# Does this label need more or less.



## lobosolo (Jan 23, 2019)

So my daughter and I have been making soap for a little over a year now and want to try a farmers market. Her grandmother in another state already has a little soap business and inspired us to try it. So in wanting to keep my costs down and keep my labels fairly simple , this is what I have so far. I am a little worried the cigar band style may not be enough ?  just wondering what your thoughts are. Comments and criticisms welcome as I would like to get my ducks in row before this summer when market season starts.


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## Dawni (Jan 23, 2019)

Wow those are cute! Sorry, wouldn't know anything about costs but I just came by to admire these, and the soap hehe

Is the print on both sides?

What do you mean by "the cigar band style may not be enough?" I mean, what are you worried about?

I've seen lots of displays where people use only those, some shrink wrap and then use the bands, shrink wrap with a small label inside, and some people have none whatsoever lol

I've also seen rows of "naked" soaps on display, and only get a label when they've been bought, and those soaps come from "inside" not from the display.

What's your plan? Those with market experience will help you better


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## dixiedragon (Jan 23, 2019)

I think that's really cute. My only issue is there's no scent label on the soap. Is it peppermint, hence the picture of the peppermint?

One downside is that your label offers no protection for the soap. If you have pets, soap loves to collect hair!


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## MarnieSoapien (Jan 23, 2019)

I think they are super cute. Personally, I like that you don't have them shrink-wrapped. I would suggest putting the fragrance on the front and moving the ingredients to the back.


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## artemis (Jan 23, 2019)

As a customer, I think simple is best. Tell me your name, what the fragrance is, ingredients and I'm good, in an attractive font. I don't even need a picture on the label-- the soap itself is a good enough visual, in my opinion. 

Regarding fragrance names, I'm also one of those people who would rather know what it smells like, rather than some kind of romanticized name. "Peppermint" instead of "Christmas Joy," for example.


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## shunt2011 (Jan 23, 2019)

You also need to list your colorants and a weight on the front of the label.  Both in wt and grams.


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## lobosolo (Jan 23, 2019)

shunt2011 said:


> You also need to list your colorants and a weight on the front of the label.  Both in wt and grams.


Ah, weight. using hot process so my numbers vary. is there a good way to say 4oz or more ? like "weighing approximately 4- 4.5 oz." ?


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## shunt2011 (Jan 23, 2019)

@lobosolo I weigh all my bars and list the weight of the smallest. I also don't label/wrap until they are fully cured - 4-6 weeks.  Some longer.


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## MGM (Jan 23, 2019)

lobosolo said:


> Ah, weight. using hot process so my numbers vary. is there a good way to say 4oz or more ? like "weighing approximately 4- 4.5 oz." ?


I'd say you could write ~4oz. I've seen people who put "minimum 4 oz" --like you're guaranteeing you get at least what's on the label and maybe a bit more


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## Dean (Jan 23, 2019)

lobosolo said:


> So my daughter and I have been making soap for a little over a year now and want to try a farmers market. Her grandmother in another state already has a little soap business and inspired us to try it. So in wanting to keep my costs down and keep my labels fairly simple , this is what I have so far. I am a little worried the cigar band style may not be enough ?  just wondering what your thoughts are. Comments and criticisms welcome as I would like to get my ducks in row before this summer when market season starts.



That’s gorgeous soap!   I like how the orange color in label picks up on the orange color of the soap.  Only thing...do u need two graphics...earth and candy?


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## Donee' (Jan 23, 2019)

Rather wrap soaps - better for hygiene and presentation - plus markts get very dusty and sometimes muddy.
I agree on the two logos - only make one logo - and put scent on.
Love love your fonts though - what did you use?


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## lobosolo (Jan 23, 2019)

I think I need a few colors that pop on each label and attract the eye to our product. We have another Soaper in town and she sell to a much higher end client then my target market. A lot of her soaps are beautiful CP swirls with "fancy" names but her packaging is very plain. A lot of the women in my office have her soaps but never use them as they were gifts and they just display them. My market is geared towards the city family who want local/handmade items. I have my booth designs ready and want my product to attract people and their children as I make soaps in "kid sized" bars as well. 

