensive testing I have no idea how much of each thing ends up in the final product. Some herbs more readily extract into different mediums then others. Is there more of herb A in there that I put in as an extract or herb B that I made the tea with? See?? Am I just over thinking this??? When using the tea for the soap I could put the chamomile down as an extract but where in the list would I put it? I haven't a clue how much chamomile is actually in it :( Help!!!!!
Mesha, I'm not sure if this same rule applies to personal products as it does with food items, but when you look at an item that uses something like milk chocolate or a variety of oils to fry in, it has that ingredient listed in its order and then has parentheses to list the ingredients of THAT one. So, a granola bar has milk chocolate drizzled on it, it says "Oats, sugar, butter, milk chocolate (cocoa, milk, sugar, soy lithicin), salt, pepper...
i list my teas as "infusion of . . . plus the name of the flower or herb according to the INCI list". An example would be:"infusion of anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile)".
Marie Gale has written an excellent book on Soap & Cosemetic Labeling & it is available on her website at www.mariegale.com. She also teaches classes/workshops where you are encouraged to bring a variety of your products for evaluation, which is extremely helpful & informative. She has also recently published a book on (Good Manufacturing Practices that I HIGHLY recommend as well.) The classes were held at the Nova Studio in Point Richmond, CA (http://thenovastudio.com/)
The book not only covers how to properly list your ingredients but also goes into specifics about how what you say (or imply) about a product can take it from a soap to a cosmetic to a drug. Different rules apply to each category. The laws about the information, its size and the placement on your label are all explained, too.
Beyond the rules about labeling, there is also the need for us all to be truthful & to describe ingredients in a way that anyone can understand.
I have that book and have highly advocated it numerous times. Every one who sells should have it as a reference. Unfortunately in this case it didn't have the answer I needed.