Have you been keeping track of the FDA lately? Reading their regulations’ and requirements? Perusing their reports on vacation? No? If you buy, make or sell bath/body products you may want to freshen up on current new regulations.
If you’ve been on our web site this week you probably have noticed some new descriptions, a change to our ingredients’ dictionary and overall wording edits.
I’m not going to go into long, boring details but let’s hit the highlights. The FDA isn’t happy with certain essential oil MLM companies that have been marketing their products with dramatic medical claims in the last couple years. You know the ones: “This cures cancer!” and of course the “This stops Ebola” claim. To stop these potential dangerous activities, the FDA has become adamant about ending all medical claims on products that are not tested as OTC (over the counter) drugs. And which testing can take thousands of dollars and years to complete for EACH product.
How does this affect me you ask? If you sell products in a retail location then you are responsible to make sure products and marketing materials are not stating any claims. Do you make products? Then you can’t have labels or marketing materials stating anything other than a “beauty” claim. As a consumer how does this pertain to you? Well you need to know this is meant to keep you safe. Knowing just how a product or its’ ingredients can benefit you and your skin is important.
Knowledge is power, right? The FDA wants you to be able to trust US based companies. To know exactly what is in your products and also not be mislead into information that is not tested in a lab.
So what has changed?
Non OTC companies can NOT say what benefits are derived from ingredients even if they have been proven in labs or by years of general use. We can not, for example, tell you on our web site, social media outlets or label that Tea Tree Essential Oil is used as an
Anti-Septic. We can explain how tea tree oil is created and how is smells…nothing else. We can not say that Shea butter heals chapped lips. We can tell you that a product is made with Shea butter and tea tree essential oil. We can say it has a stimulating aroma and may feel moisturizing.
Now also note medical claims may not be listed on the label or web site, but they can not be mentioned in social media either. This goes for customer testimonials too. If you have a retail location, the marketing materials you use or facebook page you update can not detail out benefits of an ingredient or make any claims. This goes for anyone that can post to your page. So I’m pointing this out for everyone who sells product or posts on social media.
This will take time for all companies to become compliant but it is happening. Complete compliance with all new regulations will take a little time but be on the look out and be aware.
Questions? Go ahead and ask and we’ll try our best to answer them!
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