Teach Soap

Just curious if I can get a FULL list of toiletry items that should be sent to a lab for contamination testing. As I may have mentioned, I plan to expand my brand out to lotions, bath bombs, lip balms, etc. so I'm wondering what I should know about this before I begin reworking my business plan. I know lotion should be sent in, for one....which brings me to the second part to this question. When you have your lotion tested, does it have to be EVERY batch, or just every new recipe?

Thanks in advance for help!

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- Stacey -

Anyone's life truly consists of work, sunshine, exercise, soap, plenty of fresh air, and a happy contented spirit. - Lillie Langtry

Lotions is a given. I don't for every batch; just any new formula. Lip balms have no water. I don't safety test those, except for a shelf life. I don't make bath bombs, but I would say no to those either. If you have a question, I would contact Cindy at The Sage Script Institute. http://www.sagescript.com/microbiology

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

I tested my lotion up to one year from the manufacture date just to be sure my preservative was working as it should. SageScript is wonderful and reasonably priced. I had results back in 2 weeks.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

If you want a full list with 100% confidence, then you need to test every product you sell across state lines. Selling across state lines puts you under the FDA guidelines which state that you must be sure of the safety of all ingredients and final product(s). So that means all products. From a practical risk standpoint, I interpret that to mean testing anything with water that remains in the final product, because those products will go bad sooner or later. You're testing to make sure they're not bad going out the door or that they would go bad during shipping. If something goes bad, it falls under the FDA adulterated regulations (see ). They primarily care about mislabelling and adulterated products plus some ingredient restrictions.

If you only sell locally, then you aren't required to test under FDA regulations. However, it's still good practice to avoid being sued or losing your reputation/business if you sell a product that harms someone. There also may be State or local regulations that you should research.

Remember that all preservatives have effective lifetimes, which manufacturers don't (and can't) tell you because it depends on what you're using them in. So keep in mind that products do go bad over time, no matter how well they are preserved. You may want to consider a Use By date to help protect consumers that keep products around for years.

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- Stacey -

Anyone's life truly consists of work, sunshine, exercise, soap, plenty of fresh air, and a happy contented spirit. - Lillie Langtry

It has never been my understanding that you only need to ensure the safety of products that are going across state lines.

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy