CLP labelling for candles: a UK and EU primer
If you sell a candle in the UK or the EU, you are placing a mixture on the market under the CLP regulation. That means a label that names the hazard, names the allergens, names you, and uses the standardised pictograms. The rules are not complicated, but they are non-negotiable.
What CLP requires on a candle label
CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) is the UK and EU implementation of the GHS. A candle label must include:
- Product identifier (name).
- Nominal quantity (net weight in grams).
- Name, address, and telephone of the supplier.
- Hazard pictograms (the diamond symbols).
- Signal word: Warning or Danger.
- Hazard statements (H-codes).
- Precautionary statements (P-codes).
- Allergens present at or above the disclosure threshold.
- From 2025 in the EU, a Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) where relevant.
The 0.01% allergen rule
Annex III of Regulation 1223/2009 lists 26 substances that must be declared on the label whenever they exceed 0.01% (100 ppm) of the finished product for leave-on cosmetics, and 0.001% for rinse-off. Candle labellers generally apply the leave-on threshold.
The maths: allergen concentration in finished product = allergen percentage in the fragrance oil × the fragrance oil load. A 10% load of a fragrance that contains 0.2% linalool puts linalool at 0.02% in the finished product, which is over the threshold.
Signal words and pictograms
Use the strongest signal word triggered by any of the candle's hazards. Danger overrides Warning. Pictograms stack: a candle that is both an irritant and an aquatic toxicant carries GHS07 and GHS09 on the same label.
Where the label has to go
Either on the candle itself, on a hangtag, or on the bottom (for tealights and votives). Underside-only labelling is acceptable only when the candle is too small for a side label. The information must be legible without removing the wrapper.
Put this guide to work.
Open the label generator →Sources
- HSE: CLP regulation overview
- ECHA: CLP regulation
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (cosmetic ingredients, source of the Annex III list)
Compatibility rules
This guide is editorial content from Waxverse, not legal advice. Verify all regulatory claims against the current text of the law and your fragrance supplier's SDS before commercial sale.