Quick answer
The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act requires a packaged consumer product to state the identity of the commodity; the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor; the net quantity of contents. The identity and the net quantity go on the principal display panel, the side shoppers see first, with the net quantity within the bottom 30 percent of the area of the label panel and in both avoirdupois pound and ounce and SI metric kilograms, grams, or milligrams. The FTC writes the rules for products such as candles and true soap, and FDA applies the Act to cosmetics and food.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, and this page is general information, not legal advice. See where Nation fits.
What the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act requires
The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act is a federal law, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1451-1461, about the labels on packaged goods sold to shoppers. Its rules for most non-food products are in 16 CFR Part 500, written by the Federal Trade Commission. Every packaged consumer commodity must carry three statements: the identity of the commodity; the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor; the net quantity of contents.
The Act also lets the agencies add rules on descriptions of ingredients, slack fill of packages, use of "cents-off" or lower price labeling, or characterization of package sizes. For a small maker, the three statements are the part that decides what goes on the label. The table shows each one, where it goes and the main rule.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state and by product type, so check the rule that applies to your product before you print labels.
Which agency's rules apply to candles, soap and cosmetics
The FTC's page on the Act says it covers all consumer commodities other than food, drugs, therapeutic devices, and cosmetics. Part 500 says plainly that a consumer commodity under those rules does not include any food, drug, device or cosmetic. A product counts as a consumer commodity when it is sold at retail for personal or household use and usually is consumed or expended in the course of such consumption or use.
Cosmetics are labeled under FDA rules. FDA's cosmetics labeling guide says cosmetics sold in the US must follow the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Fair Packaging and Labeling (FP&L) Act. FDA defines a cosmetic as a product, except soap, so a true soap sold only as soap is outside FDA's cosmetic rules. The same guide says: If cosmetic claims, e.g., moisturizing, deodorizing, skin softening etc., are made on a label, the product is a cosmetic. Synthetic detergent bars are also considered cosmetics. Food labels follow FDA's food rules.
Wholesalers and retailers fall under the rules to the extent that such persons are engaged in the packaging or labeling of consumer commodities. A shop that buys finished, labeled goods and resells them unchanged is relying on the maker's label.
The principal display panel: where the main statements go
Two of the three statements must sit on the principal display panel. Part 500 defines it as the part of the label most likely to be displayed, presented, shown, or examined under normal and customary conditions of display for retail sale. On a jar candle or a bottle, that is the front.
On a round container, the panel is 40 percent of the circumference that faces the shopper. For a decorative container or a very small one, the panel may be a tear-away tag or tape affixed to the container, which helps when a label would spoil the design. Part 500 says the panel must be large enough to accommodate all the mandatory label information without crowding. You may use a second front, such as the back of a box that faces out on a shelf, but alternate principal display panels must duplicate the information required to be placed on the principal display panel.
The statement of identity
The identity tells the shopper what the product is. Part 500 says the principal display panel shall bear a specification of the identity of the commodity. The identity must comprise a principal feature of the principal display panel, in a size that reads easily, and in lines generally parallel to the base on which the package or commodity rests.
Use the name a federal rule requires if there is one. If there is not, use The common or usual name of the commodity, such as soy candle, bar soap or reed diffuser. If no common name exists, use The generic name or in other appropriately descriptive terms such as a specification which includes a statement of function. For cosmetics, FDA requires that the identity statement appear on the PDP, and allows a fanciful name when the nature of the product is obvious.
Be careful with ingredient words in the name. Ingredients or components which are not present in the commodity in a substantial or significantly effective amount may not be mentioned in the identity. A candle called lavender and honey should contain lavender and honey in a meaningful amount, not only a scent oil that smells like them.
The name and place of business
The label must state the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. If someone else made the product for you, add a phrase that reveals the connection such person has with such commodity. Part 500 gives “Manufactured for ______,” “Distributed by ______,” as examples, followed by your business name.
For a sole owner or partnership, the name under which the business is conducted shall be used. The address must include the street address, city, state, and zip code. Part 500 adds that the street address may be omitted if it is listed in a readily accessible, widely published, and publicly available resource, such as a printed directory, electronic database, or Web site. If you make products somewhere other than your main address, the label may state the principal place of business. Check that the address you print is one where you can receive mail.
Net weight labeling requirements: units and wording
The net quantity is the amount of product in the package, without the jar, tin, box or wrapper. Part 500 asks for it in terms of fluid measure if the commodity is liquid, or in terms of weight or mass if the commodity is solid, semi-solid, or viscous. Wax, bar soap, balms and scrubs are declared by weight. Liquid soap, room spray and oils are declared by fluid measure.
Statements must be in both avoirdupois pound and ounce and SI metric kilograms, grams, or milligrams. NIST's packaging page notes the Act was amended in 1992 to require that metric (SI) units be displayed on packages. For cosmetics, FDA's guide states US units and says net contents may additionally be stated also in the metric system. The term net weight or net mass may be used under Part 500, while FDA's guide says that for cosmetics "net weight" or "net wt." must be used with a weight statement.
