How to Label your Products

 

New to Product Labeling? Start Here.

If this is your first time creating a product under your own brand, labeling can feel like one of the most confusing parts of the process.

We’ll help make it easier.

This guide explains the basic labeling requirements for MamaSuds Private + White Label products intended for sale in the United States, along with the additional requirements we have for products manufactured in our facility.

Before you print anything: All Private + White Label artwork must be submitted to and approved by MamaSuds before labels are printed.

Please don’t order a large quantity of labels first and ask us to review them afterward. We really don’t want you stuck with labels you can’t use.

Selling Outside the United States?

Labeling requirements vary by country.

If your products will be sold internationally, it is your responsibility to make sure your labels comply with the laws and regulations of every country where the product will be sold.

The information on this page is intended for products sold in the United States.

What Does Every Label Need?

The exact requirements can vary depending on what type of product you’re selling, but there are a few basic pieces of information you should plan for on every label.

Product Identity

Your customer needs to be able to tell what the product actually is.

Your brand name or creative product name alone may not clearly identify the product.

For example:

Bare
Body Wash

or

Fresh Home
All-Purpose Cleaner

“Body Wash” and “All-Purpose Cleaner” tell the customer what they’re actually buying.

Net Quantity

The front of your package needs to clearly show how much product is inside.

For liquids, the quantity is generally expressed by volume.

Example:
Net 16 fl oz (473 mL)

For solid or powdered products, the quantity is generally expressed by weight.

Example:
Net Wt 5 oz (142 g)

The net quantity belongs on the front of the package, toward the bottom of the label.

For products sold in the United States, plan to include both U.S. customary and metric measurements.

Ingredients

MamaSuds requires an ingredient declaration on all Private + White Label products we manufacture, even when a particular product may not otherwise be federally required to display one.

Ingredient transparency is an important part of how we do business.

If you are using an existing MamaSuds formula, we will provide you with the ingredient information needed for your label.

For custom or contract-manufactured products, the appropriate ingredient names and order will depend on the formula and product category.

Please do not rewrite, shorten, rename, rearrange, or otherwise change an ingredient declaration we provide without approval.

Who Manufactured the Product?

This is one of the most important parts to understand.

Manufactured by Bluemark Products LLC

Bluemark Products LLC is a subsidiary of MamaSuds LLC and is the entity we use for private and white label manufacturing. Bluemark is covered under our product liability insurance.

Unless another arrangement has been approved, your product label will identify Bluemark Products LLC as the manufacturer.

We will provide you with the exact manufacturer statement and business information that should appear on your label.

It will follow this general format:

Manufactured by Bluemark Products LLC
Goodrich, MI 48438

Your own brand still appears prominently on the product. This statement simply identifies the company manufacturing the product.

Don't Want Bluemark Listed on Your Label?

That is an option, but additional requirements apply.

If you want your own company identified on the label instead of Bluemark Products LLC, the wording must accurately describe your company’s relationship to the product.

Depending on the project, that may look like:

Manufactured for Your Company LLC

or

Distributed by Your Company LLC

Your legal business name and required business information must also appear on the label.

MamaSuds requires you to carry your own product liability insurance if you choose not to identify Bluemark Products LLC as the manufacturer.

A current copy of your product liability insurance must be provided to MamaSuds and kept on file before your label can be approved.

This is a MamaSuds manufacturing requirement.

Is Your Product a Cosmetic?

Products intended to be used on the human body may fall under FDA cosmetic regulations.

This can include products such as body washes, facial cleansers, body-care products, and similar personal-care items depending on their formula, intended use, and the claims made about them.

Cosmetics have additional labeling requirements.

These can include:

  • Ingredient declaration

  • Product identity

  • Net quantity

  • Appropriate manufacturer, packer, or distributor information

  • Contact information required for the company legally responsible for the cosmetic product

We’ll let you know when your project falls into this category so the appropriate information can be included before your label is approved.

A Special Note About Soap

Calling a product “soap” does not automatically make it legally classified as soap.

Under federal regulations, a product generally qualifies as traditional or “true soap” when its cleansing action comes from the alkali salts of fatty acids and the product is marketed only for cleansing.

