Amazon Beauty Products and Cosmetics Requirements For Sellers: An Overview

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Cosmetics and skincare products

Planning to sell makeup, haircare, skincare, or other cosmetic products on Amazon.com? In this guide, you’ll find a breakdown of regulations, labeling requirements, documentation, and lab testing rules that all cosmetics sellers on Amazon.com must know.


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Cosmetics

Here are a few products categorized as cosmetics on Amazon.com:

  • Lipsticks
  • Eyeshadows
  • Eyeliners
  • Blushes

Cosmetic products sold on Amazon.com must comply with all mandatory regulations. For example, this includes the following:

  • Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA)
  • Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA)
  • National Volatile Organic Compound Emission Standards

In addition to federal cosmetics regulations,  you may also need to ensure compliance with state regulations, such as the California Safe Cosmetic Act

Learn more: Click here

Hair Care Products

Haircare products listed on Amazon are subject to the FDCA, which is enforced by the FDA, with respect to product ingredients, labeling information, and packaging.

Spray based products may also need to comply with the National Volatile Organic Compound Emission Standards, which is part of the federal Clean Air Act.

Haircare products like shampoo, conditioner, or sprays might need to comply with state regulations such as the California Clean Air Act, and others.

Some examples of products in this category:

  • Hair sprays
  • Conditioners
  • Hair dyes
  • Hair waxes
  • Hair serums

Skincare Products

Amazon establishes requirements for packaging, labeling, product detail pages, and ingredients disclosure of skincare products listing on Amazon.com pursuant to the FDCA, and other applicable regulations upon skincare.

In addition, Amazon explicitly forbids or restricts the sales of certain skincare products that contain certain substances on its platform that are harmful to users’ skin, such as products that contain mercury, and henna products that are designed to be applied to the skin.

Some examples of products in this category:

  • Facial masks
  • Toners
  • Eye collagens
  • Serums
  • Facial cleansers

Beauty Care Products for Children

Children’s beauty care products are subjected to the FDCA and any other cosmetics regulations as well.

Generally speaking, cosmetics fall outside the scope of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) which applies to all products sold in the US to children aged 12 years or younger.

However, CPSIA regulates toys intended to be used by children under the age of 12 that include cosmetics or similar products.

Specifically, CPSIA limits the amount of lead content in the products to 100 parts per million (ppm), and the amount of lead content in paint and other surface coatings to 90 parts per million.

These requirements also apply to the packaging and containers of cosmetics and other beauty care products for children, no matter if these products are marketed as toys or not.

Some examples of products in this category:

  • Mud masks
  • Bubble baths
  • Shampoos
  • Detanglers

Mandatory CPSIA Documentation

Amazon.com generally requires children’s product sellers to provide the following:

Documentation

Amazon restricts certain categories of cosmetics, such as ‘topicals’, which means products that apply to one spot of the skin, such as moisturizers, toners, or nail polish.

According to Registrar Corp, which provides compliance services for cosmetics products, Amazon also requires that sellers of topical products on its platform must submit the following documents:

1. An invoice issued by the manufacturer within 180 days

2. Proof of FDA Registration (including the manufacturer’s name, contact information, and valid registration number)

3. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Certificate

4. Certificate of Analysis (COA), which demonstrates the safety and compliance of the ingredients

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

Amazon requires sellers of products classified as hazmat, that is products that contain flammable, combustible, corrosive, or other substances or materials that could lead to potential danger, to submit a copy of Safety Date Sheet (SDS).

An SDS is a document that includes instructions on how to handle, label, and store dangerous goods.

The document shall include information such as the product name, usage instructions, ingredients, potential hazards, toxicity characteristics, disposal instructions, and more.

For cosmetics and beauty products, Amazon states that the following items might be regarded as dangerous goods and, thus, might require an SDS:

  • Spray deodorants
  • Hairspray
  • Hair colors
  • Hair dyes
  • Perfumes
  • Essential oils
  • Self-tanning lotions and sprays
  • Hair removal solutions and treatments
  • Shaving creams or foams
  • Nail polish

Lab Test Report/Certificate of Analysis (COA)

A lab test report, or Certificate of Analysis (COA), is required to prove that your product is compliant (e.g. not containing restricted substances above the set limits). You may need to submit your product to a third-party testing company, such as Intertek, to obtain a lab test report.

