Frequently requested resources for cosmetics manufacturers, packers, and distributors, large and small, are listed on this page.

• What the Law Says About Cosmetics: Overviews
• Laws and Regulations: The Authoritative Sources
• Labeling
• Quick Reference for Frequently Requested Topics
• Guidance Documents
• Additional Online Resources from Outside of FDA

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What the Law Says About Cosmetics: Overviews

• FDA Authority Over Cosmetics
• Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?)
• Key Legal Concepts: "Interstate Commerce," "Adulterated," and "Misbranded"
• Current Issues in the Safety & Labeling of Cosmetics: Video

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Laws and Regulations: The Authoritative Sources

• Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022
• Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act)
• Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA)

Labeling

• Cosmetics Labeling Regulations
• Cosmetics Labeling Guide: The "How To" guide for cosmetic labeling: Answers to your labeling questions, with examples

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Quick Reference for Frequently Requested Topics

Color Additives:

• Color Additives and Cosmetics: Fact Sheet
• Color Additives Permitted for Use in Cosmetics
• "Cosmeceutical"
• Diethanolamine
• Dioxane: 1,4-Dioxane in Cosmetics: A Manufacturing Byproduct
• Imports & Exports: Cosmetics Importers & Exporters: Fact Sheet
• Ingredients: Prohibited & Restricted Ingredients in Cosmetics
• Inspection of Cosmetics
• Microbiological Methods for Cosmetics: Chapter 23 of FDA’s Bacteriological Analytical Manual
• Recall: FDA Recall Policy for Cosmetics
• Shelf Life and Expiration Dating of Cosmetics
• Soap: Frequently Asked Questions on Soap
• Testing: Product Testing of Cosmetics

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Guidance Documents

• FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Registration and Listing of Cosmetic Product Facilities and Products
• Draft Guidance for Industry: Registration and Listing of Cosmetic Product Facilities and Products
• Draft Guidance for Industry: Insanitary Conditions in the Preparation, Packing, and Holding of Tattoo Inks and the Risk of Microbial Contamination
• WITHDRAWN Guidance for Industry: Cosmetics Processors and Transporters Cosmetics Security Preventive Measures Guidance
• Guidance for Industry: Labeling for Cosmetics Containing Alpha Hydroxy Acids 
• Guidance for Industry: Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products
• Draft Guidance for Industry: Cosmetic Good Manufacturing Practices, June 2013

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Additional Online Resources from Outside of FDA

• Cosmetics Resources from Other Government Agencies