Soap Labels

Just when you came to terms with the complex requirements for cosmetic and drug labels, there’s another hygiene product that does not fall into a clear labeling category: soap. Apparently, the real soap is neither a drug nor a cosmetic, but a category of its own whose labeling in the U.S. is governed by a government agency called Consumer Product Safety Commission. But what is “real” soap? According to the CPSC, it is a product manufactured for consumer cleansing and hygiene, made primarily of fats and alkalis. Luckily for real soap producers, these products do not need to have an ingredients label, unless they contain some hazardous ingredient. In that case, the product packaging needs to include cautionary statements as defined by the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

However, many soap products today do not consist primarily of alkali salt and fatty acids. It’s very likely that the soap you’re using is based on detergents and among the most predominant ingredients contains Glycerin and Propylene Glycol. In that case, the soap does belong to the cosmetics category and is subject to FDA’s cosmetic labeling requirements.

In short, in order to comply with legal standards for labeling and to make sure that consumers know what they are buying, every soap (even the “real” one, for the sake of transparency) should include the following:

• Statement of identity (which can be a common name of the product, a descriptive or fanciful name known by consumers, or even an illustration)
• Net quantity
• Name and address of the manufacturer (or packer, or distributor)
• Warnings and directions for safe use, if needed
• Ingredients, in order of predominance (except color ingredients and ingredients that are present at 1% or less in the product)

The Effects of Soap Label Design on Users

It goes without saying that attractive packaging is more effective than ordinary one. When fighting for consumers, soap manufacturers, as most other product producers, put a lot of stock into designing their product in such a way that it gets noticed.

Labels are really important in this aspect. Not only do they textually inform users about the product’s contents and purpose, they have an important task to present an appealing visual promise to potential users.

If you think that soap packaging and label designers have an easy job, try creating your own soap label with a free label making app, Labeley. Take your time picking an appropriate label shape, background, color, illustration (or a photo from your computer), and spend enough time on text to make the label both informative and stylish.

If you manage to create a masterpiece, you can print it yourself at home, or get help from Labeley’s printing specialists who’ll make sure to match your design with proper quality label materials.