Labeling Your Soap: Soap Saturdays
Having your homemade soaps cured and ready to use is a great start. But what if you want to give soap away? or sell some? Now you need to think about having a label. Here are some things that you might like to add to your labels:
A Name: Even if you are simply giving your soap creations away as gifts, it is a good idea to give yourself the distinction of a name. It can be simple as "Soaps By" or something more unique that doesn't have the word "soap" in the name. Maybe the name will be something that triggers a sentimental memory for you. Or maybe it describes your particular flair. It could be something off the wall crazy. Whatever it is, make sure it isn't too long. For gifts, a name will make your soaps seem all the more personal, or for business purposes, a name is crucial to distinguish your products from someone else's.
Logo: Creating a logo for your soaps will help people recognize your products at a glance, and hopefully make your business memorable. The logo can have a picture attached to it, or it can simply be text displayed in a creative way. If you don't have the ability to create a logo yourself, you can hire graphic designers to do it for you, even as cheaply as $5! (Check out www.fiverr.com). If you choose to add an image or icon to represent your product, collect pictures or samples to use as inspiration and share with your designer. A good logo should be clean, easy to read, and recognizable at a glance. (Think McDonalds, Coco-cola, or Nike, etc.).
Product Name: This is probably self explanatory, but every label needs to advertise what it is that you are selling. Make sure that the lettering is big enough to stand out from the other information on the label. Don't worry about coming up with an exotic or super flowery name. You want people to know what they are buying without having to ask questions. Make sure the font you use is also clean cut.
Ingredients List: To my knowledge, it is not required to have ingredients listed on your label. This may be different from state to state, so check with other products similar to yours and research whether or not to include it on your labels. Some soap makers do not include their ingredients, or may include only a vague list. As a wise consumer, I find that I won't buy a product if I cannot determine what is in it, and as a soap maker myself, I figure there are other consumers out there like me, so we gladly share our ingredients list with anyone who asks, plus we include a complete list of ingredients on our labels. We want our customers to know what they are buying, and to be satisfied in their soap purchase. Especially if you are making skin care products to fit into a natural niche, you'll want to assure your customers that you can meet their needs.
Product Size: You will definitely want to include the size of your handmade soaps on your label. It should be easily readable on the front.
Contact Information: This is important to include so that people will come back to you for more product, or to be able to leave comments and questions.
Allergy Caution Information: It is good also, to let your consumers know about ingredients that may have allergy concerns, such as nuts. You don't want people to unknowingly use something on their skin that will make it break out unnecessarily, and you also don't want people complaining about your product's ingredients that they weren't aware of. It could seriously hurt your business reputation.
Other: Some companies also include short product descriptions, quality assurance statements, UPC codes, disclaimers, or origins of their company on their labels.
As long as you have the space for it, you can add whatever you want to help convince people that your product is the best and is worth their investment of time and money! Proper labeling is important, and it can be another way to show your creativity. Have fun coming up with the perfect label to fit your product and showcase your personal style. To read the previous Soap Saturdays posts:
-The Beginning of a Soap Maker: Soap Saturdays
-Processes to Make Soap: Soap Saturdays
-Equipment (On Sunday): Soap Saturdays
-Fun Ingredients: Soap Saturdays
-Molds (On Sunday, Again…): Soap Saturdays
-Choosing a Recipe: Soap Saturdays
-Mixing Instructions: Soap Saturdays
-Record Keeping: Soap Saturdays
-The Soap is Made, Now What?: Soap Saturdays