According to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), and Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA), all cosmetic and personal care products must follow specific labeling requirements. This allows for consumers to know what a product is intended to be used for, quantity, all ingredients, and where a product was manufactured. Cosmetic labeling is different from food labeling. All ingredients should be listed from largest concentration to smallest. They must also be listed by their chemical names, even if they are known by more common ones. They must be featured in plain sight on the product packaging. Cosmetic labels are never allowed to have FDA approved printed on the labels. They must be entirely written in English, except for when they are being distributed in a U.S. territory, like Puerto Rico, where the predominant language is not English. However, multiple languages are allowed as long as the information provided is the same for each language represented. The weight and an accurate statement of quantity of each package should also be printed. The two labeling displays required on all cosmetic packaging are the PDP and Information Panel.
This is an example of the PDP (Primary Display Panel) label for a cosmetic product.
