Selling horse lotions - what are the rules /laws?

[Jambarissa]

In my youth my hobby was making cosmetics, things like body butters and natural conditioners. I've continued over the years to make a few useful things for my horses: mane and tail spray, a midge lotion and a really effective but short lived fly spray.

They're made 'properly' with cosmetics ingredients and emulsifiers so are a cut above most of the diy recipes you see.

I have no real desire to be starting a business but the fly spray in particular has proven very effective against the flies in our field and appears to be the only thing that allows us to ride there atm. Other liveries have noticed and borrowed it then asked me to make them some and now I'm handing out several litres a week at cost. And then one let her friend on the next yard try it and now they want some too.

It's actually quite time consuming to make so if I'm going to make more I'd want to be doing it as a side hustle. Anyone know whether I'd need any sort of license or insurance or what the rules are around this sort of thing?

I suspect it's too much hassle!

 

[Equi]

As it isn’t for humans and doesn’t claim to have any medical benefit it doesn’t need to be tested from what I can see. Depending on the ingredients you might need to have a hazard symbol on the package. But insurance would be very much encouraged in case something were to happen (allergic reaction etc)

Links are just some info I found.

Dog shampoo


Craft cover

 

[Jambarissa]

Thanks so much, that's really useful.

 

[Rowreach]

If you have found a fly spray that actually works it would be worth putting in the investment and producing it properly tbh. I've been looking at the fly repellent bracelets that keep popping up on my feed and wondering about putting them on my horses' legs (given the claims about their effectiveness). Although so far this year the weather has been so cr4p here the flies have wisely stayed in hibernation.

 

[fidleyspromise]

All equine fly repellents are regulated under UK law and must be either approved or authorised. The purpose of this is to protect you, your horse and the environment. A legal fly repellent product with have an approval number such as ‘HSEXXXX’ or an authorisation number such as ‘UKXXXXXXX’ displayed on the label. This registration ensures you are using active ingredients known to be effective, and products whose safety is monitored. So, checking your product is legal is important for equine welfare. There are many products on the market, some of which are illegal and even unsafe for use on horses

NAF UK

NAF supplements are created using natural formulas developed by vets and nutritionists using premium grade, fully traceable ingredients

www.naf-equine.eu

I found this. I also know Alva changed theirs from Alva Fly to Alva Shield and it no longer says repellent on it.

Reps for Avalon say they cannot say skin so soft is a fly repellent but they can say people have used it and found it to deter flies however they can't say it will be effective.

Naf off citronella product info is:

NAFOff Citronella provides a refreshing fragrance that goes back generations. NAFOff Citronella has been formulated to help mask odours or scents, that may otherwise be attractive to different species. Long lasting and ideal for summer.

They don't specifically say it's a fly repellent however what else would it be?

 

[Gloi]

Citronella apparently can't legally be called a fly repellant

A guide to choosing the right fly repellent for your horse

Here comes summer, and with it the familiar cry of ‘Which fly spray do I use?’ Read our brief guide to know what is what when choosing fly repellents.

www.wynnstay.co.uk

I think it would be less hassle just trading with friends.

 

[HopOnTrot]

“Summer grooming spray”?

 

[Jambarissa]

Oh that's interesting, I'd noticed the name changes.

Unfortunately it's not any sort of miracle fly repellent, it's really effective for about an hour so we find it really useful for riding but obviously rubbish for turnout. It also only seems to work locally, did naff all when I went on a fun ride 20 miles away.

It's probably a non starter unless I did some of the other products. It's just not cost effective to make in small quantities.

If anyone is looking for an incredible fly repellent I recommend Tritec 14, it genuinely works but is £50 a bottle and hard to get hold of.

 

[SilverLinings]

Interestingly Tritec 14 isn't licensed for use on animals in the UK (it's a US product), so it is sold here as being for use on buildings etc to get around that fact. Pyrethins (the active ingredient) are known to be a skin irritant, neurotoxic, and cats and fish (if it gets into the watercourse) are extremely sensitive, so the product should be used and stored with care. I suppose as with things like weed killers, insecticides have to be pretty strong chemicals to be reliably effective.

It is really nice that you have been sharing your home made repellent with other liveries @Jambarissa, but it sounds like quite a complicated and expensive process to get a fly repellent product licensed as others have posted. Your only way of avoiding this would to be to advertise it as for use on buildings/equipment as Tritec do, but you would have to be really careful to never say it is for direct use on an animal. And get insurance of course.