By Jessica Wiener

Manufacturers are constantly trying to inform customers via product labels, but the results aren’t always as intended. Cosmetic labels and other labels from popular products have gained attention after an honest mistake turned a normal label into a hilarious snafu.

ASDA Shave Cream

The British supermarket chain made a bit of a design error on a can of shave cream. Aerosol cans are popular for those with substance abuse problems, and the chain made sure to warn of the dangers of solvent abuse. However, the brand also highlighted that consumers should “try me, love me” directly below the warning.

Diet Water

This mistake was most likely caused by a translation failure. The water is sold in Japan and has been featured on many different social websites.

Fritos

A bag of Fritos was reported to contain this announcement on the label: “You could be a winner! No purchase necessary, Details inside.” If consumers had the Internet, they could have gone home and searched the Fritos website for answers. However, this label was spotted before household Internet use was commonplace.

Glitter Eye Makeup

A brand of glitter eye makeup that is sold during the Halloween season warns users not to use the product near their eyes. That poses a bit of a problem.

Kraft Easy Cheese

Kraft feels obligated to remind consumers to remove the cap “for best results” before attempting to use the spray cheese.

Mano a Mano Wine

You might have to be a member of the grammar police to notice the mistakes on this label. The most glaring mistake is the use of the word “compliments” where “complements” should have been used. A little proofreading before printing hundreds of product labels never hurt anyone.

May Contain Nuts

This warning may just be an extremely proactive attempt to avoid lawsuits, but that doesn’t make it any less funny. A variety of products that are mainly made of peanuts contain an allergy warning to highlight that fact. While this warning makes sense when peanuts are a minor ingredient, including a peanut allergy warning on a bag of roasted peanuts seems a bit redundant.

May Contain Milk

This is another warning that’s likely a liability issue. However, seeing a label warning that a gallon of Great Value brand milk at Walmart may contain milk can still get a chuckle and an eye roll out of consumers.

Plastic Containers

It seems something more serious than a suffocation warning may be necessary for a parent planning on closing their baby in a plastic container.

Rooto Drain Cleaner

The label on the cleaner points out that anyone who cannot read the instructions should not use the product. Hopefully, anyone who can’t read the label has a friend or family member handy to warn them.

While many of these labels stemmed out of a perceived need on the part of the company for protection from liability issues, it may be time to draw a line when it comes to product labels. Companies should remember that warning the consumer not to use the product as it was clearly intended to be used or cautioning that the product contains its only ingredient may be perceived as condescending.

Bio: Jessica is a specialist in Cosmetic Labels. When she is not writing for LightningLabels.com, you can find her cooking up a storm in her kitchen.