In this document, you will find the following information to help you make your homemade cosmetics:

  1. Part 1: Precautions and warnings for making homemade cosmetics

  2. Part 2: Labelling and product traceability once the cosmetics have been made

PART 1: WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Best Cosmetic Manufacturing Practices set out the rules you should follow to ensure that your home-made cosmetics are of sufficient quality. It's important to follow these guidelines.

Before making your cosmetics

Make sure you comply with hygiene rules:

  • Wear clean, covering clothing (preferably disposable gowns)

  • Wash and dry your hands thoroughly or wear clean gloves

  • Disinfect the utensils and containers you are going to use:

Getting your equipment and empty containers ready

For plastics and all pumps

  • Alcohol sterilisation (min 60° vol).

  • Wearing gloves is recommended (except for gloss containers, small bubble jars, mini powder compacts, flat cases and 40 and 80 ml compacts which are not alcohol-resistant: clean with hot water not exceeding 75°C).

  • Soak a clean cloth or paper towel in alcohol and rub it over your equipment, your pump or the inside of your container. If the neck of your container is too narrow, pour some alcohol inside, cap it and shake it several times to spray all the walls.

  • For pumps, pump in the alcohol to sterilise the inside and fill the circuit completely. Then vacuum pump to empty and dry them.

For other materials (glass, aluminium and ceramics)

  • Sterilisation in boiling water.

  • Wearing gloves recommended

  • Pour water into a large saucepan and fully immerse the container or equipment to be sterilised.

  • Bring to the boil and leave to boil for at least 5 minutes.

  • Carefully remove the container or equipment using a clean utensil (such as ice cube tongs, salad tongs, a fork or any other heat-resistant tool) and a paper towel.

  • Place on a clean cloth and leave to dry.

NB : using a pressure cooker or bottle steriliser makes this easier and reduces the risk of burns.

Warning: never use aluminium in a microwave oven.

Prepare your work surface

  • Keep your work surface clean and uncluttered, and keep food and drink away from it.

  • Make sure you have all the ingredients you need and that their use-by date has not passed.

Get the documents you need to make your product and keep them close to hand: cosmetic recipe, traceability log for recording ingredients, batches used, weighing details and date of manufacture.

When making your cosmetics

When making your product:

  • Follow the recipe carefully, respecting the dosages indicated.

  • Fill in the traceability document, noting the composition of your product and the batches of ingredients used, as well as the date of production.

  • Avoid your hands coming into contact with the mixture and ingredients.

  • Some ingredients may need to be heated considerably. Take the necessary precautions to avoid burns and splashes . It is advisable to wear safety goggles

  • If any of your mixtures contains alcohol: handle the alcohol, which is flammable, away from any flame or light source. Handle alcohol in a well-ventilated area.

After making your cosmetics

Check your mixture:

  • Appearance: good dissolution, good dispersion of ingredients, homogeneous appearance without agglomeration or phase shift.

  • If the pH is mentioned: dip a pH strip (ref. 02304) into the solution for a ½ second and compare it with the results table on the strip's box. Check that the value read is consistent with the pH indicated.

You should ideally discard any mix with the slightest sign of mould formation or the appearance of an unpleasant odour or change in appearance…

Then:

  • Carefully label your product with the name of the product, date made, composition and best-before date.

  • Store your product in suitable conditions out of the reach of children.

Before using your cosmetics

Some ingredients may be allergenic: always apply a test application of your mixture in the crease of the elbow over an area of approximately 1 cm² for 48 hours to check that no reaction (tingling, redness, respiratory discomfort, etc.) occurs before using your product.


PIPETTE SAMPLING INSTRUCTIONS

Equipment required: 2 ml measuring pipette

  1. Carefully unscrew the cap from the bottle to open it, and carefully remove the dropper cap if there is one.

  2. Insert the graduated pipette into the bottle and draw up the contents by gently pulling the plunger until the desired quantity is reached.

  3. By gently pressing the plunger, eject the desired number of drops or quantity of liquid into a container or directly into your product.

  4. Put the excess product back into the bottle, replace any stopper and screw on the cap to close the bottle. Clean the inside of the pipette with alcohol and leave to air dry.

PART 2: LABELLING AND TRACEABILITY OF YOUR HOME-MADE COSMETIC PRODUCTS

How do you label your "homemade" cosmetics?

Once you've started making your own homemade cosmetics, label your products to ensure that they are safe, both for you and for those around you.

Careful labelling will

  • Avoid any confusion from you or your friends/family about the type of product and its use

  • Make your cosmetics safe by clearly listing their ingredients

  • Help you see the production date and shelf life of your product, to stay safe by not exceeding the use-by-date.

Information that should appear on the label

1/ Product name:

Enter the product's precise NAME.

2/ Composition:

Write all the INGREDIENTS incorporated into your

homemade cosmetic recipe on the label.

3/ Date of manufacture and shelf life

Fill in your home-made cosmetic product's MANUFACTURING DATE and the USE-BY DATE calculated based on the shelf life given on the recipe.

Keep your products away from light and heat.

4/ Volume:

Your product label should end with a note on VOLUME.

5/ Precautions for use

Indicate any precautions for use in the technical factsheet available online at www.aroma-zone.com

How do you fill in your traceability log for homemade cosmetic products?

We recommend that you fill in a traceability log for all your homemade cosmetic products, including the following for each product:

  • Production date

  • Product name

  • Composition with the name of the complete ingredient, quantity used, batch number, etc.

This traceability log will enable you to track the quantities and batches used for each ingredient. It will also help you to identify any skin reactions and to single out any irritant and/or allergenic ingredients.