I print these on my laser printer and get 8 labels per sheet, a full sheet cost 2 cent a page (aprox.) and these use way less ink then that. So I think at this cost point, adding more color is fine until it over whelms the label or get too gaudy.

Gabriola is the free font. I use all opensource stock photos, images and fonts until it gets a little warmer out and I can get out and shoot pictures of our actual soaps outdoors.


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## Donee' (Jan 23, 2019)

lobosolo said:


> I think I need a few colors that pop on each label and attract the eye to our product. We have another Soaper in town and she sell to a much higher end client then my target market. A lot of her soaps are beautiful CP swirls with "fancy" names but her packaging is very plain. A lot of the women in my office have her soaps but never use them as they were gifts and they just display them. My market is geared towards the city family who want local/handmade items. I have my booth designs ready and want my product to attract people and their children as I make soaps in "kid sized" bars as well.
> 
> I print these on my laser printer and get 8 labels per sheet, a full sheet cost 2 cent a page (aprox.) and these use way less ink then that. So I think at this cost point, adding more color is fine until it over whelms the label or get too gaudy.


Why not do different colours for diffrent scents?


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## lobosolo (Jan 23, 2019)

Donee' said:


> Why not do different colours for diffrent scents?


I use different images for different scents. for example my lemon/teatree. this is an older label, still trying to standardize my labels. and get them all cohesive. I like the idea of ingredients on the back, I will need to mark it up tonight and see how it goes. As well as adding weight.


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## Donee' (Jan 23, 2019)

Stunning


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## Alien (Jan 23, 2019)

lobosolo said:


> So my daughter and I have been making soap for a little over a year now and want to try a farmers market. Her grandmother in another state already has a little soap business and inspired us to try it. So in wanting to keep my costs down and keep my labels fairly simple , this is what I have so far. I am a little worried the cigar band style may not be enough ?  just wondering what your thoughts are. Comments and criticisms welcome as I would like to get my ducks in row before this summer when market season starts.


These look great, I love it that so much of your beautiful soap shows so that customers can see what they will be getting!


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## amd (Jan 23, 2019)

lobosolo said:


> Ah, weight. using hot process so my numbers vary. is there a good way to say 4oz or more ? like "weighing approximately 4- 4.5 oz." ?


I believe the correct "legal" way to note weight for soap is: Net Weight __ oz (__g)
My soaps vary in weight from 4.3 oz to 4.7 oz so I label mine at 4.0 oz. Soaps that might sit on my shelf for a year, never drop under 4.0 oz, so I'm still good. Most customers don't look at weight, they will evaluate based on size. A soapmaker friend of mine writes in each individual weight on each bar, but she doesn't make alot of soap.

I don't like the phrase on the label "Made with Earths finest elements". Sodium hydroxide is man made, so it isn't made with "natural" ingredients as the label implies. Also if you use mica colorants or FO's, those aren't natural either. If you do decide to keep it, I think it should be fixed to "Earth's" as there is only one Earth, and your are giving ownership of the elements to Earth. (Maybe 1 in 5 people will notice this or even care... but a typo or misspelling on my own labels will drive me nuts!)


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## Obsidian (Jan 23, 2019)

On your ingredient list, they must be listed most to least by weight. So unless you are adding more tea tree oil then water and lye, your order is wrong. 

I also don't like the phrase earths finest elements, makes me think of dirt and minerals. Also sounds like a market ploy which I don't care for.


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## Lin19687 (Jan 24, 2019)

ditto last 2 comments


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## shunt2011 (Jan 24, 2019)

I agree with the above.  If you're going to sell it's only makes sense to do thing properly.  I believe in honesty and being up front.  I don't claim anything with my products.  Other than vegan or not.   I list all ingredients carefully in the correct order.  Making labels simple and eye-catching without a lot of unnecessary stuff on them.   My soap are close to 5.5 oz.  I label them 5 oz,  I weigh them all from each batch to see if anything falls or may fall below that and adjust my labels for that batch accordingly by the lowest weight.


