CLPs: Getting your label right first time

The CLP Regulation is a European Union regulation from 2008, which aligns the European Union system of classification, labelling and packaging of chemical substances and mixtures to the Globally Harmonised System. In order to sell your candles and craft products to the public, you must ensure that all of your products are CLP compliant. Your CLP label should be firmly affixed to one or more surfaces of your product’s packaging that immediately contains your substance or mixture. It is essential that your CLP is readable and legible horizontally when the package is set down normally.

Product identifier

This is the name of your product, fragrance or mixture and should clearly state what the item is. You can include other things aside from the name such as batch number or an SKU. Your product identifier should be placed at the very top of your label so that it’s easy to identify the product.

Allergen information

Allergen information outlines any allergen ingredients which make up your products hazards. Regulations state that no more than four chemicals should be included on the label unless it is necessary to include more due to the nature and severity of the hazard.

Signal word

A signal word indicates to your customer if a hazard is severe or less severe. The label should include the relevant signal word in accordance with the classification of the hazardous substance or mixture. In case your product displays a more severe hazard, the label should bear the signal word ‘danger’, and in case of less severe hazards, it should bear the signal word ‘warning’.

Hazard and precautionary statements

When it comes to hazard and precautionary statements, your label should include the relevant hazard statements describing the nature and severity of the hazards of your product. Your label should also include the relevant precautionary statements, advising on measures to prevent or minimise adverse effects to human health or the environment arising from the hazards of your product.

Hazard pictograms

A hazard pictogram is a pictorial presentation of a particular hazard that your product may be subject to. Accordingly, the classification of your substance or mixture determines the hazard pictograms that should be displayed on your label. You must display pictograms for any and all associated hazards. When creating a CLP, your hazard pictograms should be in the shape of a square set at a pointed diamond shape and should have a black symbol on a white background with a red border. It’s also worth noting that each hazard pictogram should cover at least one-fifteenth of the surface area of your label, but the minimum area shall not be less than 1 square centimetres. Pictograms should be no smaller than 2cm x 2cm for limited quantity. Pictograms and hazard statements are only required for above 125ml/grams, below this, only one is required.

Supplier address and phone number

For insurance and liability purposes you must provide your customer with your address and phone number. Customers, by law, have the right to know who it is they are entering into a contract with. The main pieces of law that relate to this are the Companies Act 2006 (whether or not you are a Limited Company) and for websites the “e-commerce Regulations”. This ensures that customers can easily contact you regarding the above or issues to do with your product. You still have to provide an address and phone number even if you don’t have a business one, this includes your business name, legal ownership name and a geographical address where legal documents can be sent. These requirements apply to receipts, invoices, orders and correspondence issued in the course of your business. Your details ensure that you and your business are easily traceable.

What % CLP label should I use?

When creating a CLP label you must use the correct percentage. You can overestimate your fragrance load but you cannot underestimate it.

If you are creating a candle or wax melt we recommend to use around 6-10% fragrance oil, therefore, you will need to use our 10% CLP label as this covers everything under 10% you don't need a 6% CLP as the 10% still covers you.

If you are creating a reed diffuser, room spray or plugin we recommend to use around 15-25% fragrance oil, therefore, you will need to use our 25% CLP label as this covers everything under 25%, for example, you cannot use a 10% CLP label if your load is 15%, you must overestimate.

As our Augeo Reed Diffuser Base is hazardous, we have provided an SDS for 80% which you must use if selling.

Where should I place my CLP?

Your CLP should be visible, easy to read and in a horizontal position.

If you are unable to attach your CLP to your product due to its shape, you may attach it using a swing tag with the same rules applying.

Your CLP must be on your final product. If you are placing your product in a box etc your CLP must be on the product and not the box.

Which bases are hazardous?

Our waxes, Perfumers Alcohol, Room Spray Base and Plugin Diffuser Base are all non-hazardous and therefore do not require a CLP label.

Our Augeo Reed Diffuser Base is hazardous and is required on your CLP label, if using alongside a fragrance, you will need to create a combined CLP label.

Using our website to find your CLP

Fragrances contain a range of different chemicals which are classed as potentially harmful and need to be displayed on the packaging. The chemicals in each fragrance are all different. We have a data sheet available for every fragrance we supply.

A candle generally speaking can hold 10% fragrance oil, so we provide a 10% data sheet for each fragrance. Simply go to the fragrance product page, and click the data sheets tab. Under the data sheet tab you will see ‘Download 10% MSDS.’

Once downloaded, open the data sheet and scroll to section 2.2 ‘Label Elements.’

Everything in this area needs to be put directly onto your candle label.

For most fragrances we have already created a CLP label template for you. Simply print off, add your company details, print using a label printer and stick to your candle or wax melt. You are CLP compliant. Easy!

CLP labels and Safety Data Sheets can come in 100%, 25% and 10%. When making a candle you can use up to 10% fragrance oil so a CLP of 10% will suffice. When making reed diffusers you can use up to 25% fragrance oil, so a CLP of 25% will cover you as a business. You may notice the pictograms may be different at a different percentage. This is because what could be considered harmful at 100% may not be at 10%.

Being CLP compliant ensures that both you and your customers are protected. It’s important to review your CLPs often to ensure they are still compliant with current rules and regulations and you should also remember to check your CLPs to make sure that no ingredients in your products have been changed by your manufacturer. 

Our CLP Generator

To help make your life easier when it comes to making CLP's and being fully compliant, we've created the online Supplies for Candles CLP Generator.

Click here to go to the generator!

Here you will be able to use our drop down menu to select any fragrance oil that we stock.

You can then select which percentage you require for your product - 10% or 25%.

Our generator will then trigger all the needed information and symbols required for your label!

You can then go on to fill in the other fields that include weights and measurements, Product Name, Business Name, Business Address, Business Telephone, Batch Number and UFI.

For candles and wax melts we will also provide you with warning symbols, just tick the ones that are applicable to your product and these will also appear on your label.

Lastly, you can customise your label by selecting your font colour, font size and positioning and label background colour as well as choosing whether you would like your label to be formatted for a circle or square label layout.

All you have to do is click save as JPEG or PNG and you're ready to print