What's Your Soap?

The laws surrounding soap labeling can be confusing. Soap can fall into three catagories 1) soap 2) cosmetic 3) drug

The United States Food and Drug Administration defines soap as
• The bulk of the nonvolatile matter in the product consists of an alkali salt of fatty acids and the product's detergent properties are due to the alkali-fatty acid compounds, and
• The product is labeled, sold, and represented solely as soap [21 CFR 701.20].
(Source: US Food and Drug Administration)

If a soap makes no other claims than its intended purpose, as a cleanser, then the soap is not a cosmetic under FDA guidelines and is not subject to cosmetic labeling laws.

Let’s say a manufacturer makes claims that a soap is moisturizing. Then the soap is regulated as a cosmetic and is subject to cosmetic labeling laws. It would have to be labeled with ingredients listed in International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients format (aka INCI). INCI is a system of naming cosmetic ingredients based on scientific names and other Latin and English words.

If a manufacturer makes claims that their soap will cure, prevent or treat disease (e.g. a soap that claims it treats eczema), then that soap is regulated as a drug.

If a soap is made of detergent(s), the FDA no longer classifies the product as soap, but rather as a cosmetic. Most “melt and pour” soaps would fall into this category. Cosmetic labeling laws would apply.

To avoid confusion, many handmade soapmakers list the ingredients in their soaps. It allows consumers to know exactly what is in their soap.

Look for the Label

I was on the phone the other day with a customer. She was interested in a particular fragrance and was looking for a local vendor so she could avoid high shipping charges. She joked that I should be ready for lots of business as she has a lot of co-workers. I joked back that I had to check if I had enough labels. She told me that it was okay, she’d buy the products without labels. I told her that I couldn’t sell her products without labels – it’s the law.

Cosmetic manufacturers must label their products. The label must include
1) the identity of the product - what the product is (e.g. body wash, lotion, scrub)
2) name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor
3) how much of the product is in the container. If the product is liquid, the label must show the net weight of the product in both fluid ounces and milliliters. If a product is non-liquid, the label must show the net weight of the product in both ounces and grams.
4) an ingredient list - The ingredients must be declared in descending order of predominance. The ingredient list should show the common name of the ingredient as well as the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) name. (e.g. cocoa butter, a common ingredient in cosmetics, would be listed as Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter)
Source: United States Food and Drug Administration website

(Note: Soap is sometimes exempt from these rules. We’ll discuss that further in a future blog post.)

My customer was surprised to learn about this information. While we were on the phone, she looked at a bottle of perfume she had recently purchased. Armed with this new knowledge, she was shocked that the only information on the label was the name of the company and the name of the fragrance.

Want more info on cosmetic labeling regulations? Check out the FDA's Labeling Regulations Applicable to Cosmetics.

New Fragrances at You Scent Me

Three new fragrances have been added to You Scent Me's lineup:

Energy - A FABULOUS blend of citrus including Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime, with hints of fresh Cucumber and Jasmine, and a touch of Pineapple, Blackberry and Champagne.

Lavender - a classic

Squeaky Clean - A clean unisex fragrance that smells like you just stepped out of the shower.

Self Renewal

I can't believe that summer's over. In New York City, it barely felt like we had a summer this year. It rained so much people joked about building arks. Temperatures didn't reach into the 90's until the middle of August.

Like many in the United States, we've been effected by the poor economy. Instead of a week's vacation, we opted for a more economical getaway, a couple of days at the Jersey Shore. While it was great to get away, I didn't think the mini-vacation was anything that special. That is until we got home. I couldn't believe how relaxed I felt! I'm not talking "light some candles and take a hot bath" relaxed. I felt like Oprah when she talks about renewal of spirit, lol. My brain wasn't racing its usual 1000 miles an hour thinking of all the things I had to put on my "to-do list." I knew this feeling wasn't going to last very long, but I was going to savor every second of it!

What do you do to renew yourself? Is there a special place you go? Share your tips by clicking on "comments" right underneath this post.

Fall Fragrance Trends

Traditional Fall fragrances are warm and spicy, like cinnamon and pumpkin. According to Debbie May of soap and candle supplier Wholesale Supplies Plus, the rising popularity of Farmer’s Markets and fresh fruit stands play a part in hot trends by many retailers. Look for fragrances based on fragrant herb and vegetable gardens. Some of these scents include tomato, cucumber, mints (eucalyptus, spearmint, peppermint), lemongrass and lavender.

According to Marie Claire magazine, new women’s fragrances are borrowing wood and musk notes from men’s fragrances. New Fall fragrance launches include Bvlgari Jasmin Noir, a woody floral fragrance, and Van Cleef & Arpels Féerie, a blend of violets, blackcurrant, Bulgarian Rose, Egyptian Jasmine, and Iris Butter.

Vintage seems to be hot this Fall. This month signals the launch of Inverse, Kylie Minogue’s first fragrance for men. It is described as oriental inspired with vintage woody notes. Supermodel Kate Moss takes vintage one step further by calling her new fragrance Vintage. The fragrance, due out next month is described as a vintage inspired floriental.

New Tax Rate for New Yorkers

Effective August 1, 2009 New York State residents add 8.875% sales tax to your orders.

Have You Entered Our Contest to Win a $50 Gift Certificate?

When he’s not acting as You Scent Me’s guinea pig, my husband Steve is an IT Trainer/Desktop Support Analyst in New York City. In February, Steve lost his job.

You Scent Me is offering a $50 gift certificate to the person(s) who comes up with a job lead or job hunting tip that directly results in Steve getting a job. While the position must be located in the New York City area, job hunting tips can come from anywhere. Maybe it’s something that’s worked for you in the past. Maybe it’s a tip you saw on Monster.com.

Contest rules: No purchase necessary to participate or win. Subscribe to this blog. Send your job leads, job hunting tips, etc to info at youscentme dot com & put “Blog Contest” in the subject line. Contest ends when Steve gets a job. Contest is only open to US residents. Not redeemable for cash. Void where prohibited.