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## penelopejane (Jan 24, 2019)

They are nice and simple!

My personal thoughts are:
I would really like it if you had your commas consistently straight after the word and then a space or not a space but be consistent.

More colours and “things” on your label detracts from the soap.

I won’t buy a soap that has been touched by goodness know how many people. So I’d prefer it if the soap was wrapped or shrink wrapped before the cigar hand goes on. I don’t touch my soap without gloves so people are assured of a completely untouched soap. That might just be me but if it’s important to me it might be important to others.

I label like shunt with a fixed minimum weight. It’s about 15g below the actual soap weight so I know it is right even after cure.


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## KimT2au (Jan 24, 2019)

Gorgeous soap and lovely labels.  I hate to do it but I disagree with the above, I do like the phase, "made with the earth's finest ingredients".  It's a load of twaddle as none of us are actually scouring the earth and testing various ingredients but I think it sounds like a good marketing tool.  I would move the ingredients to the back to free up white space on the front, do you have to include lye in your list of ingredients?  I understand that that sort of thing varies from state to state in the US.  I would label at "approx Xoz weight".  My only big change would be once you have moved the list of ingredients to the rear of the label to bring those two side images in so they sit on the front of the bar and are not wrapping around the soap.  By bringing the images to the front you are concentrating the eye fully, I would then put the fragrance or soap name squarely between those two images.  Good luck at the markets as your soap and your labels look fantastic.


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## cmzaha (Jan 24, 2019)

dixiedragon said:


> I think that's really cute. My only issue is there's no scent label on the soap. Is it peppermint, hence the picture of the peppermint?
> 
> One downside is that your label offers no protection for the soap. If you have pets, soap loves to collect hair!


And loves to get dirty when attending outdoor markets



MarnieSoapien said:


> I think they are super cute. Personally, I like that you don't have them shrink-wrapped. I would suggest putting the fragrance on the front and moving the ingredients to the back.


I shrink wrap all my soaps and my customers appreciate the fact they are wrapped. In the years I have been selling I have never had a complaint about shrink wrap. My issue with cigar bands that are not under shrink wrap will eventually fall off as the soap shrinks. Especially when packing and unpacking for markets. I even put my labels under my shrink wrap so they do not get beat up



MGM said:


> I'd say you could write ~4oz. I've seen people who put "minimum 4 oz" --like you're guaranteeing you get at least what's on the label and maybe a bit more


 Using the word minimum or approx is not allowed when properly labeling weight

Also the your lye needs to be listed since you have labeled your soap as what goes in the pot. You have two choices what goes in the pot or what comes out of the pot.


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## dixiedragon (Jan 24, 2019)

If you don't want to invest in shrink wrapping at this point, you could get some glassine bags.

https://www.papermart.com/square-glassine-bags/id=21660?searchitemnumber=112222

Have one or two bars out for display and the rest bagged. You could leave the bag untaped so people can double check.


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## cmzaha (Jan 24, 2019)

dixiedragon said:


> If you don't want to invest in shrink wrapping at this point, you could get some glassine bags.
> 
> https://www.papermart.com/square-glassine-bags/id=21660?searchitemnumber=112222
> 
> Have one or two bars out for display and the rest bagged. You could leave the bag untaped so people can double check.


I know a gal that puts all her soaps in glassine bags, but if I remember shrink wrap from Paper Mart is less costly.


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## Zany_in_CO (Jan 24, 2019)

Pretty snazzy labels there, Lobo! I'm quite drawn to them. I like the clip art for the fragrances. Clever. I'm with @amd, watch your punctuation... i.e., Post #1, there should be a space between the comma and the next oil; a semi-colon after "oils"; a comma after "Soy Wax"; no space between "Shea Butter" and the comma. I know, picky, picky, picky! 


lobosolo said:


> ...A lot of her soaps are beautiful CP swirls with "fancy" names but her packaging is very plain. A lot of the women in my office have her soaps but never use them as they were gifts and they just display them.


