Skincare and cosmetics manufacturers

What to look for in a skincare manufacturer

Beauty contract manufacturers either make their own stock formulas for you to brand, or develop a custom formula. Ask which, who owns the formula, and what testing they do.

Packaging and formula have to be developed together. A formula that is stable in glass can fail in a plastic tube or a pump, so ask the manufacturer to test your chosen components, or to recommend components it has already filled.

• Stock formulas versus custom development, and formula ownership.
• Stability and compatibility testing with your packaging.
• Regulatory support for the markets you sell into.
• Brands they have supplied, shown on the cards.

MOQs and sampling

Minimums are per formula and per fill, and packaging components carry their own minimums. Test samples on real skin over weeks, not days.

Domestic or overseas

South Korea is a center for skincare and color cosmetics development; Europe for color cosmetics and pencils. Domestic contract manufacturers are simpler for US regulations and smaller runs.

Questions to ask on the first call

Start with what you want the product to do and the claims you want to make, then ask what the manufacturer already has that is close. Custom development costs time; a stock formula adjusted for you can launch much faster.

• Which stock formulas do you have that are close to my brief?
• What testing do you do: stability, compatibility, preservative efficacy?
• Who owns the formula if we develop it together?
• What packaging have you filled before, and what are the minimums per fill?

In this list

10 skincare and cosmetics factories, in China (4), South Korea (3), France (1), Germany (1) and Thailand (1). Between them, records show they have produced for Rhode, POV Beauty and Spoiled Child. The Vault has 3 more skincare and cosmetics suppliers whose names, contacts and notes stay with the course.