Over-the-counter cosmetics and drug products that claim an active ingredient have to comply with increasing regulatory requirements. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Federal Trade Commission, Health Canada and EU 7th Amendment (the agency is the European Commission) are some of the agencies that require consumer labeling law compliance. The fact that compliance must be maintained regardless of the product size poses some challenges for brands simply due to the limited real estate of having a smaller label.

Extended-text labels combine graphics cues of the prime label, with expanded real estate that allows for telling a more detailed brand story, provides usage information that stays attached for the life of the product and enables brand owners to meet regulatory requirements. All together, these features give brand owners the opportunity to build brand loyalty.

Even containers like lip-balm barrels, or tubes as small as .33 ounces, can be labeled with extended-text labels that meet compliance requirements for products that have active ingredients.

Small or full-size, brand owners must comply with labeling regulations. In the end, size doesn’t matter because extended-text labels enable brands to meet their labeling requirements. Overall, this creates a tremendous opportunity for brand owners to easily expand into new geographic markets with trialing or small packages that make it easy for on-the-go consumers to engage their favorite brands.

Compliance requirements aside, brands ultimately want to help consumers become as informed about their product as possible. According to Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI), 76% of shoppers make their purchase decisions in-store at the shelf. So, anything that helps them become more informed at the shelf is going to help increase the opportunity of the product making it from the shelf to the home. And that’s what extended-text labels can accomplish with product education that comes straight off the product label.