USA Truckload Shipping Logo
(866) 353-7178

The Basics of Perfume Transportation

Resources > The Basics of Perfume Transportation
Make sense of the rules and regulations around perfume transportation with an expert freight partner on your side.
Published: March 16, 2020
Last Modified: May 5, 2023
Author: Ask Truckload

When it comes to perfume transportation, you’ve got to be sure that you are following all the correct rules and protocols. If not, you could end up facing a pretty big fine for potentially dangerous transportation practices. If you are a business that needs to ship perfume, you need to make sure you hire a professional company to help you with this. 

Transporting perfume requires a lot of research to ensure you are complying with all the correct policies. There are a number of items that have perfume in them and each of these is going to be covered in some kind of code to ensure they are being transported safely. After you have packed everything properly, you can hand your perfumed items over to a shipping company that deals with all kinds of freight, and be confident that they can get your products from A to B.

Down below, we are going to be looking at the perfume transportation, how to know you’re following the rules, and why you should use a shipping company. 

What are Perfumes Used for?

What are Perfumes Used for

There are plenty of products on the market today that contain perfume. It is not just bottles of perfume that are going to be subject to the laws and regulations surrounding how to transport and ship them safely. It is all products that contain perfume. In the United States, many products have perfume in them. You will know if they do because they have a scent that doesn’t smell natural. As the company that manufactures the products, you will know if there has been perfume used in your products. If so, you need to make sure that when you are packing perfume, you are following the correct guidelines. Some of the products that perfumes are used for are:

  • Soaps and detergents
  • Shaving cream
  • Lotions
  • Cosmetics
  • By themselves

Many manufacturers add perfumes to a product to make it more appealing to the consumer. As customers, people are always going to be attracted to something that smells good. This makes them more likely to buy it than if it was odorless or didn’t smell as pleasing. Now, people have different ideas of what smells nice and that is why there are so many different types of perfume scents available to purchase. For example, a consumer isn’t going to want to wash their clothes in detergent that doesn’t smell nice, so this needs to be taken into consideration when manufacturing the product. 

Are Perfumes Considered Hazmat?

Because of the alcohol content of perfumes, they are considered Hazmat. As such, the liquid is highly flammable, making it dangerous to ship without following the proper procedures. Any hazardous material must be packed and shipped in a way that complies with the safety regulations that we are going to be talking about a little bit further down. Any flammable liquid is considered flammable, meaning that if you are going to be transporting or shipping perfume, you need to be aware of all the hazardous material regulations. 

There are, however, special approvals for perfumes and colognes even though they are hazmat. Your perfume contains a high level of alcohol as well as a range of other toxic materials that could be dangerous if ingested or if used incorrectly. For this reason, they are considered dangerous and fall under the category of hazardous material. As such, you must be careful when you are looking into perfume transportation and shipping options.

How to Comply with Hazmat Regulations

If you want to make sure you comply with Hazmat regulations, then you need to ensure that your employees are trained in 49 CFR. As your business is not going to be the one doing the shipping, you need to ensure that the company you choose to transport your perfume is certified and trained in accordance with this. However, if your employees are going to be preparing the material for transportation, then they are also going to need to be certified. 

Make sure that you are keeping up to date with your Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). This will make sure all the correct information such as the class of hazard, the UN identification number, and the shipping name can all be cross referenced to the Hazardous Materials Table. 

Ensure that you have selected a suitable mode of transport for your products as this can change what you need to do in terms of packing, marking, and labelling. Ensure that all of this, including having the correct certifications, the labels, and so on, are all correct. You can find all the information you need in the Hazardous Materials Table in the 49 CFR Part 172. Check that the package you are using is fit for use and marked correctly.

Remember that it is the shipper’s responsibility to declare that the package has hazardous materials inside. The carrier needs to be aware of this, as some products cannot be shipped with hazmats. Make sure that you have declared everything correctly, and keep all of your shipping records for at least two years. If you are shipping any kind of hazardous waste, keep your records for three years. 

