Beauty Store Business provides solutions for better retailing! New products, industry news, savvy business moves and important trends affecting both brick-and-mortar and online retailers are included in each issue.
Issue link: http://beautystorebusiness.epubxp.com/i/808368
44 May 2017 | beautystorebusiness.com CRUCIAL KEYWORDS Hypoallergenic: With sensitive skin issues and allergy concerns on the rise, many customers seek kinder, gentler products. While "hypoallergenic" does not mean "free of all allergens," the term gained popularity in the 1980s, Weiss explains. "Hypoallergenic means that there has been a human repeated- insult patch test on 200 subjects with no reaction," he says. "These products are simply more severely tested to verify they are lower-allergenic." Hence, while no product is guaranteed not to cause a reaction, customers are less likely to experience adverse effects. Natural: Experts agree that "natural" is an unverifiable marketing claim. After all, as Weiss notes, "natural" doesn't indicate "safe"; harmful ingredients like strychnine are technically natural. Even more confusing, there is no accepted standard for the use of the term. "Because the government hasn't defined the term 'natural,' no regulations exist about what products can and cannot contain," notes Nikki Anschel, technical director of Draga Laboratories, an Atlanta-based haircare and cosmetic manufacturer. "However, the Natural Products Association (NPA) launched a new seal of approval, aimed at identifying those products that meet a strict industry-driven standard." The NPA Natural Standard, verified by the NPA Natural Seal, evaluates products based on natural ingredients (including appro- priate manufacturing processes), safety (ingredients that do not pose a health risk), responsibility (no animal testing) and sustainability (biodegradable ingredients and eco-friendly packaging). Made With Organic: Unlike products that are labeled 100 percent organic or feature the USDA Organic seal (at least 95 percent organic), some packaging may call out select organic ingredients. According to public health and safety organization NSF International (formerly the National Sanitation Foundation), "cosmetics, lotions and other personal hygiene products certi- fied for compliance with NSF/ANSI 305 are permitted to bear the NSF 'contains organic ingredients' mark confirming compliance with this standard. The product label must also state the exact percentage of organic content on the label. The National Organic Program requires that all products ... identify each organically produced ingredient in the ingredient statement." SPF: Also known as "Sun Protection Factor," this sunscreen standard is found in everything from eye cream to lip balm. As the Skin Cancer Foundation reports, "SPF represents a sunscreen's degree of protection mainly against ultraviolet B (UVB), the sun's shorter wavelength rays, which cause sunburn and can lead to skin cancer. SPF doesn't represent an amount of sun protection, but rather a length of time. It gauges how long the sun would take to redden your skin when using a particular sunscreen compared with the amount of time without sunscreen." For example, using an SPF 15 product under ideal circumstances means that sunburn would take 15 times longer than if you weren't using sunscreen. Weiss, whose company performs 65 percent of testing worldwide for SPF, adds that testing requirements are prescribed by both the FDA and European authorities. The Skin Cancer Foundation offers a Seal of Recommendation in two cat- egories for sunscreens: SPF 15 or higher protection for the "Daily Use" seal, meant for limited sun exposure, and SPF 30 or higher for the "Active" seal, meant for extended time outside. Other sun-protection keywords include "broad- spectrum" (protects from both UVA and UVB) and "water-resistant." Recyclable/Mobius Loop: Accord- ing to the Recycling Council of British Columbia, the Mobius Loop, a triangle of arrows that's the universally recognized symbol for recyclable packaging, was cre- ated alongside the first Earth Day in 1970. Alternatively, a Mobius Loop pictured inside a circle means that the packag- ing was made with some percentage of recyclable materials (a number present inside the loop reflects the percentage of recycled materials used). Dermatologically Tested: A der- matologically tested product has been tested on human skin. "Dermatologist- tested can mean a lot of things, but in today's marketplace it means that a dermatologist has reviewed the testing performed and has affirmed that the testing has been performed correctly or appropriately," Weiss explains. "It could be a safety and use study monitored by a dermatologist, or it could be that a dermatologist has signed off on a report that details the results of repeat-insult patch tests." NEED TO KNOW e: The lowercase "e" symbol on a product is also called an "e-mark" or "estimated sign." It's a legal requirement in Europe to state the quantity of product, shown in grams or milliliters. Cosmetics Europe, a trade association for the cosmetics and personal care industry, notes "a contents declaration is not required for products whose contents are below 5 g or 5 ml, for single use packs such as sachets or capsules, or for free samples." Hourglass: Products that have a shelf life of less than 30 months may feature an hourglass or egg timer sym- bol. These products must also have a "Best before end of" (BBE) date on the label in the European Union. Con- solidated Label Co. in Sanford, Florida, notes that the hourglass symbol can be followed by the date, or "BBE," "Exp." or "Best By," plus the date. PAO: Products that have a shelf life of 30 months or more can include the "period after opening" (PAO) symbol. "Look for a symbol that looks like an opened jar, with the number of months or years written on or below the con- tainer," Taylor says. "This is the PAO symbol, which tells the user how long she should keep the product after open- ing it." For example, 24M translates to 24 months, or two years. No CFCs: The Consumer Aerosol Products Council notes that aerosol manufacturers voluntarily removed chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from aerosols soon after scientists discovered the relationship between CFCs and the upper ozone—prior to the EPA banning CFCs in 1978. "The 'No CFCs' logo was created shortly afterward for product manufacturers to help inform consumers that the chemical had been removed from products," the council reports. But even today, most consumers believe that aerosols contain CFCs—leading some manufacturers to continue use of the label. Refer to Insert: See an open book with a finger-pointing hand in front of it? That means more info is provided, apart from wording on the container itself. Cosmetics Europe explains that this symbol "denotes that additional important information is available with the product... The symbol is mandatory if the supplied leaflet/label/tape/tag/card contains compulsory information that does not fit on the package." Open Flame: Strangely, "flammable" and "inflammable" mean the same thing— and are indicated on products with an open flame symbol. This straightforward symbol highlights a product's combustible nature. Avoid contact with flame! ■ Tracy Morin is a freelance writer and editor based in Oxford, MS. Get Connected! For more information on labeling requirements, visit the following websites: peta.org ecocert.com fairtradeamerica.org ewg.org/skindeep organicmonitor.com leapingbunny.org npainfo.org pro-e.org skincancer.org nsf.org cosmeticseurope.eu "The USDA Organic seal was originally intended for food products, but now beauty products are also carrying the label." — Craig R. Weiss, Consumer Product Testing Company