Article 19

Labelling

(a) the name or registered name and the address of the respon­sible person. Such information may be abbreviated in so far as the abbreviation makes it possible to identify that person and his address. If several addresses are indicated, the one where the responsible person makes readily available the product information file shall be highlighted. The country of origin shall be specified for imported cosmetic products;

  1. Without prejudice to other provisions in this Article, cos­metic products shall be made available on the market only where the container and packaging of cosmetic products bear the fol­lowing information in indelible, easily legible and visible lettering:

  1. (b)  the nominal content at the time of packaging, given by weight or by volume, except in the case of packaging con­ taining less than five grams or five millilitres, free samples and single-application packs; for pre-packages normally sold as a number of items, for which details of weight or volume are not significant, the content need not be given provided the number of items appears on the packaging. This infor­ mation need not be given if the number of items is easy to see from the outside or if the product is normally only sold individually;

  2. (c)  the date until which the cosmetic product, stored under appropriate conditions, will continue to fulfil its initial func­ tion and, in particular, will remain in conformity with Article 3 (‘date of minimum durability’).

The date itself or details of where it appears on the packag­ ing shall be preceded by the symbol shown in point 3 of Annex VII or the words: ‘best used before the end of’.

The date of minimum durability shall be clearly expressed and shall consist of either the month and year or the day, month and year, in that order. If necessary, this information shall be supplemented by an indication of the conditions which must be satisfied to guarantee the stated durability.

Indication of the date of minimum durability shall not be mandatory for cosmetic products with a minimum durabil­ ity of more than 30 months. For such products, there shall be an indication of the period of time after opening for which the product is safe and can be used without any harm to the consumer. This information shall be indicated, except where the concept of durability after opening is not relevant, by the symbol shown in point 2 of Annex VII followed by the period (in months and/or years);

  1. (d)  particular precautions to be observed in use, and at least those listed in Annexes III to VI and any special precaution­ ary information on cosmetic products for professional use;

  2. (e)  the batch number of manufacture or the reference for iden­ tifying the cosmetic product. Where this is impossible for practical reasons because the cosmetic products are too small, such information need appear only on the packaging;

  3. (f)  the function of the cosmetic product, unless it is clear from its presentation;

  4. (g)  a list of ingredients. This information may be indicated on the packaging alone. The list shall be preceded by the term ‘ingredients’.

The list of ingredients shall be established in descending order of weight of the ingredients at the time they are added to the cosmetic product. Ingredients in concentrations of less than 1 % may be listed in any order after those in concentrations of more than 1 %.

Colorants other than colorants intended to colour the hair may be listed in any order after the other cosmetic ingredi­ents. For decorative cosmetic products marketed in several colour shades, all colorants be listed, provided that the words ‘may contain’ or the symbol ‘+/-’ are added. The CI (Colour Index) nomenclature shall be used, where applicable.

2. Where it is impossible for practical reasons to label the information mentioned in points (d) and (g) of paragraph 1 as provided, the following applies:

the information shall be mentioned on an enclosed or attached leaflet, label, tape, tag or card;

unless impracticable, this information shall be referred to by abbreviated information or the symbol given in point 1 of Annex VII, which must appear on the container or packag­ing for the information referred in point (d) of paragraph 1 and on packaging for the information referred in point (g) of paragraph 1.

3. where it is impossible for practical reasons for the information referred to in point (g) of paragraph 1 to appear on a label, tag, tape or card or in an enclosed leaflet, this information shall appear on a notice in immediate proximity to the container in which the cosmetic product is exposed for sale.

5. The language of the information mentioned in points (b), (c), (d) and (f) of paragraph 1 and in paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) shall be determined by the law of the Member States in which the product is made available to the end user.

6. The information mentioned in point (g) of paragraph 1 shall be expressed by using the common ingredient name set out in the glossary provided for in Article 33. In the absence of a common ingredient name, a term as contained in a generally accepted nomenclature shall be used.