Selling Lip Balm

[Queenswood Apiary]

Hi all, the wife has made a batch of lip balm, Bee's wax, coconut oil, vitamin E and a few drops of essential oil for a bit of flavour, are we OK to sell this or does it come under some cosmetic regulations?????

 

[user 819]

I think it would need testing for H & S as it is probably comes under a cosmetic.

 

[drdrday]

You can't legally sell it without a CPSR (cosmetic product safety report) for each product, additional insurance and I think you have to register on a cosmetic products database too if I remember right.
BBKA news did a whole series on making and selling cosmetics a couple of years ago and went through all of the requirements. I basically read what would be needed and it completely put me off of making anything like that except for family and friends.

Here's the BBKA News issues with the cosmetics recipes and law & labelling requirements if you want to look back in their archive:

Sep 2019 - Lip balm
Oct 2019 - Body butter bars
Nov 2019 - Honey bath bombs & and an article about Selling Hive Product Cosmetics and the law
Dec 2019 - Handmade soap & an article about how Brexit affects the law for selling cosmetics.

 

[Queenswood Apiary]

I was afraid someone was going to say this ☹ ohh well friends and family are going to be ok for lip balm for the forcible future

Thank you for your response I think I will look into the BBKA archives just out of interest

 

[ericbeaumont]

Yes, you'll need product approval of your recipe, records of standard operating procedures and a lot of other paperwork I can't recall.

Choose a recipe, send a sample to the approval company, wait a few weeks, pay £200 or so, and you're in business.

Too risky, otherwise.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I was afraid someone was going to say this ☹ ohh well friends and family are going to be ok for lip balm for the forcible future

Thank you for your response I think I will look into the BBKA archives just out of interest

I make healing lip balm and burn cream for radiotherapy patients and give it away. All word of mouth.

 

[elainemary]

Yes, you'll need product approval of your recipe, records of standard operating procedures and a lot of other paperwork I can't recall.

Choose a recipe, send a sample to the approval company, wait a few weeks, pay £200 or so, and you're in business.

Too risky, otherwise.

Think you’re allowed 6 variants to a recipe e.g. 6 different ‘flavours’ of a recipe. Just not worth the expense and admin though, unless you can sell volume. Such a shame, can understand the reasoning though as someone somewhere will cut corners. I’ve made some lovely products and given them all away as gifts.

 

[Queenswood Apiary]

That's a lovely idea, something to think about

 

[drdrday]

I was afraid someone was going to say this ☹ ohh well friends and family are going to be ok for lip balm for the forcible future

Thank you for your response I think I will look into the BBKA archives just out of interest

Yes, it's a real shame when things like soaps and lip balms seems such a natural extension to the products we can make from the bee hives. But then I guess when you think about it from the consumer point of view you don't really want to slather anything all over your face without feeling pretty confident it won't burn you or make you come out in hives.

It's definitely worth reading the articles though. They provide a few recipes and give you all the facts that I've probably only half remembered.

One of the beekeepers near me sells some cosmetic products, but they're actually made by another local company that has all of the recipes and approvals. The beekeeper provides his own beeswax etc. and they make the items for him to label and sell as his own.

 

[coffindodger]

or make you come out in hives.

 

[Queenswood Apiary]

We thought we were doing some good using I guess what is a by-product of being a Beekeeper.

We plan to make another batch just for friend's and family, then put the remaining wax to making Beeswax furniture polish.

Thanks for all the advise

 

[Jules59]

We looked at cosmetic products with idea to make balms etc. But the regulations and setup costs made it simply not worth it as a simple hobby.

How about making candles? relatively easy compared with cosmetics. Lots of different moulds available too.
Or wax food wraps.

 

[Queenswood Apiary]

Funnily enough we have just ordered a couple of candle moulds but not thought about the wax wraps, we will have a look into thats

 

[Wilco]

Think you’re allowed 6 variants to a recipe e.g. 6 different ‘flavours’ of a recipe. Just not worth the expense and admin though, unless you can sell volume. Such a shame, can understand the reasoning though as someone somewhere will cut corners. I’ve made some lovely products and given them all away as gifts.

Can't remember how many variants you're allowed, think it partly depends on the testing company and their pricing, but IIRC the variants can only differ in ingredients by 10% max..

 

[ericbeaumont]

wax wraps, we will have a look into that

Try and use only cappings wax, which is free of impurities.

Comb wax will contain every chemical residue under the sun (though perhaps in minute quantities) and is not ideal for wraps.

 

[pargyle]

Try and use only cappings wax, which is free of impurities.

Comb wax will contain every chemical residue under the sun (though perhaps in minute quantities) and is not ideal for wraps.

Why is that ?

 

[ericbeaumont]

Why is that ?

Because beekeepers have been putting chemicals in hives for 30 years.

 

[pargyle]

Because beekeepers have been putting chemicals in hives for 30 years.

One of the reasons why I don't treat and because I'm foundation free theres no chance of contamination from any residual stuff in foundation....

 

[North End Bees]

Try and use only cappings wax, which is free of impurities.

And don't use old tights for filtering!

 

[ericbeaumont]

And don't use old tights for filtering!

Nor use Grannie's old net curtains..