Private Label Cosmetics: The Checklist

The simplest and quickest way to launch your cosmetic business. All resources you need to start with private label cosmetics, like Makeup and Skincare Suppliers. This is your first checklist.

There are basically 4 ways to get started in cosmetics:

1. Do It Yourself Cosmetics: In this case, you may have some knowledge about how to mix ingredients, pigments, active components to create your own makeup, skincare, hair care or nail polish. Or you may buy in bulk (e.g. nail polish by the gallon) and bottle it yourself. Or formulate your own creams and lotions, if you are a chemist or have an approved formula. So you would be looking for bulk ingredients, packaging components like cosmetic jars, bottles, tubes, palettes, brushes, etc. And you would also be sourcing either labels that you print on your own or you would send the artwork and text to a printshop to have it printed in opaque or transparent media to stick it onto your products.

2. Private Label Cosmetics: Instead of setting up a small lab in your home, you can simply resort to existing cosmetic manufacturers that offer their products "unlabeled". So you can shop around hundreds of suppliers of makeup, skincare, hair care or nail polish, pick the products and then send them your logo and texts and they will place it in the products. You receive a ready to sell product. Private label cosmetic suppliers vary depending on their product range and minimum order size. Some of them may allow you to start just with a small order, whereas others require a more substantial investment.

3. Reselling brand name cosmetics: Let's suppose you are a makeup artist, or a dermatologist, or you have an online or brick and mortar shop, and you think selling cosmetics could be a nice addon to increase your revenue. In this case you would look for wholesalers and distributors or well known brands, or otherwise, you can engage directly with new, smaller cosmetic manufacturers that are looking for distribution.

4. Contract Manufacturing: Finally, if you are already in the game, or you would like a custom product to be developed for you (like you have a great idea for a formula with unique ingredients you have not seen elsewhere), you can resort to contract manufacturers. Many of them have chemists that can develop the formulation and bring that product to life. As this will be a unique product, you would need to order a minimum volume, which is usually in the thousands of units per product. The same would apply to a totally custom container, e.g. a cosmetic bottle with a certain shape. This would require industrial development, which usually gets economically feasible only if you order several thousand units. Some companies are contract fillers, which means you provide the bulk product (e.g. the nail polish), and they fill it into a bottle they offer, or bottles you buy in bulk and supply to them.

We invite you to use the menus on the left to browse our cosmetic industry directoy by categories and subcategories, to find cosmetic suppliers. You can also find some useful information below:

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