Interesting. A good observation on your part. I agree that sometimes soaps get so "artistic" people aren't inclined to use them. Yours are just perfect in that regard. I'd have no problem lathering right up with either of those lovely bars! Pretty and practical. Well done.

Keep up the good work!


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## dixiedragon (Jan 25, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> I know a gal that puts all her soaps in glassine bags, but if I remember shrink wrap from Paper Mart is less costly.


But then she'd need an impulse sealer, and they've really gone up! I got mine for $35 but now I see them for $80.


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## cmzaha (Jan 25, 2019)

dixiedragon said:


> But then she'd need an impulse sealer, and they've really gone up! I got mine for $35 but now I see them for $80.


You can pay almost any price you want for impulse sealers. They are as low as $17.99 on Amazon. I paid 25.99 for my last sealer. It is certainly not as nice as my more expensive one that went out last year, but it works okay

I just checked the prices on Glassine Bags versus shrink wrap Glassine are 0.0168 seach and shrink bags are 0.0125 each so not much difference.


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## dixiedragon (Jan 25, 2019)

Lobosolo, if you do decide to go with an impulse sealer, DON'T turn it up to 11! ask me how I know, lol.


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## cmzaha (Jan 25, 2019)

dixiedragon said:


> Lobosolo, if you do decide to go with an impulse sealer, DON'T turn it up to 11! ask me how I know, lol.


Mine seals fine on #3


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## MarnieSoapien (Jan 25, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> And loves to get dirty when attending outdoor markets
> 
> 
> I shrink wrap all my soaps and my customers appreciate the fact they are wrapped. In the years I have been selling I have never had a complaint about shrink wrap. My issue with cigar bands that are not under shrink wrap will eventually fall off as the soap shrinks. Especially when packing and unpacking for markets. I even put my labels under my shrink wrap so they do not get beat up



 I totally understand the logic behind shrink wrapping. I am looking for alternatives to single use, non-recyclable plastic. Can't win them all?


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## amd (Jan 25, 2019)

I think there is a biodegradable shrink wrap, but I'm not sure how available it is. I haven't dug into it. Heck, I just started using recycled PCW (post consumer waste) sticker labels in the last two months. I balance it in my mind as that one shrink wrap label is a lot less plastic than one plastic bottle of body wash. So even if I figure two bars of soap to one bottle of body wash, I'm still making a difference.

I'm kind of with the others about not having naked soap. I have bought soap without shrink wrap, but very fussily. If their soap looks dirty or manhandled, it's not coming home with me. I like the shrink wrap bands better than sealing the bags around the soap.


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## penelopejane (Jan 25, 2019)

MarnieSoapien said:


> I totally understand the logic behind shrink wrapping. I am looking for alternatives to single use, non-recyclable plastic. Can't win them all?


You can use cellophane (the real stuff made from wood).  It is recyclable and it breathes.   
Another alternative is paper.


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## Jill B Blasius (Jan 25, 2019)

First, there are font size requirements for your ingredients:
https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/Labeling/Regulations/ucm126444.htm

Ask a few friends over for a "focus group" (like you're doing here, but you're getting what your _potential customers_ prefer).

Show them the options you have or ask them what they'd like better or suggest. Give them each a soap for participating.

Here's what I did - I took a shoebox of soap into work and asked the folks what they would prefer if buying at a craft fair/market. I had various types of packaging:

soap left out naked in a wood crate and wrapped in tissue at purchase, contents label on tissue paper
shrink wrapped - completely sealed, paper label inside wrapper
shrink wrapped - one end open, paper label glued on outside
wide cigar band label top to bottom, shrink wrapped completely (sides showing)
a cigar band label side to side, unwrapped (top and bottom showing)
partially boxed - no shrink wrap, back and bottom fully covered, with front 3/4 covered, sides and top open, with a vertical and horizontal washi tape so soap can't be removed from "box" (which they would pick apart and open, like customers _will_ do!)
an open ended slide out style box, with a front cut out, soap unwrapped
completely boxed (or wrapped in tissue paper and taped shut) and just presented with a sample bar to see and smell
95% of them wanted a shrink wrapped soap, even the vegan (the plastic didn't bother her as much as others touching her soap). One person was a male, the rest female. Guess who that 5% was that didn't care!?

