If you sell cosmetics, skincare, soap, shampoo, or any bath and beauty product in the United States, your labels must comply with FDA regulations — even if your brand is small or handmade. Cosmetic labeling requirements cover everything from ingredient disclosure to specific warning statements.
What the FDA Considers a “Cosmetic”
The FDA defines cosmetics as products intended to cleanse, beautify, or alter appearance without affecting the body’s structure or function. This includes skincare, makeup, shampoo, soap, deodorant, perfume, lotion, and nail polish. If your product makes drug claims (like “treats acne” or “reduces wrinkles”), it may be regulated as both a cosmetic and a drug, with additional requirements.
Required Label Elements
Product identity: What the product is (“Moisturizing Body Lotion”). Net quantity: Weight or volume of the contents. Name and address: Manufacturer, packer, or distributor. Ingredient list: Ingredients listed in descending order of predominance, using the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) names. Color additives must be listed by their FDA-approved names.
Warning Statements
Certain products require specific warnings. Products not adequately tested for safety must carry: “WARNING: The safety of this product has not been determined.” Aerosol products, products containing certain acids, and products with flammable ingredients have their own required warning language.
Design Considerations
Beauty product labels need to balance regulatory text with visual appeal. The ingredient list alone can be lengthy, especially for multi-ingredient formulations. Plan your label size to accommodate all required information at a readable font size — the FDA requires type size of at least 1/16 of an inch in height for most required information.
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