• You must list the ingredients in the order that they appear in your formula. The ingredients must be identified by their botanical (INCI) name. A marketing description and use of the product is nice, as is the fragrance name, but it is not required unless the product use is not obvious or you are exporting to another country.

 

• The Department of Weights and Measures requires the actual weight of the product both in standard and metric to be disclosed on the label. Metric should be first to comply with EU requirements.

 

• Include any warning statements needed or required by law as with bubble baths or products containing AHA’s. IE: “Warning: Not for use in or around eyes.”

 

 

• A clear or frosted label stock needs to have an opaque liner material like craft or white to create the opacity for the “eye” to bounce off. An eye mark is needed on the back of the liner to create a virtual label that tells the eye to start and stop the machine so 1 label will come off at a time. Otherwise the machine will continue to apply multiple labels on the same container.

 

• When discussing how the label will be adhered, always assume the label will be applied by a machine. The liner your labels come adhered to needs to be strong enough to withstand the tension labeling machines create when applying your label. Ask for the thickest material your printer has in stock. This is usually discussed in “mils” or the weight of the stock.

 

• Make sure that your label company checks your projects containers to make sure the right adhesive is used. Make sure your label company has tested its adhesive on the type of bottle you are using, whether ours or yours.

 

 

• It is always a good idea to UV-coat or varnish your labels if they will be shipped or handled with wet hands. Also, paper labels should be coated with a UV or similar coating to avoid “scuffing” of the label in transport. It is preferable for toiletries with paper labels to have coating to guard against smearing when in contact with moisture. We will not be responsible for smeared or damaged labels. An uncoated label will almost certainly be damaged by an Essential Oil. Please be familiar with your ingredients and get a sample label from your printer to test your products on. A knowledgeable company will know what materials will resist the majority of elements.

 

• A good way to describe to a printer what kind of label stock you will be needing is to let them know what kind of environment your final product will be in. i.e. Bathroom, Counter top, Purse, Travel, etc. In most cases, it is best to design for the “bathroom” environment. In this case a poly material, as opposed to paper, is suitable with a permanent adhesive and a resistant UV type coating.

 

• We do not label tubes, but if you do, be in close contact with your printer in discussing the materials. Take your time and ask for samples. Tubes require some very unique poly materials that allow for the flex when squeezed. Paper and most standard poly materials will wrinkle and cause permanent “rivers” in the label surface. This allows air and moisture underneath the label which will eventually peel and/or tear your label. You may want to consider screening any tubes. Contact us for a quote.

 

• Clear labels have a great shelf appeal and look professional yet they do have a few pitfalls. They are an excellent choice for the “seamless” effect like silk-screening. Unlike silk-screen though, any surface flaw in the bottle will show in the adhesive or in air bubbles. Dust, oils and fingerprints are all likely to cause poor adhesion to the bottle surface and for the most part can be avoided, the manufacturing of your bottle cannot though. Bottles are created from a cast or mold that is injected with the surface material, then cooled and so on. In this process, seams are created on either side (usually 180° apart). These are on almost all bottles, glass or plastic, and are not normally visible to the eye until a clear label is applied. The seam will run from the top to the bottom of the container. When your product is labeled in any quantity, there is a chance that a few of these seams will show up across the logo or text. Depending on the design of your label and bottle in addition to the machinery

 

• UPC Codes: Your label company should help you establish your UPC numbers, if you so desire. These are not required by law, but some larger retailers prefer that you have them. More info can be obtained by checking out their website for details at www.uc-council.org.

 

• When making your labels, allow extra time to get them to us. Your production time quote does not start until we receive all items to be used in your order production such as labels, bottles, fragrances, or special ingredients. You should also let us review your proof before approving them for print. Ultimately you are responsible, but it is always nice to have a second set of eyes.

 

• We must see and approve the shape and size of your labels prior to quoting pricing and scheduling a production run. Odd shapes or larger sizes many not fit on our machine and may require hand labeling, which is more expensive, but possible.

 

• The label core size required to fit our machine is a 3” core. Label direction is number 3 with an 1/8” separation.

 

Essential Wholesale

8850 SE Herbert Court