The claims you make about the product matter.

If you begin making cosmetic or medical claims about a soap, the product may fall into a different regulatory category.

Household Cleaning Products

Laundry products, household cleaners, dishwasher products, oxygen powders, toilet cleaners, and other household-use products are regulated differently from cosmetics.

Your label will still need the basics we’ve already covered, including:

  • Product identity

  • Net quantity

  • Manufacturer, packer, or distributor information

  • MamaSuds-required ingredient declaration

Depending on the formula, some household products may also require specific:

  • Directions

  • Precautions

  • Warning statements

  • First-aid information

  • Storage or handling instructions

If warning or precautionary language is required for your product, it must remain on the label.

Required safety information cannot be removed, shortened, or rewritten simply to make the label look better.

Be Careful With Product Claims

What you say about a product can change how that product is regulated.

This applies not only to the physical label, but also to claims made on your website, packaging, advertising, social media, or other marketing materials.

Avoid Medical Claims

Do not make claims such as:

  • Treats eczema

  • Treats acne

  • Heals psoriasis

  • Prevents infection

  • Treats a medical condition

unless the product has specifically been developed and legally cleared or approved to make those claims.

A customer's personal experience with a product does not automatically make that claim legal to use in your marketing.

Cleaning Is Not the Same as Disinfecting

There is also an important regulatory difference between cleaning and disinfecting or sanitizing.

Claims such as:

  • Disinfects

  • Sanitizes

  • Kills germs

  • Kills bacteria

  • Kills viruses

can move a household cleaning product into a different regulatory category.

Unless your product has specifically been registered or approved to make those claims, do not use them on your label, website, packaging, advertising, or marketing materials.

When in doubt, ask us before you print or publish it.

What Should Go on the Front of the Label?

Keep the front easy for the customer to understand.

Plan space for:

YOUR BRAND

PRODUCT NAME / PRODUCT IDENTITY

NET QUANTITY

For example:

YOUR BRAND

Lavender Body Wash

Net 16 fl oz (473 mL)

You can absolutely incorporate your own branding, fonts, colors, graphics, and personality around the required information.

What Goes on the Back or Side?

Depending on your product, this will generally include:

Directions for use

Ingredients

Required warnings or precautions, if applicable

Manufacturer, packer, or distributor information

Required contact information for the product category

You may also add things such as your brand story, product benefits, certifications, icons, website, social media information, and other marketing copy as long as the information is truthful and doesn't interfere with required labeling.

Before You Print Your Labels

This part is important:

Send your final label artwork to MamaSuds for approval BEFORE you have your labels printed.

We’ll review your artwork for the manufacturing information and product information required for your particular project.

If changes are needed, we’ll let you know.

Once the label has been approved, you can have your labels printed and shipped to our facility for production.

Please do not send labels to print until you have received approval from MamaSuds.

It’s much easier to fix a PDF than 5,000 printed labels.

A Few Things to Remember

Your label is more than your logo. Your branding needs to work alongside legally required product information.

Claims matter. The words you use can affect how your product is regulated.

Don't guess at ingredients. Use the ingredient information provided and approved by MamaSuds.

Don't print first and ask later. Let us review the artwork before you spend money printing labels.

Your label can still look like your brand. Compliance doesn't mean boring. We simply need to make sure the required information is included and accurate.

If you're unsure, ask. We'd much rather answer a question before production than try to fix a problem afterward.

Selling Internationally?

This guide applies to products intended for sale in the United States.

Every country has its own requirements regarding product labeling, ingredient declarations, language, measurements, warnings, responsible-party information, claims, and other regulatory requirements.

If you plan to sell your products outside the United States, you are responsible for determining and complying with the applicable laws and regulations in each country where your products will be sold.

Please let us know during the planning stage if your products are intended for international distribution.

Still Have Questions?

That's okay. Product labeling can be confusing, especially the first time you do it.

Send us your questions or your draft label before you print anything.

We'd much rather help you get it right the first time.

EMAIL US YOUR LABEL QUESTIONS