Branding and Labelling

An unattractive label is not a “good look” for a beauty product. Make your
products stand out from the competition

What does it take to make your products and packaging say, “Pick me! Pick
me!”? The perfect product label.

Whether you’re selling online, in retail stores you can capture your
customers’ attention with good branding and labelling. Here are some key
things to note about branding and labelling

Spotlight your brand personality

You need to create an emotional connection with your target customers,

and your product packaging is the first thing they see. If your brand is
friendly, quirky, earthy or serious, you should communicate that on your
packaging. From the image and colors to the tagline and text, your product
labels make an impression. For example, if you want to sell a pumpkin
masque, portray adorable pumpkin pictures on your product labels to
attract the attention of customers so they get to know what is in your
product.

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Call out what makes your product unique

Use bright colors to draw attention to packaging or special features and

benefits of your product to stand out from your competitors. If you use a
premium ingredient or only specialty imported ingredients, let consumers
know with your label art.

Make a specific feature or ingredient stand out, by adding a bold, colorful

sticker or label to packaging. However, don’t overdo it. Too many colors
and too much text on a label can leave consumers overwhelmed.

Display key information

Customers want to know what’s in your products. Display the required

Nafdac approved information, ingredients and other important items in
clear legible print. Include any product warnings and known ingredient
interactions. Also, call attention to important items customers are looking
for such as whether your product is organic, gluten-free or 100%
guaranteed. This will be explained further in the next section.

Be visible from every angle

Hold your product in your hand and rotate it. Is it easy to view from all
angles? How about if it’s sitting on a shelf, stacked on a table or stuffed in a
bin? Give your product packaging every opportunity to be seen from any
angle with strategically placed, easy-to-read labels. For example, add round
labels to lids and bottoms of jars when possible, and try long rectangle
labels to wrap around bottles and boxes.

Let the quality show inside & out

Reflect the quality of your product in the packaging. Use premium, top-
shelf materials and your customers can tell a lot about your product and the
care you put into it.

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When creating labels always Think About All the Label Shapes
and Sizes You’ll Need

Unless you carry one type of product, there’s a fair chance that your labels
aren’t going to be a one-size-fits-all solution. Common containers include:

 Airless bottles
 Pumps
 Sprayers
 Jars
 Tubes
 Droppers

Each one of these containers can call for labels of different shapes and sizes.
This can be a serious issue if you’re banking on using the same exact design
for every product. While you can certainly use the same color scheme, font
choices, and other design details for each container, you’ll want to make
sure that you adapt your branding and any legally-required information to
the various label shapes needed for every applicable container.

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Following Nafdac Cosmetic Label Guidelines

A label that doesn’t follow the rules isn’t going to do your products any
good. Misbranded cosmetics labels are subject to regulatory action from the
Nafdac if it’s found to be misleading or lack any of the required
information. Nafdac provides a cosmetic labeling guide that can help you
ensure that your product labels follow any legal requirements. These
include:

 What’s required to appear on the principal display panel:

o An identity statement – Indicate the nature and use of a
product through a name or an illustration that can be
understood by the public
o An accurate statement of the net quantity of contents –
Measure by weight, numerical count, or a combination of
weight and measure
 What’s require on the information panel:
o Name and place of business – Include the street address, city,
state, and ZIP Code for the manufacturer, packer, or distributor
o Distributor statement – Must say “Manufactured for…” or
“Distributed by…,” or similar wording if the name and address
are not those of the manufacturer
o Material facts – An accurate list of all materials included in
product
o Warning and caution statements – Prominent and conspicuous
statements related to specific products, such as for cosmetics
that may be hazardous to consumers
o Ingredients – Ingredients must appear on an information
panel, in descending order of predominance

Highlight Other Indicators

Nafdac required information isn’t the only items that you’ll want to include
on your product labels. Other labeling ‘claims’ can be a good way to help
distinguish yourself form competitors, especially if a certain claim is
something that can be a deciding factor for your target audience. These
types of claims include:

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  Organic
 Vegan
 Cruelty free/Not tested on animals
 Alcohol free
 Hypoallergenic

If any of these claims are truthful and not misleading, they can be added to
your label.
Another piece of information that’s good to include is a batch number (this
is usually given when Nafdac approves registration of your product),
manufacturing date and expiration date. These are compulsory from
Nafdac. If your products will expire, it’s best to include that date on your
label for the good of your customers.

HOW TO WRITE OUT YOUR INGREDIENTS ON YOUR LABELS

It is a requirement that all cosmetics be labeled with their ingredients. The

LOI (list of ingredients) is supposed to be printed on the container and
needs to follow some rules when listing ingredients.

Ingredients above 1% need to be listed in order of concentration

Ingredients 1% or below can be listed in any order

Exception: Color ingredients are listed at the end

The names of the ingredients must be in English. Please note this is

applicable to Nigeria. Other countries may be in their own unique language.

To ensure that the ingredient list is readable, the font size must be no
smaller than 1/16th of an inch unless your packaging is really small in
which case you can make the font 1/32nd of an inch.

The ingredients should be listed in the order of concentration used, from

descending to ascending order which is explained in the example below

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Phase Material name %w/w Gram
A Aloevera juice 45.5 45.5
A Lavender 20.0 20
hydrosol
A D panthenol 2.0 2
A Sodium phytate 0.2 0.2
B Glycerin 5.0 5
B Xanthan gum 0.3 0.3
C Olivem 1000 5.0 5
Glyceryl stearate 2.0 2
C Shea butter 10.0 10
D Coconut oil 8.0 8
D Vitamin E 1.0 1
D Chamomile 0.2 0.2
essential oil
D Lavender 0.3 0.3
essential oil
E geogard ect 0.5 0.5

And so, my ingredient list would look like this:

Ingredients: Aloe vera juice, Lavender hydrosol, Shea Butter, coconut oil,
glycerin, olivem 1000, glyceryl stereate, D panthenol, vitamin E, geogard
ECT, lavender essential oil, chamomile essential oil, sodium phyate.

From the list it you would see that my ingredients are listed from the ones
with highest percentage to the one with lowest percentage. This is exactly
how to list your ingredients on your label.

Net weight is usually in grams or oz. For example 60g/2oz