The statement may not use qualifying words such as “jumbo quart,” “giant liter,” “full gallon,” “when packed,” “minimum,” or similar terms. It must be accurate: weigh the product alone, after any drying or curing, and declare what the shopper actually receives.
Placement, spacing and type size for the net quantity
The net quantity must be separately and accurately stated on the principal display panel, as a distinct item placed within the bottom 30 percent of the area of the label panel. On panels of 5 square inches or less, the requirement for placement within the bottom 30 percent of the area of the label panel shall not apply as long as the statement meets the other rules. Leave clear space around it: at least a space equal to the height of the lettering used in the declaration above and below, and at least twice the width of the letter “N” to the left and right. It must be in conspicuous and easily legible boldface type or print in distinct contrast to the rest of the label.
For cosmetics sold in a box, FDA's guide puts the net contents within the bottom 30% of the PDP of the outer container and also on an information panel of the inner container.
The minimum type height depends on the area of the principal display panel. For a box, that area is the product of the height times the width. For a jar or bottle, it is 40 percent of the product of the height of the container or commodity times the circumference, exclusive of tops, bottoms, flanges at tops and bottoms of cans, and shoulders and necks of bottles and jars. When you use lower case letters, the lower case letter “o” must meet the minimum.
How to check a candle label against the Act
Example: a soy candle in a round glass jar, 3 inches tall and 3 inches across, holding 8 ounces of wax. The numbers are example inputs for the working.
Find the principal display panel
The jar is round, so the panel is 40 percent of the circumference that faces the shopper. Put the product name and the net quantity there.
Work out the panel area
The circumference of a 3 inch jar is about 9.4 inches. Times a 3 inch height gives about 28 square inches, and 40 percent of that is about 11 square inches. That sets the type size.
Pick the type size
A panel of about 11 square inches falls in the band over 5 square inches, up to 25 square inches, so the net quantity needs letters of at least 1/8 inch (3.1 mm), measured on the lower case o.
Write the net quantity
Wax is a solid under one pound, so the rule is If less than 1 pound, in terms of ounces. With grams added, the example label reads Net Wt 8 oz (226 g), in bold, in the bottom part of the panel.
Add identity and maker
Write the identity, such as soy candle, across the front. Put your business name and address anywhere on the label, with Distributed by if someone else poured the candle for you.
State weights and measures rules
Federal rules are only part of the picture. NIST's Office of Weights and Measures says the Act and other federal laws govern most consumer products, but many products fall only under state laws. Part 500 adds that even products exempt from the federal rules may still fall within the purview of the weights-and-measures laws of the individual states.
NIST Handbook 130, whose current edition is 2026, holds the Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulation, a model rule for state packaging laws. NIST notes that this regulation allows metric net quantity declarations on consumer packages not subject to Federal regulations. NIST's NIST SP 1020 gives an overview of labeling by weight, volume, count or measure, based on the UPLR.
Shipping boxes are not packages under Part 500 when they are shipping containers or outer wrappings used by retailers to ship or deliver any commodity to retail customers and carry no printed product information. The label on the product inside still has to comply.
Rules vary by state and city, and some products have their own federal rules on top of the Act. This page is general information, not legal advice. For a product you are unsure about, ask your state weights and measures office or the agency that regulates the product.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. It does not print or review product labels, and this page does not describe a Nation feature.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. It is general information on federal packaging rules, not legal advice.
Describe what you makeQuestions about the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act
What does the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act require on a label?
The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act requires three statements on a packaged consumer product: the identity of the commodity; the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor; the net quantity of contents. The identity and net quantity go on the principal display panel. The maker's name and address can go anywhere on the label but must be conspicuous.
Does the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act apply to candles?
The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act applies to candles through the FTC's rules in 16 CFR Part 500, which cover all consumer commodities other than food, drugs, therapeutic devices, and cosmetics. A packaged candle needs an identity statement, a net weight in US and metric units, and the name and address of the maker, packer or distributor.
What are the net weight labeling requirements?
Net weight labeling requirements under the Act call for the weight of the product alone, stated in both avoirdupois pound and ounce and SI metric kilograms, grams, or milligrams, such as Net Wt 15 oz (425 g). It goes within the bottom 30 percent of the area of the label panel of the principal display panel, in bold type, with no words such as giant or minimum.
Does handmade soap fall under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act?
Handmade soap falls under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act either way, but the agency differs. FDA defines a cosmetic as a product, except soap, so true soap sold only as soap follows the FTC's Part 500. Soap with moisturizing or other skin-care claims, and synthetic detergent bars, follow FDA's cosmetic labeling rules.
Can I leave my street address off the label?
You can leave your street address off a label under Part 500 only in one case: the street address may be omitted if it is listed in a readily accessible, widely published, and publicly available resource, such as a printed directory, electronic database, or Web site. Otherwise the label needs the street address, city, state, and zip code. The city, state and zip code stay on the label either way.