How to Determine if your Perfume Product is Regulated by the FDA or CPSC

How to Determine if your Perfume Product is Regulated by the FDA or CPSC

If your product is regulated as a cosmetic under the law if it is going to be applied to a person’s body in order to make them more attractive. Perfume falls under this category, which is why they are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA).. As well as this, products such as shaving cream, shower gels, shampoos and body lotions are all also regulated by the FDA because they contain fragrance ingredients. Even some products that have been marked unscented by the shipper will be regulated by this body because there could be just enough fragrance added to cover up unpleasant smells without being noticeable. 

However, your product will be regulated under the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) if it contains fragrance ingredients but is not intended to be applied to the body. As such, the product that is labelled with any intended use that isn’t to put on the body but has fragrance ingredients will be regulated by this body. Some of these include:

  • Laundry detergent
  • Dryer sheets
  • Room freshener
  • Carpet freshener
  • Fabric softener

The FDA will regulate the product if it is classed as a cosmetic in the eyes of the law. If it has fragrance ingredients but isn’t a cosmetic or a drug, it will be regulated under the CPSC.That’s how you figure out which agency oversees and classifies your product.

The FDA and the CPSC have different regulations when it comes to the packaging, labelling and shipping of these products. It’s important that you know which body you need to follow the rules for your product. It’s going to be pointless to follow CPSC regulations only to find out your product isn’t regulated by them.

How to Comply with the FDA’s Regulations

If you intend your cosmetic to be marketed on a retail basis directly to the customer such as in stores or on the internet, then it must have a list of ingredients. Most companies will list the ingredients separately to give their customers the best information. However, under the U.S. regulation, fragrance can simply be listed as ‘fragrance’ if you don’t want to specify what you used. This right of the shipper is protected under the Fair Packaging and Labelling Act, which protects companies from having to reveal their secrets. 

The FDA requires that you properly label and mark your products with all the correct information. It must be safe for the purchaser to use based on the label that you have provided, with the instructions of use clearly listed. To ensure that you follow the labelling correctly so as to avoid any issues, make sure that you consult the FDA Cosmetic Labelling Guide. Here you can find frequently asked questions and answers that manufacturers ask about labelling requirements under U.S. laws and regulations. 

There are no specific packaging requirements set by the FDA. Mainly, the FDA is focused on the correct labelling of the product so that the consumer knows what they are buying and the carrier knows what they are transporting. There are also different regulations for importing and exporting these cosmetics, so make sure to look up the different guides that tell you step by step what you can and cannot do.

How to Comply with the CPSC’s Regulations

The CPSC regulations come from the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FSHA), meaning that this is what you have to follow to comply. The first thing that you need to know is that there is a lot of information that must be put on a package that is hazardous. The label and outer wrapping must have this information, written in English:

  • The name and business address of the manufacturer, packer or seller
  • The common chemical name of each hazardous ingredient
  • ‘Danger’ for corrosive, flammable or highly toxic products
  • ‘Caution’ or ‘Warning’ for other hazardous products
  • A statement that shows what the hazard could be such as ‘flammable’ or ‘causes burns.’
  • ‘Keep out of reach of children’
  • Any actions that need to be taken to protect yourself

There are also special labelling requirements for certain hazardous ingredients, so make sure you check if your product contains one or more of them.

You can find the full list of requirements for chemicals and other hazmats in the FSHA, which is in Title 15 of the United States Code. Labels are the biggest concern when it comes to shipping. Your product needs to be clearly marked for both the carrier and the consumer who purchases the product. The content of the product will determine whether or not it needs to be labelled. 

To require a label, your product needs to be either toxic, flammable, corrosive, an irritant, or combustible. It then must have the potential to cause substantial personal injury or illness as a result of handling or use. 

