KENYA STANDARD                                 KS 1707: 2012  
             ICS 71.100.70 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Labelling of cosmetic products 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
No copying of this standard without KEBS permission  except as permitted by copyright law 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© KEBS 2012        Third Edition 2012  
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TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION 
 
The following organizations were represented on the  Technical Committee: 
 
 
Consumer Information Network 
Kenyatta National Hospital — Dermatology Department  
Government Chemist 
Haco Industries Ltd. 
Rozeco Chemical Industries Ltd. 
Interconsumer Products Ltd. 
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute  (KIRDI) 
Beiersdorf (EA) Ltd. 
Pz Cussons E.A. Ltd 
Unilever Kenya Ltd. 
Henkel Chemicals (EA) Ltd. 
Intertek International 
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technol ogy (JKUAT)   
Ministry of Medical Services 
Kenya Association of Manufacturers 
Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation 
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
 
In order to keep abreast of progress in industry, K enya Standards shall be regularly reviewed. Suggest ions for 
improvements to published standards, addressed to t he Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, ar e 
welcome. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© Kenya Bureau of Standards, 2012 
 
Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Sec tion 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 12 of 2001  of t he Laws of Kenya, 
copyright subsists in all Kenya Standards and excep t as provided under Section 26 of this Act, no Keny a Standard produced 
by Kenya Bureau of Standards may be reproduced, sto red in a retrieval system in any form or transmitte d by any means 
without prior permission in writing from the Managi ng Director. 
 
 
 
 
ISBN 9966-23-739-9 
 
 
                 KS 1707: 2012  
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 KENYA STANDARD         KS 1707: 2012  
            ICS 71.100.70 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Labelling of cosmetic products 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 KENYA BUREAU OF STANDARDS (KEBS) 
 
Head Office:  P.O. Box 54974, Nairobi-00200, Tel.: (+254 020) 605 490, 602350, Fax: (+254 020) 604031 
E-Mail: info@kebs.org,  Web:http://www.kebs.org   
 
Coast Region    Lake Region         Rift Valley Reg ion  
P.O. Box 99376, Mombasa-80100  P.O. Box 2949, Kisum u-40100       P.O. Box 2138, Nakuru-20100 
Tel.: (+254 041) 229563, 230939/40               Te l.: (+254 057) 23549, 22396       Tel.: (+254 051) 210553, 210555 
Fax: (+254 041) 229448   Fax: (+254 057) 21814                       KS 1707: 2012  
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P R E F A C E 
 
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Technical C ommittee on Cosmetics and Related Products under th e 
guidance of the Standards Projects Committee, and i t is in accordance with the procedures of the Burea u. 
 
This standard was first issued in February, 2001. I n this First Revision, the clauses touching on date  marking 
and presentation of manufacturer’s/importer’s addre ss have been altered. 
 
 
This standard gives requirements for the labelling of cosmetic products except as otherwise stated in a specific 
Kenya Standard.  The standard will go a long way in  offering guidance to the manufacturers and importe rs of 
cosmetic products in declaring all the important in formation on products, which is deemed necessary fo r correct 
understanding by the consumer of the products. 
 
In the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following document: 
 
Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 of the European Parli ament and of the Council of the European Union. (20 09): 
Cosmetic Products . Brussels 
 
Acknowledgement is hereby made for the assistance d erived from this source.                 KS 1707: 2012  
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KENYA STANDARD 
 
LABELLING OF COSMETIC PRODUCTS 
 
 
 
1. SCOPE  
 
This Kenya Standard covers requirements for the lab elling of cosmetic products. 
 
2. APPLICATION   
 
This standard applies to all cosmetic products that  fit within the definitions outlined below, and whi ch are 
listed in KS 1474: ∗ Part 1. 
 
