Industry
Batch tracking for cosmetics and skincare brands
Every cosmetic product carries a batch code, and in most markets that code is a legal requirement rather than a convenience. The question is whether yours means anything once the product has left your warehouse.
Batch codes are a regulatory obligation
Cosmetics regulations across the EU, UK, and comparable regimes require a batch identifier on the product or its packaging, backed by a product information file for that batch. The purpose is straightforward: if a formulation causes a reaction, the batch is the unit of investigation.
Printing the code is the easy part. The obligation only becomes useful if you can connect it to where the product went, which for a direct-to-consumer brand means connecting it to orders.
Shelf life and period after opening
Cosmetics carry two different clocks. A durability date for products with a shelf life under thirty months, and a period-after-opening figure for the rest. Both are anchored to when the product was made.
LotTrack stores a manufacture date and an expiration date on each lot, so whichever convention applies to a given product line, the underlying date is recorded and available. Alerts fire on the configurable warning window and FEFO allocation makes sure the oldest safe stock moves first — which for skincare is also the freshness argument your customers care about.
- Batch code, manufacture date, and expiry or PAO date on every lot
- Supplier reference tying each batch to its production run and PIF
- Freshest-first or oldest-first allocation, whichever your formulation calls for
- Per-location tracking for brands selling through both DTC and retail
When a formulation issue surfaces
Reaction reports rarely arrive as a clean recall notice. More often it is a handful of customer complaints that share something in common, and the first useful question is whether they all received the same batch.
With batch-to-order links that is answerable in a query. If the complaints do share a batch you have your scope, you can quarantine the remaining stock immediately, and you can contact the customers who received it. If they do not share a batch, you have ruled out a production issue — which is just as valuable.
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Frequently asked questions
Are batch codes required on cosmetics?
In the EU, UK, and many comparable jurisdictions, cosmetic products must carry a batch identifier, supported by a product information file for that batch. Requirements vary by market, so confirm the rules that apply to where you sell.
Can LotTrack track period-after-opening rather than an expiry date?
Each lot stores a manufacture date and a date field you can use for either a durability date or a PAO-derived date. Alerts and allocation work from that date whichever convention you apply.
How do I check whether several complaints came from the same batch?
Because every fulfillment records which lot it drew from, you can look up the batch behind any order. If complaints share a lot you have identified the scope; if they do not, you have ruled out a batch-level production issue.