How to Ship Industrial Fragrances to Manufacturers

Temperature Controlled Shipping for Perfumes

The best way to ship industrial fragrances to manufacturers is to hire a freight shipping company and get them to transport your perfume for you. With freight shipping companies, this can be done by land, sea, or air, so just make sure that you are following the correct regulations depending on which you end up choosing. Many of the usual postal methods aren’t going to allow industrial fragrances to be shipped through them internationally. Even though some will allow you to do this domestically, there is always a risk. Hiring an experienced logistics company is the best way to ship your products, especially if the manufacturers are international. You won’t get to mail this through a company like the United States Postal Service (USPS). 

That is why you need to hire a private company to take on this task for you. When you do this, ensure that you are doing the following things:

  • Declaring to the carrier what they are transporting
  • Label all boxes and freight correctly 
  • Pack all items securely and according to regulations

Follow the packaging suggestions and the labelling instructions that we have looked at above, and getting your perfume transportation sorted is going to be simple. As long as everything is correctly packed so that there is minimal chance of spillage or breakage. Make sure the items are clearly labelled and the whole process from packing to loading onto the vehicle is going to be easy.

How to Pack Glass Bottles of Perfume for Shipping

Packing glass bottles of perfume has to be done properly. Otherwise, the bottle can break and spill the contents everywhere. You don’t want this to happen, so you’ve got to make sure that you’re taking every precaution possible. First, you need to make sure that you are packing the glass bottles tight, leaving little to no room for movement. If they can’t move around, then they can’t break. The best thing that you can do here is wrap them in a material such as bubble wrap, as this is good for shipping. There are other types of shipping material that you can use, but bubble wrap is simple and effective.

You can also fill a box with packing peanuts before placing the items in to provide security. While it does give the items a bit more freedom to move around, it limits the risk of any damage coming to the  products due to the softness surrounding them. Make sure that you wrap the perfume bottles before placing them in the box of packing peanuts for the best chance of protection. Limiting the risk of breakage in any and all ways possible is especially important when glass is involved.

Temperature Controlled Shipping for Perfumes

Temperature Controlled Shipping for Perfumes

When you use a professional company, we can ensure that your perfumes are being shipped at the correct temperature. Using a number of different techniques, including having trucks that have temperature control in the back, we can ensure that your temperature requirements are being met at all times. It’s important that your perfume is kept at the right temperature to ensure that the essential oils and fragrances in the perfume do not degrade. In extreme temperatures, this can happen, which is why from start to finish, your perfume or perfumed products will be kept at a safe temperature.

The perfume should be stored in a refrigerated shipping unit for the best results. That is why we make sure your products are kept around room temperature at all times. Don’t make the truck so cold that the liquid freezes. Keep it at the perfect temperature throughout the transportation. However, if your perfume has higher levels of essential oils rather than alcohol, the temperature will need to be adjusted accordingly so as not to ruin the product. Unless it is going to be extremely hot for some reason, there is no need for dry ice and so on.

Perfume Transportation with R+L Global Logistics

If you are looking for a reliable, expert team to take care of your perfume transportation needs, then we here at R+L Global Logistics can do just that. We work with a range of businesses in a number of different industries, meaning that we can offer you the best transportation freight service solutions out there. We are the perfect partner for your company because our 3PL services include warehousing, order fulfillment, and custom brokerage, meaning that we offer you everything you could possibly need. 

If you want to know more about our perfume transportation options or even how to ship garden flowers or more, then get in touch with us today. We handle freight shipping from New York to California and all over the country. A specialist member of our team is waiting to talk to you and answer any additional questions you might have. Or, if you require a quote, R+L Global Logistics is also available to give you a freight quote so that you have an idea about how much it is going to cost to fulfill all of your transportation needs. Give us a call at (866) 353-7178 or seek a freight rate quote online.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

USA Truckload Shipping Logo
© Copyright 2024 R+L Global Logistics

R+L Global Logistics
315 NE 14th St., Ocala, FL 34470

(866) 353-7178
magnifiercrosschevron-down