3. DEFINITIONS: 
 
For the purposes of this standard, the following de finitions shall apply: 
 
3.1  cosmetic product  — means any substance or preparation intended to b e placed in contact with the 
various external parts of the human body (epidermis , hair system, nails, lips and external genital org ans) 
or with the teeth and the mucous membranes of the o ral cavity with a view exclusively or mainly to 
cleaning them, perfuming them, changing their appea rance and/or correcting body odours and/or 
protecting them or keeping them in good condition. 
 
3.2  ingredient  — Means any chemical substance or preparation of s ynthetic or natural origin, used in the 
composition of cosmetic products, and present in th e final product. 
 
4. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 
 
4.1  The labelling shall be in English or Kiswahili lan guages. Any other language shall be optional. 
 
4.2  The cosmetic products shall not be described or pr esented on any label by words, pictorial and other 
devices, in a manner that is deceptive, false, misl eading or is likely to create an erroneous impressi on 
regarding its character in any respect. 
 
4.3  Any product claiming “dermatologically tested”, “ clinically tested” or any other such claims on the label 
shall be accompanied by proof of the tests carried out. Such documents shall be presented to KEBS and 
other authorities on demand. 
 
4.4 Where it is impracticable, for reasons of size or shape, for the particulars outlined in  clause 5 to appear 
on the package or container, those particulars shal l appear on a label, tag, tape, or card attached to  the 
product, or an enclosed leaflet. 
 
4.5 This information shall be provided in addition to any other labelling requirements outlined in specif ic 
Kenya Standards. 
 
 
5. LABELLING REQUIREMENTS 
 
                                                           
∗ Classification of cosmetic raw materials and adjunc ts 
   Part 1. Illustrative list by category of cosmeti c products.  KS 1707: 2012                                          
 
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   All containers or packages packed with cosmetic pr oducts shall bear the following information in 
indelible, easily legible and visible lettering:  
 
5.1 Name, Address and Telephone contact  — The name, address and telephone contact of the 
manufacturer, including country of origin. Imported  products shall in addition bear the name and addre ss 
of the local importer/distributor, except where the  importer is a local subsidiary of the manufacturer , or 
the approved sole agent of the manufacturer. 
 
5.2 Net Content  — The net content at the time of packaging, given by  weight or by volume. 
 
5.3  Date of Manufacture  — The date of manufacture shall be labelled on eac h product. If coded, the 
decoded information shall be availed to the Kenya B ureau of Standards on request.   
 
5.4 Expiry/Best Before Date 
 
5.4.1  Products that have a shelf life of 30 months and l ess shall be marked with the expiry date.  The 
manufacturer or his agent or the person to whose or der a cosmetic product is manufactured or the 
person responsible for placing an imported cosmetic  product on the market shall ensure that the 
information outlined in Appendix A is easily access ible to the competent authority. 
 
5.4.2 For products with a shelf life greater than 30 mont hs: 
 
(a) The best before date shall be labelled or  
 
(b) The manufacturer or his agent or the person to wh ose order a cosmetic product is manufactured 
or the person responsible for placing an imported c osmetic product on the market shall provide 
a dossier containing the information outlined in Ap pendix A to the competent authority before 
placing the product on the market. 
 
5.5  Precautions  — Particular precautions to be observed in storage  or use, if necessary. 
 
5.6  Batch Number  — The batch or code number for identification of t he goods.  The decoded information 
shall be availed to Kenya Bureau of Standards on re quest. 
 
5.7  Function of the Product  and Instructions for Use  — Unless it is clear from the presentation of the 
product.   
5.8 Disposal instructions for protection of the environme nt — Pictorial instructions or otherwise may be 
given. 
 
5.9  Ingredients  
 
5.9.1    The list of ingredients shall be declared in des cending order of weight at the time they are added.   That 
list shall be preceded by the word ‘ingredients’.  The INCI label names shall be used. 
 
INCI – International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingre dients 
 
 
 
 
 
5.9.2  The following shall not, however, be regarded as i ngredients; 
 ©KEBS                    KS 1707: 2012  
 
 
             3  (i) Impurities in the raw materials used; 
 
(ii) Subsidiary technical materials used in the pre paration but not present in the final product; 
 
(iii) Materials used in strictly necessary quantiti es as solvents or as carriers for perfume and 
aromatic compositions. 
 
