Batch Numbers
Batch numbers are not required on cosmetic labels in the United States or Canada, but it is considered good practice to include them. They ARE required on products sold in the EU.
What are Batch Numbers?
A batch number is a unique identifier assigned to a product batch in order to track it.
You assign the batch number when you make the product. It is part of your permanent batch record
The internally assigned batch number doesn’t have to be the one that goes on the label, but if you use a different number you must have a way to relate one to the other.
Where does it go on the label?
The batch number would normally go on an informational panel of the label (the back, side or bottom). Of course, that means that the label for each batch is different.
If you are printing your own labels, you can leave a space for the batch number and add it before you print the labels to be applied to the product.
If you have boxes or labels printed in advance, there are several ways to handle it. You can print tiny labels to stick on the box or label in the designated spot, hand write the batch number, or get a custom stamp that you can set with the number (like a date stamps, but with custom letters and/or numbers). If you’re going to go with a stamp, you should find out what the options are (in your price range) as part of the process of deciding how you will set your batch numbers.
Often the batch number and the best-if-used-by date are placed near each other. If you are applying a small label, you could also include the best-if-used-by date.
