Choosing a Private Label Skincare Manufacturer

How to Select the Best Private Label Company for Your Skincare Brand

So, you've decided to start your own brand of skin care. Congratulations on passing the first step to becoming an entrepreneur - deciding on what you want to do! Now, the next step to progress is to find a private label manufacturing company that suits you, your brand and your clients, to produce supreme beauty products.

There are many things to look out for before deciding on your suppliers. As a matter of fact, partnering with the right private label manufacturer can be very instrumental in the success of your new business.

Of course, private label companies will always claim to be the best, but the decision is solely yours to make. And in making that decision, you need to find a private label business that aligns with your beliefs, and that can help make the dreams you have for your skin care business a reality. After all, it’s a new business! You need a partnership that will be beneficial to you overall.

The bedrock of every successful partnership is honesty and trust. Keep this in mind as you begin your quest to choose a manufacturing company. A reliable and trustworthy private label business will ensure that your new line of skincare products make good sales when you launch.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of other things to look out for before making choices. In the list below, you’ll find top tips to help make the decision-making process easier and more accurate. 

5 Tips for Choosing a Private Label Skincare Manufacturer

Contract manufacturing is a scary space if you’re new to the private label world. But fear not, we’ve got you covered with these general tips as you research the market.

1.  Check Certifications 

Any cosmetics manufacturer that you would like to work with must have all the necessary certificates required to run a private label manufacturing line. They need to have certificates that authenticate the safety of the products they manufacture, as well as verification of the production facilities and standards of practice.

For example, one of the basic certificates you should look out for is a GMP certificate. A Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certificate is issued by the Therapeutic Goods Agency (TGA) in Australia. This verifies that such a company manufactures products that do not cause any harm to people.

If you would like to include certain tags on your products like "Halal", "Cruelty-Free" or "Vegan", you will also want to verify that your chosen private label legally allows you to do that. If they do not have proof to approve the use of these tags, then they cannot be used on your own products. 

It’s a good starting point in your decision-making process because working with a company that has the correct documentation will bring you peace of mind about the whole proceedings.

2.  Confirm Pricing

After verifying the authenticity of the private label manufacturer, you can now proceed to ask about the product price. A discussion of pricing is vital before making a final decision, to confirm that the total cost of production is within your budget. You need to have full control over your purchasing power, with affordable products that don’t shy on quality.

Ask about the retail price margins. Will you make enough profit to surpass the price of production? Is the profit margin suitable for you? You want to ask about any hidden charges too, and any additional costs like shipping, delivery and storage fees. Even services like packaging and label options may acquire further fees. 

There are always other costs that come with the manufacturing process. Minimum order quantity is an essential option, especially for start-up businesses. Minimum order quantity is how much stock you must order for delivery. When the MOQ is low, you can start off small and expand later as you get to grips with your business. 

When you’re launching a new, unique product, it’s impossible to foresee how well it will do in the consumer market. Buying in bulk immediately can be detrimental, as you can end up stuck with too much stock and an empty bank account. Do you need more or less than the minimum requirement? Ask these questions!

So, you need to ensure that you understand every detail to keep within your budget, and avoid surprises further down the line. 

3.  Is the Formula Exclusively Yours? 

This is the next vital question to ask private label companies. If you’re going to come up with the formula for your private label products, or improve on an existing product you already have, you should make sure that the formulations are exclusively yours.

Asking the question not only ensures that your own products are one-of-a-kind, but if the manufacturing company closes for some reason, you will still have your formula and maintain the quality of your products. 

When you don’t have exclusive rights to the product formula, you will be forced to make adjustments that might tamper with your product quality.

4.  Confirm Quality and Source of Raw Materials 

Quality assurance is essential for any business owner. It’s important to assess and confirm the quality of materials that will be used in the making of your private label products. Knowledge in this area will allow you to fix a price for your products accordingly, as you secure a place within the beauty industry. 

It depends on what price range you want your skincare brand to fit into. For example, high-quality materials are used to produce luxury items that cost more money. So, you can charge customers more for them. 

Low-quality materials tend to have a shorter shelf life. As a small business, the last thing you need is stacks of expired products that you can’t sell. 

Again, research is key to determine the quality and source of the materials to prevent you from making decisions that can lose you money. 

5.  Check the Legal Stuff 

If you’re new to the creation process of making any sort of cosmetics, you might not be aware of the legal side. It’s essential that you ensure the raw materials used in the manufacturing of your skin care products are legal in the state or country that you want to sell them. For example, certain ingredients and products are confirmed safe and legal in Europe, Australia and other parts of the world, but they are banned in the United States. 

Although you aren’t formulating the products yourself, you should be aware of the ingredients going into them. That way, you can thoroughly research the individual items to check that they are legal. Don’t risk your new brand breaking the law!

If you would like to ship your products internationally, then this is a requirement that you must adhere to. You can’t afford for these boundaries to be placed on the expansion of your business.

Conclusion

This article covers a handful of features to look out for when searching for a reliable private label skin care supplier to create customised products for your clients. If your interest lies in Australian ingredients and you want to find an Australian manufacturer quickly, check out Australian Private Label for a great service, and all the resources needed to elevate your brand.

Australian Private Label is a third-party manufacturing company specialising in skin care, hair care and health drinks. With the large range of skincare products, you can find everything to suit your clients skin needs, including anti-aging and sun protection.

The team have a huge passion for skin care, and possess every qualification needed to successfully provide a bespoke product, with custom formulations and a focus on environmentally friendly, natural and organic ingredients. APL does not condone animal testing, and strictly adheres to environmental safety laws. 

Reach out to the lab team to start up a conversation, and prepare to introduce your own custom product to the skin care industry!