Labels feel like a design job, and they are partly that. But a label is also a record: what the product is, who made it, what is in it and how to use it safely. Get the information wrong, or let it drift between batches, and a pretty label becomes a problem.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Labeling rules depend on what you make and where you sell it, and some categories have detailed requirements. Use this as a starting map, then check the specific rules for your product category and market, or ask a professional who knows them.
What most product labels carry
- What the product is: a plain name a buyer would recognise, not only a brand name.
- Who made it: your business name and a way to contact you.
- How much is in it: net weight, volume or count, where that applies to your product.
- What it is made of: ingredients or materials, especially for anything that touches skin or is eaten.
- How to use or care for it, and any safety warnings that apply.
- A batch or lot number and, where relevant, a made-on or use-by date.
Where the rules usually get stricter
Some categories tend to come with specific labeling requirements. If you make any of these, look up the rules that apply before you print a large run:
- Cosmetics and skincare: ingredient lists and their order are often regulated.
- Food and drink: ingredients, allergens and sometimes nutrition information.
- Candles: safety warnings are widely expected and in some places required.
- Children's products: age guidance and safety information can be required.
- Clothing and textiles: fibre content and care instructions are commonly required.
Design the label once, carefully. Then make sure every batch gets exactly that label, with its own batch number.
Batch numbers make labels useful
A batch or lot number on the label links the unit in a buyer's hand to the batch it came from. If a problem turns up, you can find every unit from that batch instead of guessing. Lot tracking for makers explains how to set that up. The label is where the system becomes visible.
Keep labels consistent across products
- Write shared text, such as a standard safety warning, once and reuse it, so a fix in one place reaches every product.
- Put a SKU or barcode on the label so the unit can be scanned and matched to its record.
- Keep a dated copy of each label version, so you know which units carried which wording.
- Re-check labels when a recipe or supplier changes. A new ingredient means new label text.
A label review checklist
- Look up the labeling rules for your product category and the places you sell.
- List the information each product's label must carry.
- Check every current label against that list.
- Add a batch or lot number and, where relevant, a date.
- Move shared text, like warnings, into one reusable template.
- Keep a dated copy of each label version.
- Review labels whenever a recipe, ingredient or supplier changes.
Keepsel prints product labels from your product records: on Starter, for up to 3 products. From the Maker plan you can design your own, with fields for the lot or batch number, the date made, an expiry date and a barcode, filled in when you print. From the Team plan, reusable label templates let you write a standard warning once and use it across every product that needs it, so a correction reaches all of them.