They preferred #3 *and* would have liked it in the #7 box. They said they'd like to see and smell _the actual  piece of soap_ they are buying, but have it wrapped for sanitary reasons and boxed so it wouldn't be damaged after purchase. 

They did not care most for seeing a sample soap and buying an unseen bar wrapped (#1 or #8). Nor did they like the label inside the shrink wrap (#2), they thought that was... "Ewe, gross". (Who woulda thought?!)

I made boxes from card stock - 2 boxes per page (100 pack on sale 50% off and a "damage discount" for the package being unwrapped - $5.62 total) and I got the shrink wrap - 200pcs for $5 - $7 w/shipping? - on Amazon.

So the total cost would be would be 5 cents each bar for the shrink wrap_* and *_box. Not much to pay for enticing a customer to buy your product over someone else's.

Just my five cents....


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## Mississippi soapmaker (Jan 26, 2019)

Jill B Blasius said:


> First, there are font size requirements for your ingredients:
> https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/Labeling/Regulations/ucm126444.htm
> 
> Ask a few friends over for a "focus group" (like you're doing here, but you're getting what your _potential customers_ prefer).
> ...


  Can you describe how you make the boxes from cardstock?  Thanks.


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## lsg (Jan 26, 2019)

I will give you a link to a template maker, but you may be better off buying them pre-made.  However, if you want to give it a try, here is the link.

https://www.templatemaker.nl/


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## Lin19687 (Jan 26, 2019)

Also note that if you are ONLY claiming the soap is SOAP and does nothing, nothing special about it other then it cleans... you can opt to not put the ingredients.  So long as it is a True Soap and not a detergent.  I think, might be wrong, that M&P needs to have ingredients listed.


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## Carl (Jan 26, 2019)

They look good IMO with the suggestions from above.  I don't mind the slogan as others have mentioned.
What about a batch number?  You can use a really small (font size) number on the back to uniquely identify the batch.


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## SideDoorSoaps (Jan 27, 2019)

The only other thing people haven’t mentioned is manufactured by and address. From Marie Gale’s site on labeling soap: A true soap is exempt from FDA cosmetic regulations, and is the labeling requirements are governed by the Fair Packaging and Labeling act.  The name of the product, net weight and name and address of the manufacturer, distributor or packager are required on the label; the ingredient declaration is not required.

https://www.mariegale.com/ingredient-labels-soap/

I’m a graphic designer and while your labels are cute and eye-catching, they could be organized better. Your logo doesn’t have to be so large or even on the front panel of your label however it does say soap so that it the identity of your product. I would put the ingredients on the back and have the name and net weight requirements on the front as required on the principle display panel. You could put your little tag line smaller across the top of the label and then soap as the largest element of the label followed by the type and weight in grams and ounces. The weight should be the least amount your product weighs. It’s not allowable to say “approx”. Put the manufacturing/address on the back and it doesn’t have to be large. These are the requirement just if labeling as “soap”

As a cosmetic: The principal display panel, i.e., the part of the label most likely displayed or examined under customary conditions of display for sale (21 CFR 701.10), must state the name of the product, identify by descriptive name or illustration the nature or use of the product, and bear an accurate statement of the net quantity of contents of the cosmetic in the package in terms of weight, measure, numerical count, or a combination of numerical count and weight or measure. The declaration must be distinct, placed in the bottom area of the panel in line generally parallel to the base on which the package rests, and in a type size commensurate with the size of the container as prescribed by regulation. 

Also the ingredients can’t be less than 1/16th” or 1/32” depending on the total square inches of your label.


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## madison (Jan 28, 2019)

What about the batch number? How important for soap?


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