Good Manufacturing Certificate Basic Principles
The underlying principle of Good Manufacturing Practices is total accountability: products manufactured under GMPs are tracked throughout the manufacturing process, and the integrity and safety of the ingredients, equipments and other factors are assured by documentation and testing. For liability reasons and as a result of regulation and industry standards, distributors of personal care products generally insist upon seeing evidence that GMPs were followed during production. Accountability is assured by adhering to the following standards:
- Instructions and procedures are written in clear and unambiguous language.
- Instructions and procedures are written in clear and unambiguous language.
- Records are made during manufacture that demonstrate that all the steps required by the defined procedures and instructions were in fact taken and that the quantity and quality of the cosmetic product was as expected. Deviations are investigated and documented.
- The distribution of the products minimizes any risk to their quality.
- Employees are trained to carry out and document all procedures.
- Records of manufacture (including distribution) that enable the complete history of a batch to be traced are retained in a comprehensible and accessible form.
- A system is available for recalling any batch of product.
- Complaints about marketed products are examined, the causes of quality defects are investigated, and appropriate measures are taken with respect to the defective products to prevent recurrence.
