Cosmetic Labelling Requirements in Australia: A Checklist
In Australia, a cosmetic label must show a full ingredient list (under the Consumer Goods (Cosmetics) Information Standard 2020), the net quantity in metric units and, for goods packed in Australia, the name and street address of the packer or the business it was packed for (under trade measurement law). Some ingredients also need Poisons Standard warnings, and every claim must be true. No regulator approves a label before sale, so getting it right is the brand owner's job.
Key facts
- Ingredients: all of them, on the container, in English or INCI names.
- Net quantity: on the main display panel in metric units, at least 2 mm high on small packs.
- Name and address: for goods packed in Australia, the packer's or brand's street address in Australia, not a PO box or website.
- No expiry date or PAO symbol is required for cosmetics by the Information Standard or trade measurement law.
- "Made in Australia" is optional for cosmetics but must be accurate. The kangaroo logo needs a licence.
Designing now? Use our Label guide, with label sizes and Canva templates.
What Australian law requires on a cosmetic label
1. A full ingredient list
The Consumer Goods (Cosmetics) Information Standard 2020, a mandatory standard under the Australian Consumer Law, covers cosmetics made in Australia for use here and imported cosmetics:
- Where: on the container or wrapper the product is packed in, prominently shown and clearly legible.
- Too small? If size, shape or nature means the list won't fit, it must be shown another way that lets customers see it, such as a display beside the products.
- Order: descending by mass or volume. Or: ingredients at 1% or more in descending order, then those under 1% in any order, then colour additives.
- Names: English or INCI (International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient) names.
- Fragrance: can be listed as "fragrance" or "parfum".
- Not needed: percentages, or incidental ingredients with no function in the product.
- Exempt: free samples, testers, therapeutic goods, certain excluded hand sanitisers, and cosmetics made in Australia for export.
2. Net quantity
Under trade measurement law, administered by the National Measurement Institute (NMI), every pre-packaged product must show its net measurement, excluding packaging:
- on the main display panel (on round bottles and jars, within 60 degrees either side of the panel's centre line);
- in correct symbols: mL, L, g or kg ("Ml", "gm" and "G" are not allowed);
- at a minimum character height set by the pack's largest dimension:
| Largest pack dimension | Minimum printed character height |
|---|---|
| 120 mm or less | 2 mm |
| Over 120 mm to 230 mm | 2.5 mm |
| Over 230 mm to 360 mm | 3.3 mm |
| Over 360 mm | 4.8 mm |
NMI's examples show it in the same direction as the brand name, with nothing overlapping it.
3. Name and address
For goods packed in Australia, the name and address of the packer, or the person it was packed for, must be clearly marked. It must be a street address in Australia: PO boxes, emails and websites don't count. There's no set size or position, but it must be legible.
4. Poisons Standard warning statements
Cosmetics must meet any Poisons Standard requirements for their ingredients, enforced by the states and territories. Some ingredients, such as certain hair dye ingredients, are only exempt from scheduling when the label carries specific warning statements. Where a product page shows a product-specific statement, copy it onto your label.
5. Honest claims and country of origin
Under the Australian Consumer Law, everything on the label must be true, accurate and based on reasonable grounds. Therapeutic claims such as "treats acne" turn a product into a therapeutic good; see cosmetic or therapeutic claims. A cosmetic is never "TGA approved".
The Australian Consumer Law doesn't require country of origin labelling on non-food products. If you do say "Made in Australia", the ACCC's safe harbour test is that the last substantial step in making the product, one that fundamentally changes the ingredients, happened here. The green and gold kangaroo logo can only be used under a licence from Australian Made Campaign Limited, granted for specific products.
6. SPF claims
Primary sunscreens (SPF 4 or more) are therapeutic goods and must be on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods before supply. Some secondary sunscreens can be cosmetics if they meet every condition of the Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Determination 2018: for example, a moisturiser with SPF 15 or less in a pack of 300 mL or 300 g or less. A moisturiser with SPF above 15 is a therapeutic sunscreen. SPF is tested to AS/NZS 2604:2021, so never put SPF on a label without testing. None of our white label products carry an SPF, and we don't make therapeutic goods.
What we require on white label labels
When we print and apply your label, our guidelines also require the items below, whatever market you sell in. Labels missing any of them are sent back.
- Net volume in mL and US fl oz, for example Net 30 mL (1.01 fl oz).
- Our precautionary statement, word for word, plus any product-specific statement from the product page.
- Directions for use from the product page. You can reword them if the meaning stays the same.
- The ingredient list exactly as on the product page: same INCI names, same order, nothing shortened.
