Specialty soaps have grown in popularity over the past few years. Sure, bathing isn’t a new thing by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, the demand for unique, premium soaps are beginning to rise! Soaps that look beautiful and smell amazing have become great gifts for birthdays, thank you’s, and even travel souvenirs. Many even use these pretty soaps as a decorative piece in their bathroom.
The numbers prove that there’s something bubbling up: In fact, the global soap market size was USD 34.09 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 55.29 billion by 2027. About 118 million Americans say that they use at least one type of moisturizing bar soap over the course of a year. Fun fact: 6% of bar soaps on the market today promise exfoliating properties as one of their benefits.
Consumers these days have more niche preferences when it comes to soap options. Whether they prefer the exfoliation that a charcoal soap like Jack Black’s Charcoal Body Massaging Soap can bring, the moisture that comes from natural shea butter soap bars, or the convenience of a liquid soap like Herbivore’s Pink Clay Gentle Soap, one thing is clear… Your soap product needs to be unique in order to stand out from the crowd – and that starts with a specialty soap label and package design!
FDA Soap Label Requirements
Your specialty soap label can be the most creative and inspiring work of marketing genius to ever grace our planet, but if it doesn’t follow FDA guidelines, it won’t make its way to shelves; thus costing your business time and money in the process. Don’t let your creativity and investment go to waste! Before we go over how to create the perfect specialty soap label, let’s cover the FDA requirements to make sure your soap makes it to the market and into carts…
There are two primary locations on a soap label: the Principal Display Panel (PDP) and the Information Panel…
Principal Display Panel
- Statement of Identity – Statements of identity include the product name, a description of the product and the common name associated with the product (bar soap, lotion, etc.). The Statement of Identity should be bold and prominent on the principal display panel. There should be no confusion about what it is you are selling to the customer.
- Net Weight – Include the net weight of your product at the bottom 30% of the principal display panel, parallel to the base of the package. The net weight should be separate from any other written information so that it stays conspicuous.
Information Panel
- Ingredients List – The FDA requires that you list your ingredients in order of heaviest to lightest, even if the main ingredient is the lightest. Use the common name instead of the technical name, if applicable. It’s important to remember that if your product claims to treat disease or alter the human body, then it is classified as a drug by the FDA and must adhere to the regulations that accompany that classification.
- Manufacturer’s Party’s Name and Address – If you manufacture and package your cosmetic product yourself, list your company’s name and business address. If you partner with a separate manufacturer, packer, or distributor, you’ll need to list their company name and address. Either way, providing additional information like a phone number, email address, or another method of contact may be beneficial for your consumers if they have questions about the product.
- Warning Statements – In order to prevent health issues in consumers, warning statements are a must for certain products. Include directions on how to use your product, including steps in case your product is ingested. If you include a warning statement, make sure it is clear and easy to read at the time of purchase. The warning statement must be in bold font and can be no less than 1/16” in height.
Pro tip: With so many allergens popping up these days, it’s vital to protect your customers by making sure your ingredient list is clear, easy to read, and of course, accurate. Doing this will help ensure no one gets hurt and you’ll save your company from a potential lawsuit!
On Your Soapbox: Types of Soap Packaging
Now, let’s move on to the fun part…choosing packaging! There are many types to consider based on the form and ingredients of your product…
- Holster Boxes: Holster boxes don’t cover the entire bar of soap. Instead, they allow the top of your soap bar to peek out. If your soap has a vibrant color, design, or unique texture you’d like to show off, use holster boxes.
- Plastic Wrapping: If holster boxes aren’t your style and you’re looking for something more traditional, try using plastic wrapping. Plastic wrapping takes up less space when storing your soap, use that to your advantage. The only downside to this is that customers can’t smell your product before buying it.
- Fabric or Paper Wrapping: Fabric or paper wrapping gives your soap a more luxurious look and feel. Often, fabric and paper wrapping are biodegradable and eco-friendly. This is a big deal for many potential customers that value the environment!
- Sleeves: Sleeve packaging consists of a cardboard or paper band that wraps around the middle of the soap. The sleeve can have a design printed directly onto it, or a custom label can be applied on top of a plain one. These are great for giving customers a chance to feel, hold, and even smell your soaps.
Specialty Soap Label Design Tips
Your soap label design aesthetic should be both memorable and consistent. Creating and deciding on a great logo is an important step in the process, because it will be prevalent on all of your soap labels. Your label design should exude high quality ingredients and a premium product, letting the customer know that they are getting immense value!
Once you’ve covered the FDA requirements and chosen your soap packaging style, it’s time to design the label. This is where creativity comes in. The label is the first thing your customers see when they view your product. You’ll want to make a good first impression!
- Use Quality Packaging Materials: The grade of packaging materials you choose for your soaps is very important. This is especially true if you’re marketing small-batch, high-end soaps. Consumers have numerous options in stores and online, so using well-designed, quality packaging materials and labels will set your products apart from the competition.
- Choose Packaging that Supports your Brand: Every soap manufacturer has a unique brand that’s easily recognizable by customers. The soap packaging you choose should fit your brand and showcase it. Do you have a story to tell? Make sure to include it! And don’t forget to share your company values, for example: an all-natural or organic soap producer will want to focus on eco-friendly soap packaging ideas like using recycled or biodegradable materials.
- Make it Fun: Share a quote from your business’s mission statement, show off your eco-friendliness, add eye-catching trendy graphics, or even write up some lines about the power of fragrance. Show off the soap itself, especially if it has a unique color or texture. Make the buying and opening experience as interactive as possible. Is there a hashtag you want consumers to use on social media? Share that too!
- Keep it Neat: Consider the entire unboxing process for your customer. Will they have to tear into it to open the package? Is the package in shreds after the customer opens it? Design an unboxing process that is neat from the shelf to the recycling bin, making it easy to open without scissors while protecting your marketing efforts!
- Protect the Product: Is your packaging supposed to be resealed after each use? If so, choose durable materials that won’t lose the branding or smear important text after one use. Make your packaging easy to reuse (if necessary) in order to help customers avoid frustration and build credibility for your brand.
- Partner with the Professionals: You don’t have to create your custom labels alone! Team up with a premium professional label printer like M&R Label to make the label design process silky smooth. With over 30 years of industry experience, we’re the perfect place to create clean and impactful specialty soap labels. Whether you have questions about creating barcodes, managing label inventory, or drafting the perfect label design, M&R Label has the answers!
With these pro tips and expert advice, you are well on your way to creating the perfect specialty soap label! The secret to having your customers bubbling up with excitement over your products? Follow FDA guidelines, make your packaging design fun and interactive, and partner with label professionals like us who have years of industry experience!
