So you've embarked on your home fragrance journey, congratulations!
One of the first things you will discover is that in order to legally sell or gift your creations, they will need to have a CLP label attached in order to be CLP compliant.
Although daunting at first, these labels are relatively straight forward to understand once explained, and this guide exists to help explain it.
So let's break it down:
1. What does CLP mean?
CLP stands for Classification, Labelling, and Packaging.
2. What is a CLP label?
A CLP label is an informative label which provides essential information about the hazards associated with handling a mixture that contains a hazardous ingredient.
3. Why are they legally required?
It's an EU regulation that governs how potentially hazardous substances are labelled. It's been effective in the UK since 1st June 2015 and this regulation mandates that products containing such substances must be labelled in accordance with their guidelines.
The CLP label provides essential information about the hazards associated with a chemical or mixture, including pictograms, signal words, and standard statements for prevention, response, storage, and disposal.
It ensures proper communication of risks to users and helps manage safety effectively.
Plus by clearly and accurately displaying your CLP labels, you are also gaining your customers confidence by showing them that your business is legally compliant and that you know what you are doing when it comes to making and handling them safely.
4. What home fragrance products are they required on?
All home fragrance products that contain fragrance oils or essential oils will most likely require a CLP label so for example wax melts, candles, reed diffusers, hoover discs etc.
Note: This guide is for home fragrance products only. Cosmetic products are dealt with in a different manner.
5. Why are they needed?
Home fragrance products may contain fragrances which are made up of essential oils and synthetic man-made components. In certain concentrations, some of these may trigger health and environment warnings which could irritate the skin, cause serious eye injury or be harmful if swallowed. They can also be hazardous to the environment.
By adding a CLP label you are making the end consumer aware that the ingredients contained in the mixture could potentially be hazardous.
6. What if your product doesn't contain fragrance?
If you make unscented candles for example, then these do not need a CLP label as the wax itself is not hazardous. However, they will require a candle safety label.
7. Why is being CLP compliant so important?
Failure to apply CLP labels onto your products can result in legal action and also void your business insurance.
8. What does a CLP label look like?
This is an example of what a CLP label should look like. It could also be on a rectangle label.
9. What Information Needs To Be On A CLP Label?
A CLP label needs to have the following details:
- Product Identifier: This should be the product name you have given it.
- Allergen Information: These are highlighted ingredients that could trigger allergic reactions.
- Signal Word (in bold): A call to action word to prompt buyers to read the accompanying hazard and precautionary statements.
- Hazard & Precautionary Statement: An informative description of the hazard that may arise by using the product, along with a list of the ingredients and precautionary advice. Information on how to deal with the hazard is provided and disposal details will also be here.
- Pictogram (1cm in size): A picture that represents a word. E.g. exclamation mark = warning.
10. Do all fragrance oils trigger hazards / pictograms?
No. Some fragrance oils may use non hazardous materials or they are not used at a high enough concentration to trigger a warning or pictogram, so it is quite possible to have a CLP label with no warnings or pictograms. In these cases, a label will still be required to show your details as the manufacturer.
11. Where do you place a CLP label?
Your label needs to be fixed to the packaging of the product so consumers can see it when the product is in hand. So this could be on the back of a clamshell or on the base of a candle.
12. What to do if the packaging is too small?
If there isn't enough space to apply your label, you should attach it via a tag or use a fold out label as an alternative.
13. This still seems complicated, is there an easier way?
Yes! We appreciate that this is a bit of a minefield to explore and this is why we offer free CLP labels with every bottle of fragrance purchased.
14. How do I claim my free CLP from SCENTIFY?
Simply select 'Yes' when asked before you add the oil to your cart. If you wish to change the fragrance name, add this name to the drop down text box, then continue to add the item to your cart. We will then do the rest.
Note: Add your business name to the delivery address at the checkout to ensure it appears on your labels.
15. What fragrance load should I use?
We currently offer our free CLP labels at 10% fragrance load which covers most home fragrance products. You can use anything less than 10% with this label.
The recommended fragrance load for candles and wax melts is 10%.
For more information on fragrance loads, please see here.
16. Is there anything else I need to do to be CLP compliant?
A good habit to get into is to save a copy of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) which is readily available to download from each of our fragrance oil product pages.
17. What is a Safety Data Sheet?
An SDS is a informative document that provides essential information about the hazards associated with a chemical or mixture, including pictograms, signal words, and standard statements for prevention, response, storage, and disposal. This is the document that CLP labels are generated from.
Try taking a look at one and familiarise yourself with it. They can look daunting at first but break it down into sections. Section 2.2 Label Elements is the important one for CLP Label purposes.
18. Anything else?
We've covered all you need to know to get you started with your home fragrance business. Although it looks overwhelming at first, it does get easier the more you repeat the process. Plus if you are ever in any doubt, you can always get in touch with our customer service team here and we will do our best to point you in the right direction.
Disclaimer
We have created this guide to the best of our knowledge. Ultimately it is your responsibility as the maker to conduct your own research and ensure your products are CLP compliant.
Last updated: 29th July 2024