If your soap is simply soap and not considered a drug (such as acne medication soap, psoriasis soap, sunscreen soap, etc) according to the FDA, it does not require a label. Soaps purchased here at SOAP BY THE LOAF are simply considered soap.
However, I’ve always found that I preferred to label the soaps listing the ingredients. I think customers appreciate knowing exactly what is in a bar of soap they are going to be putting on their skin. Since our soaps contain real essential oils, there is always the possibility that a customer could be allergic to a certain essential oil and they would certainly need to know it is in the recipe. One customer we have primarily buys our other body products and not our soap because she is allergic to coconut oil.
snapshot of our simple soap labels, printed on thick Inkjet paper, 4 labels to a sheet, printed landscape.
If anything, properly labeling your soaps can be very helpful in selling. Some customers are looking for certain oils or blends of oils. I’ve had many customers who had purchased handmade soaps from other companies in the past. When they moved or the other company went out of business, they would come to us trying to find a close replacement for their favorite bar. One lady wanted a soap with patchouli, orange and cinnamon — that would be our pomander soap. So, having the ingredients on the labels can help your customers make their selections. Anything that makes it easier for the customer can increase your sales.
Below, you will find an example of the way we like to list the ingredients on our retail soaps labels. We will use our Clove Soap as a model –
Ingredients: saponified oils of palm, olive, coconut, sunflower, and shea butter.
Essentials oils: Clove bud. Botanicals: powdered cloves.
Handmade and hand-cut in Tennessee by certified aromatherapists.
Labels also keep your company name in the customers mind. I always tell new customers to put the labels in a drawer in their bathroom or in the linen closet. That way, when it comes time to order more soap, they don’t have to try to remember what the soap was called. If YOU are new to them, they won’t have to try to remember your company name, either.
Our labels have our company name first.
Then our logo.
Next, the words handmade soap
Next, the TYPE of soap, such as CLOVE
Then, our website address
This area of the label is placed directly on the face of the soap and is part of its presentation.
By spacing down a bit on the label, I manage to include the ingredient list and have it land on the SIDE of the bar of soap.
printing done of regular labels and stuck directly to the soap
Later, we moved on to printing the soap labels onto label stickers and sticking them directly onto the soap. No wrapping around, no shrink wrapping — just print and stick. You do have to rub the label a few time to get it to stick to the bar. It is better to label this way before they are completely cured, as the stickiness of the soap gives some adhesion. However, label too early and the moist from the bar will crinkle the label.