We generally recommend our readers to refrain from using their suppliers existing lab test reports.

Other Information

Labeling Requirements

Amazon‘s labeling requirements for cosmetic products reflect those of the FDCA’s Labelling Requirements. The label shall be in English language and contain the following information:

  • Name of the product
  • The function of the product
  • Product content (i.e. weight, ingredient list)
  • Business information of the manufacturer, importer, packer, or distributor
  • Warning statements, if any

Amazon stresses the authenticity of the label content on cosmetic products, and therefore the information displayed on the labels should not claim that cosmetic products have the functions of curing, mitigating, treating, or preventing diseases unless such statements are approved by the FDA.

Product Packaging

Amazon requires that cosmetic products must be sealed in the original manufacturer’s packaging, with the codes placed on the packaging by the manufacturer or distributor, such as matrix codes, lot numbers, or serial numbers.

Also, the packaging must comply with relevant federal and state regulations, such as PPPA or FPLA.

Lab Testing

Third-party lab testing is required to verify if a product is compliant, which normally means the analysis of restricted chemicals and heavy metals.

Here’s a list of testing labs that provide chemical analysis and testing for cosmetics:

  • Underwriters Laboratories
  • Anseco Group (QIMA)
  • TÜV Rheinland
  • Intertek

Prohibited Products

Amazon explicitly forbids the sales of cosmetic products that contain the following ingredients:

  • Chloroform
  • Halogenated salicylanilides
  • Methylene chloride
  • Vinyl chloride in aerosol products
  • Zirconium-containing complexes in aerosol products
  • Synthol, Synthrol, or Swethol posing oil

You can read more about prohibited products on Amazon’s website.

Additional Resources

1. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act)

2. Amazon Seller Central: Cosmetics & Beauty Products

3. Cosmetics Regulations in the United States: An Overview

  • (USA & EU)

    FREE CONSULTATION CALL (US, EU & UK)

    • Request a free 30-minute call with Ivan Malloci to learn how we can help you with:
    • Find product requirements
    • Certification and labeling
    • Lab testing

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    Disclaimer: The Site cannot and does not contain legal advice. The legal information is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of legal advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.

    Full Disclaimer: Link

    Sources: Our articles are written in part based on publicly available information, and our own practical experience relating to product compliance. These are some of the primary sources we use:

    • ec.europa.eu
    • echa.europa.eu
    • ecfr.gov
    • cpsc.gov
    • ftc.gov
    • fcc.gov
  • 5 Responses to “Amazon Beauty Products and Cosmetics Requirements For Sellers: An Overview

    1. randall at 2:05 am

      As a Amazon seller I’d like to share some valuable information that is not listed in this article. When you sell on amazon FBA, any returned products you offer (and yes there will be some) will be inspected by a Amazon warehouse person. They do not do a good job of determining if your product is safe to resell. Instead they simply check for visible damage then most of the time place the item back into inventory. Unless you go to extremes to add security seals, or stickers that say do not restock returns. You will find yourself with negative or 1 star reviews from customers receiving half full and used products. Unfortunately there is no way to stop amazon from doing this. having all these FDA, SDS stuff is important, but if you don’t protect the customer from Amazon poor detection you will find yourself in a world of hurt from bad reviews. hope this helps

    2. Danhani at 10:23 pm

      Hello Chuiyan,
      I read your overview. Here is the important information for Amazon Sellers. I also have an online cosmetic business. Can you tell me the barriers of online cosmetic business?

      1. Fredrik Gronkvist at 3:02 pm

        Hi Danhani,

        What sort of barriers are you referring to?

        1. Syed Muhammad Zeeshan at 7:11 pm

          Amazon FBA supplier available for you?

    3. Makeup Scout at 7:36 pm

      Amazing information shared by you. Thanks for sharing with us.

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