An unattractive label is not a “good look” for a beauty product. Aesthetics are an important factor when investing in labels for cosmetics and beauty products, but it’s not the only aspect that you need to consider. Here are some tips that you should follow when it’s time to design and order labels for your beauty products.

 

Consider Regulation

The EU Cosmetic Regulation

 

The EU Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009 came into force in 2013 and concerns 31 European countries (28 countries of the EU + Norway + Iceland + Lichtenstein). The regulation is based on three principles:

  • Safety of Raw Materials and Ingredients
  • Good manufacturing practices
  • Invigilating of cosmetic market

 

These principles translate into requirements for the cosmetic brand (non-exhaustive list):

  • Designate a Responsible Person (RP)
  • Prepare a Product Information file (PIF) including a Safety Assessment
  • Respect the Good manufacturing practices (GMP) for cosmetics
  • Comply with Labeling and Packaging requirements
  • Ensure notification via the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP)

 

With this regulation, the European Union sets a higher level of transparency for finished cosmetic products, prevents the placing on the market of hazardous substances, and strengthen safety for consumers.

European labeling requirements

 

The EU cosmetic regulation defines the rules for a compliant cosmetic label.

Here is the mandatory information that must be printed in “indelible, easily legible and visible lettering”:

 

  1. Name and address of the Responsible Person: If you don’t know the role of the Responsible Person (RP), please read our quick definition. If you’re outside the EU, it is mandatory to designate an RP in order to market your product. If you’re a cosmetic brand based in the EU, you will be acting as the RP by default, unless you designate someone else.
  2. Country of origin: Add the mention: “Made in XXXXX” unless the product is made in Europe in which case such mention is not mandatory. Note: the “Made in” expression does not need any translation.
  3. Nominal content: The nominal content must appear in grams (g) or milliliter (ml) and in first position. You can add additional measurement units if you wish, e.g. oz.
  4. Date of minimum durability (DOMD) & Period after opening (PAO): If the durability is inferior or equal to 30 months, you need to indicate the “hour glass” symbol and print date (MMYYYY or MMYY or DDMMYYYY or DDMMYY). If the durability is superior to 30 months then you must indicate the PAO. You’ll need to print the “open jar” symbol with the number of months (M) or year (Y) inside or next to the open jar.
  5. Particular precautions of use and warnings: Depending on the type of cosmetic product, some particular precautions of use and warnings might be useful to consumers or even mandatory in certain cases.
  6. Batch number: is mandatory, although no particular format is required.
  7. Product function: The function of the product must be clearly indicated, e.g.: hand moisturizer as to prevent any misuse.
  8. List of ingredients: In decreasing order of weight, except for ingredients below 1%.

Please note:

  • Translation : The European union is composed of 28 countries. There are more than 24 official languages. You must translate the function of the product, the precautions of use and warnings but also the nominal content in the language of the country you export to. Note that Austria, Bulgaria, France, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia, request full translation of the label, i.e. even the marketing content and claims.
  • All elements above must be on the labels. When it is impossible to print the mandatory information for practical reasons, i.e. not enough space because your product is too small, then you can use a leaflet for specific information only. A leaflet is an enclosed or attached leaflet, label tape, tag or card. In this case, the information shall be referred to on the primary packaging (PP) and/or secondary packaging (SP) by the « hand-in-book » symbol.

 

Think About All the Label Shapes and Sizes You’ll Need

Unless you carry one type of product, there’s a fair chance that your labels aren’t going to be a one-size-fits-all solution. Common containers include:

  • Airless bottles
  • Pumps
  • Sprayers
  • Jars
  • Tubes
  • Droppers
  • Compacts

 

Each one of these containers can call for labels of different shapes and sizes. This can be a serious issue if you’re banking on using the same exact design for every product. While you can certainly use the same color scheme, font choices, and other design details for each container, you’ll want to make sure that you adapt your branding and any legally-required information to the various label shapes needed for every applicable container.

 

Consider Special Printing Techniques and Materials

Don’t be afraid to take advantage of special printing techniques for your cosmetics and other beauty products. These value-added services can add both style and function to your product labels.

Double Sided Labels

If you have a clear container, double sided labels are an eye-catching way to make the most of available space. These labels can be read through your container, adding some additional depth to the look of your packaging.

Hot Foil Stamping

Whether you want to make your product look flashy or sophisticated, Hot Foil Stamping can add a dash of style to your labels. Traditional hot foil stamped labels feature gold and silver, but you have many other options that can change your product’s look, such as a matte black stamp or a holographic sheen.

Embossed Labels

Labels aren’t just a visual medium. Label embossing physically raises specific aspects of your label, adding a three-dimensional look and feel to your beauty product labels.

Waterproof Labels

Your labels shouldn’t fall off until long after your consumers are done with your products. If there’s a chance that your products will come into regular contact with water, you should consider investing in waterproof labels.

 

Case Study

New Start up Skin Clinic,  Lamh Botanicals,  came to IMEC Media Ltd for advice on product labels. See Article Image.

“IMEC Media Ltd guided me through the whole process for my labels, from concept to finished product, i’m delighted with the results,” says Elaine Fitzgerald, owner at Lamh Botanicals, Walkinstown, Tel: 01 4089775.

 

Find the Right Professionals

It’s not always easy to create a quality label for beauty products. That’s why it’s best to invest in a good designer and printing company to ensure that your product labels are as good as they need to be to attract new customers.

At IMEC Media Ltd, our digital printing technology gives us the ability to quickly and efficiently print quality labels. Not only can we handle special printing techniques to make your labels stand out, we can also group multiple label versions in the same order to save you money.

Ready to invest in quality cosmetics labels? Contact us today, +353 1 2054 200, to talk to one of our experts about how we can help you with your label printing project.

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