Teach Soap

My in-laws want to get my soap into some local biz in their town. They say a lot of them are looking for hand made soaps. I agree it's a great opportunity and all, but I have my doubts about if this is the best thing for me right now.

I don't have any insurance in place since I don't sell to the masses just friends and family. So what type of insurance do i need? what's the average cost for such insurance?

I can do a biz plan with no problems as well as figure out wholesale & retail price since I do have a biz already, but my current biz is not cosmetics it's Web and graphic Designs. Nothing I sell at my current biz causes any huge liability problems for me there for insurance is not needed since it's all print and Web. So I'm clueless about this.

Also labeling my product, this takes me into a whole new ball game. What info is mandatory to have on the soap labels? (US standards). Do I have to package my HP and CP soaps in plastic, paper or boxes? or can i just use the cigar band like i've been doing? Also potential ingredients that cause allergies to some, how do I label that?

Ok I have a million questions but I'll start with these. thanks for your input and help. I just want to make sure I don't get in way over my head sooner than i should.

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Insurance is a must. If you make under 5T per year and you are in the US, you can use RLI insurance. They have more info on their site or you can give them a call.

As far as labeling, all the ingredients used must be listed from largest % to smallest. I use common names along with INCI names. You must also add weight of each bar. You can use whatever packaging you like. Just be aware if you use a cigar band, the soap will continually shrink and the band might become loose. I use soap boxes, so the soap doesn't get dirty fingerprints or dust and dirt on it.

If you label all your ingredients, people that read them should know what they are allergic to.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks you so much for your input. I spoke to RLI and they gave me a great quote so I will be investing in that soon. I will also wrap the soaps in plastic so they don't loose the scent too fast and then put the cigar band.

Now I just have to guard my soap recipe. I had someone try to steal it from me today. I was so upset. Why would someone stoop that low?

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

They got my recipe notebook and tried to head out the door of my house but I stopeded the person and got it back. Turns out they wanted to start a soap biz. It would have been better if they just asked me. I would have helped them out.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.