Cosmetics & Skincare Product Insurance Coverage Checklist
The coverages a cosmetics & skincare product business may carry — core, prevalent, and situational — why each matters, and the gap most often missed.
Pull out your current policy and check the box next to any coverage you can confirm is already in place — anything unchecked is worth a quick conversation with your advisor. Coverage checklist for cosmetics and skincare brands, private-label marketers, and manufacturers. Priorities reflect typical exposure for this class; confirm against your actual products, channels, and contracts.
Tick each coverage you can confirm you carry — anything left unticked is a good question for your next policy review.
| Have it? | Coverage | Why this business needs it | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Products Liability | Covers burns, reactions, infections, and long-tail illness claims from your products. Check the excluded-ingredients list. | Core | |
| Commercial General Liability | Covers premises and operations claims; often packaged with products for smaller brands. | Core | |
| Product Recall | Pays recall, destruction, and replacement costs — FDA can now order a cosmetics recall, and products liability won't pay for it. | Core | |
| Vendor's Endorsement / Additional Insured | Retailers, salons, and marketplaces require it, and your contract manufacturer should name you on its policy. | Core | |
| Umbrella / Excess Liability | Adds limits for mass-tort or multi-plaintiff claims such as the hair relaxer and benzene suits. | Prevalent | |
| Management Liability / D&O (Regulatory) | Can respond to FDA or FTC actions and false-advertising class actions over "clean" or "non-toxic" claims. | Prevalent | |
| Media / Advertising Liability | Covers claims over influencer content, photos, and copied product names or packaging. | Prevalent | |
| Cyber / Privacy Liability | Covers customer data from online sales, plus virtual try-on and biometric privacy claims. | Prevalent | |
| Property / Stock (incl. Off-Site Locations) | Covers inventory at your site, at contract manufacturers, in 3PL warehouses, and in transit. | Situational | |
| Workers' Compensation | Required once you have employees; covers mixing, filling, and warehouse injuries. | Situational | |
| Employment Practices Liability | Covers claims by employees in hiring, firing, or workplace conduct. | Situational | |
| Foreign Liability | Needed when products are sold outside the U.S., where domestic policies may not respond. | Situational |
The coverage gap most often missed
The gap most often missed by cosmetics brands is long-tail and mass-tort exposure. Talc, benzene in aerosol propellants, and formaldehyde in hair straighteners have all produced lawsuits years after the products were sold, and some products policies now exclude these ingredients or cap them with small sublimits. Under MoCRA, the company named on the label is responsible for safety substantiation and adverse event reporting even if a contract manufacturer made the product. Compare your ingredient list to the policy's exclusions, and confirm your manufacturer names you as an additional insured.
Send us the checklist and we'll review your cosmetics & skincare product coverage line by line, then market it across multiple carriers that compete for your account.
Related: Cosmetics & Skincare Product Insurance · Cosmetics & Skincare Product Supplemental (apply) · All coverage checklists
Frequently asked questions
What insurance does a cosmetics & skincare product business need?
The core coverages for a cosmetics & skincare product business are Products Liability, Commercial General Liability, Product Recall, Vendor's Endorsement / Additional Insured. This checklist also lists the prevalent and situational coverages worth considering, with a plain-English note on why each matters.
Is this checklist insurance advice?
No. It is a free educational tool to help you have a more informed conversation with a licensed professional. It affords no coverage and is not insurance, legal, or financial advice — only your actual policy language governs what is and isn't covered.
Can Cory Washington & Co. review my cosmetics & skincare product coverage?
Yes. Share your checklist and we'll review your program line by line, market your account across multiple carriers, and explain the trade-offs in plain English. Cory Washington & Co. LLC is licensed in all 50 states.
This checklist is a free educational tool from Cory Washington & Co. to help you review your own coverage and have a more informed conversation with a licensed insurance professional. It is general information only — not insurance, legal, or financial advice, and not a recommendation to buy, change, or cancel any policy. Coverage terms, availability, limits, and requirements vary by policy, carrier, and state, and only the language in your actual policy governs what is and isn’t covered. Checking or leaving blank any item above does not indicate that you are adequately insured or under-insured. Using this checklist does not create a client, agency, or fiduciary relationship. Always consult a licensed professional about your specific situation.