5.9.3 Perfume and aromatic compositions and their raw ma terials shall be referred to by the word ‘perfume’ or 
‘flavour’.  Ingredients in concentrations of less t han 1 per cent may be listed in any order after tho se in 
concentrations of more than 1per cent. 
 
5.9.4  Colouring agents may be listed in any order after the other ingredients, in accordance with the colou r 
index number or denomination adopted in KS 03-1474:  Part 4 *.  For decorative cosmetic products 
marketed in several colour shades, all colouring ag ents used in the range may be listed, provided that  
the terms ‘may contain’ are added, or the symbol +/ -. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
* Part 4:  List of colouring agents allowed for use in cosmetic products. KS 1707: 2012                                          
 
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  A P P E N D I X  A 
 
INFORMATION ON COSMETIC PRODUCTS 
 
CONFIDENTIAL 
 
 
PART 1 
 
A1.  Name of applicant. 
Business address. 
Telephone number. 
 
A2.  Name of product. 
Type of formulation. 
Presentation of the product. 
 
A3.  Identification (physical appearance of the product ). 
 
A4.  Name and business address of manufacturer. 
Country of origin. 
 
A5.  Is the product authorized to be on the market in t he country of origin?  
If yes, attach certificate of analysis. If not, sta te the reasons below: 
 
PART II 
 
A6.  The names and structural formulas of the ingredien ts are as follows: 
 
APPROVED OR 
CHEMICAL NAME INCI NAME STRUCTURAL 
FORMULA QUANTITY 
    
 
 
PART III 
 
A7.  Physical, Chemical and microbiological specificati ons for all the raw materials used in the manufactu ring 
process are as follows: 
 
PART IV 
 
A8.  Analytical control procedures which are performed on all raw materials before they are used in 
manufacturing process are as follows: 
 
PART V 
 
A9.  Analytical control procedures and the frequency wi th which they are performed during the manufacturin g 
process are as follows: 
 
PART VI 
 
A10.  Full physical, chemical and microbiological specif ications of final manufactured product are as follo ws: 
(mention also the purity and microbiological criter ia of the finished cosmetic product). ©KEBS                    KS 1707: 2012  
 
 
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PART VII 
 
A11.  The analytical procedures which are performed on t he final manufactured product are as follows:  
 
PART VIII 
 
A12.  The inferred shelf-life of the product is as follo ws: 
 
PART IX 
 
A13.  A summary of the experimental details and results of tests performed on the product to confirm its sh elf-
life and stability is as follows: 
 
PART X 
 
A14.  Summaries of the method of manufacture and packagi ng are as follows: 
 
PART XI 
 
A15.  Existing data on undesirable effects on human heal th resulting from use of the cosmetic product is as  
follows: 
 
PART XII 
 
A16.  Particulars of the tests conducted for assessment of the safety for human health of the finished prod uct.  
A summary of the nature of the tests, by whom condu cted and where, results etc should be given.  To 
this end, the manufacturer shall take into consider ation the general toxicological profile of the 
ingredients, the chemical structure and its level o f exposure. 
 
PART XIII 
 
A17.  The name and address of the qualified person(s) re sponsible for the assessment referred to in PART 
XII.  That person must hold a diploma in the field of toxicology, dermatology, medicine or a similar 
discipline. 
 
PART XIV 
 
A18.  Proof of the effect claimed for the cosmetic produ ct, where justified by the nature of the effect or product. 
 
 
 
The undersigned here declares that all the informat ion contained herein is correct to the best of my k nowledge 
and belief. 
 
 
……………………………   ……………………………………….. 
 
Date of application    Signature of applicant and d esignation 
 
 
 
NOTE: A separate application is required for each C osmetic product. 
 KS 1707: 2012                                          
 
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