How to Label Aromatherapy Products (safely + legally)
Stay within FDA guidelines and label your Aromatherapy products well!
Yay! You're finally selling Aromatherapy products and essential oils!
You have worked so hard for this moment. You're proud of the quality of the essential oils you're selling, and you've formulated Aromatherapy recipes that truly support people. You've even found some beautiful bottles!
Now it's time to make the labels for your bottles . . .
And you're stumped.
What should you put on your labels?
You want to make a great first impression for your business. You want to be clear about what your product is and also to protect your customer (and yourself) with the right cautionary language.
I'm going to give you some helpful guidelines for how to label Aromatherapy products.
First, let's touch on the FDA . . .
In the United States, the FDA has a few categories that Aromatherapy products can fall into—"cosmetics" and "drugs."
If one of your Aromatherapy products is marketed as being medicinal . . . "intended for a therapeutic use, such as treating or preventing disease, or to affect the structure or function of the body, it's a drug."(That quote comes to us directly from the FDA's website.)
And drugs must be regulated by the FDA.
That means that it's important to label Aromatherapy products in a way that does not sound like they are "drugs" intended to heal or cure a medical condition.
Instead of "This oil treats arthritis," you can say, "This oil can soothe your joints."
Instead of "This product cures insomnia," you can say, "This product may help you relax."
That said, it is important to label Aromatherapy products in a way that tells your customers what they are for and how to use them.
You can also be sure to include caution and safety information—not only to protect your customers but also to protect yourself.
I found some excellent guidelines from the American Herbal Products Association about how to label Aromatherapy products!
These guidelines can be so helpful if you're selling individual essential oils, or products that you've made.
Here are their Aromatherapy product labeling guidelines...
These are for undiluted essential oils, but they apply to handmade Aromatherapy products, too.
Include cautionary language:
"Keep out of reach of children."
"For external use only" or "Not for internal use" or "Not for ingestion."
"Keep away from eyes and mucous membranes."
If you're selling pure essential oils, include the:
The Latin name of the plant.
Country of origin.
Plant part of the essential oil is produced from.
Include the amount of the product in the bottle. (Not the size of the bottle itself.)
If you're selling an Aromatherapy product you've made (not a pure, undiluted essential oil), then you should list ALL of the ingredients you've used, including their Latin names and chemotypes (if that's relevant).
Don't forget to include your business information on the product label!
Your business name
Your website
And if you like, your phone number
Now you know how to label Aromatherapy products safely!
Your Aromatherapy labels are often one of the first impressions that people get of your business.
They can help you create a reputation for quality, professionalism, and accountability for yourself. It's reassuring for your customers to know that you take your products seriously—and clear labeling helps!
By the way . . . the FDA regulations I mentioned above only hold true in the United States. Every country and region has its own version of the regulations. So that makes it even more important to be as accurate as possible on your labels and not to make medical claims.
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