- "Made in Australia". Everything we make is made at our Gold Coast facility.
- A "Distributed by" line: your business name and full street address in Australia (city, state and postcode alone don't meet trade measurement law, and PO boxes aren't allowed).
- The 12M PAO symbol. Our products should be sold within 12 months of your order date and used within 12 months of opening.
- All mandatory text in English. Other languages can sit alongside it.
You don't need a batch code: we print it on the base of every bottle. We apply one wrap-around label per bottle, so if mandatory information won't fit, it can go on outer packaging such as a printed box. Tell us by email or in the note at checkout. Artwork must match the exact label size, with a 2 mm bleed, a 2 mm safe zone and no text below size 4. Sizes and templates are in our Label guide.
Printable checklist
Required by law (Australia)
- ☐ Full ingredient list on the container, prominently shown and clearly legible
- ☐ Ingredients in descending order (or the 1% rule), with colour additives last
- ☐ English or INCI ingredient names
- ☐ Net quantity on the main display panel in mL, L, g or kg
- ☐ Net quantity characters at the minimum height for your pack's largest dimension (2 mm up to 120 mm, 2.5 mm up to 230 mm, 3.3 mm up to 360 mm, 4.8 mm above)
- ☐ Name and street address of the packer or the business it was packed for
- ☐ Any Poisons Standard warning statements the formula needs
- ☐ Cosmetic claims only, all true and backed by evidence
- ☐ "Made in Australia" only if accurate; kangaroo logo only under licence
- ☐ No SPF claim without testing to AS/NZS 2604
Required by us for white label
- ☐ Net volume in mL and US fl oz
- ☐ Precautionary statement, word for word
- ☐ Directions for use
- ☐ Ingredient list copied exactly from the product page
- ☐ "Made in Australia"
- ☐ "Distributed by" line with your business name and Australian street address
- ☐ 12M PAO symbol
- ☐ Mandatory text in English
- ☐ Exact label size, 2 mm bleed, 2 mm safe zone, no text below size 4
- ☐ Outer packaging flagged at checkout if it carries mandatory information
Common label mistakes
- Tidying the ingredient list. Reordering or shortening INCI names makes the list inaccurate.
- A tiny net quantity. Size 4 text is our general minimum, but net quantity has a legal minimum height set by pack size.
- "TGA approved" or "treats". The first is misleading for a cosmetic; the second is a therapeutic claim.
Selling overseas
The EU and UK need the name and address of a Responsible Person based in that market on the label, and the product must be notified before it goes on sale. EU and UK labels also need a best-before date for products that last 30 months or less. US labels need a US address, a US phone number or electronic contact details, such as a website, for adverse event reports. Build one master label for your strictest market. Our regulatory guide by market covers each one.
Frequently asked questions
Do cosmetics need an expiry date in Australia?
Generally no. Neither the Information Standard nor trade measurement law requires an expiry date or PAO symbol on cosmetics. Our white label labels carry the 12M PAO symbol, and EU and UK labels need a best-before date for products that last 30 months or less.
Do I have to use INCI names?
No. The Information Standard allows English or INCI names. For our white label products, copy the INCI list from the product page exactly.
Where does the ingredient list go if the bottle is too small?
If the container's size, shape or nature means the list won't fit, it must be shown another way that lets customers see it, such as a display beside the products, or a tag or leaflet.
Do I need "Made in Australia" on my label?
The Australian Consumer Law doesn't require it for cosmetics, but any origin claim must be accurate. Our guidelines require it, and our Gold Coast-made products qualify. The kangaroo logo needs a licence from Australian Made Campaign Limited.
Who is responsible for label compliance?
The brand owner. We check labels against our guidelines and supply compliance documents through our document library, but the final label and its claims are yours.
This article is general information, not legal advice.
Sources: Federal Register of Legislation, Consumer Goods (Cosmetics) Information Standard 2020; ACCC Product Safety, Cosmetics ingredients labelling mandatory standard; National Measurement Institute, Guide to the sale of pre-packaged goods (updated 27 November 2025); AICIS, Labelling, SDS and packaging; Federal Register of Legislation, Poisons Standard, October 2026; ACCC, Country of origin claims; Australian Made Campaign, When to use the Australian Made logo; Therapeutic Goods Administration, Understanding the regulation of therapeutic sunscreens (published 1 August 2025); AICIS, Cosmetics with sunscreen; EUR-Lex, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products; GOV.UK, Regulation 1223/2009 and the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013: Great Britain; US FDA, Registration and Listing of Cosmetic Product Facilities and Products: Guidance for Industry.
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