Home address on labels

[green soap]

from the horse's mouth:

http://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/guidancecomplianceregulatoryinformation/ucm074201.htm

and this is copied right from that link:


....."And what if it's "soap"?

Soap is a category that needs special explanation. That's because the regulatory definition of "soap" is different from the way in which people commonly use the word. Products that meet the definition of "soap" are exempt from the provisions of the FD&C Act because—even though Section 201(i)(1) of the act includes "articles...for cleansing" in the definition of a cosmetic—Section 201(i)(2) excludes soap from the definition of a cosmetic.

How FDA defines "soap"

"Not every product marketed as soap meets FDA's definition of the term. FDA interprets the term "soap" to apply only when

the bulk of the nonvolatile matter in the product consists of an alkali salt of fatty acids and the product's detergent properties are due to the alkali-fatty acid compounds, and
the product is labeled, sold, and represented solely as soap [21 CFR 701.20].

Products that meet this definition of soap are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission disclaimer icon (CPSC), not by FDA. Please direct questions about these products, such as safety and labeling requirements, to CPSC..."


So as you see, the FDA tells us that soap is regulated by the CPSC. This is very interesting that CPSC responded that soap is not under their jurisdiction. Neither the FDA nor the CPSC want anything to do with soap apparently.

 

[Squeaky]

Thank you! My post could have been better worded. Yes the CPSC would technically regulate soap. But they have no rules about labeling. Not unless there's enough lye left in the soap it would be hazardous. So, I don't know why it goes around that the CPSC has labeling rules for soap. The FDA doesn't actually say that. If you run "CPSC Soap Labeling" through a search engine, you get other forums, soapers, and websites that claim the CPSC has rules and will list them, when in fact they don't have any labeling rules or guidelines at all.

They didn't actually outright say that soap is not in their jurisdiction, that's more my own summary of what they said. Here's their reply.

The CPSC does not have regulations for bath soap or hand soap. For either type of soap to require labeling under the CPSC, it must fit the criteria in the 2 paragraphs below.

The Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) requires hazardous household products ("hazardous substances") to bear labeling that alerts consumers to the potential hazards that those products present and that tells them what they need to do to protect themselves and their children from those hazards. Whether a product must be labeled depends on its contents and the likelihood that consumers will be exposed to any hazards it presents.

To require labeling, a product must first be toxic, corrosive, flammable or combustible, an irritant, or a strong sensitizer, or it must generate pressure through decomposition, heat, or other means. Second, the product must have the potential to cause substantial personal injury or substantial illness during or as a result of any customary or reasonably foreseeable handling or use, including reasonably foreseeable ingestion by children.

Which makes sense to me if you consider what all the CPSC actually handles. Product recalls and safety guidelines for potentially dangerous/hazardous products and materials.

It's the the Fair Labeling and Packaging Act that has most of the label requirements. Including those most often falsely attributed to the CPSC.

http://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/rule...eform-proceedings/fair-packaging-labeling-act

Isn't the address petition still pending? I don't recall ever seeing that they arrived at any decision about it. I wonder if there's some way to bolster support for it, let them know that there are a lot of businesses out there that this impacts.

 

[Cococamila]

I have an Etsy shop not for soap
Selling though. The shipping labels I print from Etsy show my home address. I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe in the pictures you wouldn't want to show your address but the buyer will see your address on the shipping label unless you have a diffrent address listed. For example a po box. I'm not trying to persuade anyone anyway as I have no knowledge of FDA or other laws but just bringing up the fact that the shipping label has your address on it. Also if you purchased a domain name and you did not secure your info so it is shown on Whois or similar sites they can find it there too.