How To Start Makeup Company And Buy Prototypes
Megan Cox woke up one morning to discover she had made $10,000 in sales overnight. At the time, she was an MIT student with a newly launched skincare line, Amalie Beauty—her first foray into entrepreneurship.
Over the next few years, Megan grew Amalie into a six-figure business concern, catching burn in the media and selling out her lash serums and face oils every bit soon equally they hit the website. Merely even equally her brand was finding success, she felt similar something was off. "I wasn't enjoying the directly-to-consumer marketing side of owning a beauty brand anymore," she says. So, in 2018 she had a decision to make: aggrandize or sell.
Megan grew Amalie into a six-figure business concern, communicable fire in the media and selling out her lash serums and facial oils every bit before long as they hit the website.
Megan decided to sell Amalie, diverting the entirety of her attention to another skincare venture she had been growing on the side with her hubby. That business concern is Genie Supply, a clean beauty lab that articles products for hundreds of other founders who started the aforementioned way Megan did—with an idea and a passion for skincare.
Now with feel in both DTC and manufacturing, Megan has no shortage of communication for those curious about how to start a skincare line. Here, she shares her difficult learned lessons along the fashion and tips on everything from labelling to marketing to finding a manufacturer.
How to start a skincare line in 11 steps
Founding a skincare brand is more involved than, say, starting a print-on-demand t-shirt business organisation. You'll demand to invest time into research to understand things similar basic chemistry, labelling laws, and working with a manufacturer. You may also require a significant upfront investment.
But getting started on a meager upkeep is possible, as Megan plant, if you're passionate and resourceful. Here, we'll have you through how to get-go a skincare line from scratch, with 7 lessons Megan learned in her storied career in dazzler.
1. Simply get started (even if y'all don't experience ready)
The global skincare industry is expected to exist valued at $183 billion past 2025. Much of the growth in the past few years can be attributed to independent brands. "The traditional brands—Estée Lauder, L'Oréal—are not growing," says Megan. "Indie beauty and clean beauty are conveying the entire beauty industry's growth." And the legacy brands are reacting, snatching up smaller companies to continue their footing.
Tarte, a natural dazzler line started in founder Maureen Kelly's one-bedroom flat in 1999, joined Sephora'southward lineup in 2003, grossed $12 1000000 in 2008, and sold the majority of its shares in 2014 to global beauty behemoth Kosé. Maureen started the business with $18,000.
At that place'southward this actually big shift in how people are spending their money every bit Gen Z comes of historic period. The beauty market place is really crowded right now, but there's still a lot of room for innovation.
Megan Cox
The constantly evolving skincare landscape, similar the current trends toward hybrid beauty (products that are combination cosmetic and skincare), cannabis-based products, and clean dazzler mean that there are still opportunities for newcomers to start skincare lines. "In that location's this really large shift in how people are spending their money as Gen Z comes of age," says Megan. "The beauty market is really crowded correct now, simply in that location'south still a lot of room for innovation."
2. Do your research
When Megan was developing her make, she ordered every top-rated lash enhancer on Amazon. She also pored over the MIT research paper database and found that essential fatty acids showed promise in studies, merely no other company was using them in lash products at the time.
Her formal scientific discipline instruction did help her with product formulation, but she found the nearly useful information on the web. "I had some chemistry background, but really, all the research is out there," she says. "At that place are a lot of smart people on the internet sharing information for free."
Though a business major, Megan soon found that the skills learned in class did non actually prepare her for her ain brand launch. "It did teach me how to push button boundaries and to be humble," she says. "MIT fabricated me hungry in a way. That's helpful for entrepreneurship."
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3. Find your skincare niche
Where newbie skincare founders can win is in identifying audiences underserved by the current brands on the market. There's no more than clear example of this than in the cosmetics industry, where indie brands led the accuse on inclusive cosmetics for a wide range of skin tones.
Whereas legacy brands are casting a wide net, contained brands have the power to get close to a niche audience or tackle a specific problem.
Post-obit beauty publications and influencers will help yous spot trends as they emerge, but beware of fleeting trends and ensure you lot have a sustainable program. "Recently, I've seen people get too hooked on any ingredient is hot at that moment," says Megan. While the product development cycle has sped upwardly in recent years, information technology tin't e'er keep upwardly with flash-in-the-pan trends. "You're already four months behind," Megan says she tells these clients. "Past the fourth dimension you actually striking the market, that trend might be over."
Innovation, versus a bandwagon arroyo, is how indie brands can avoid these pitfalls. Whereas legacy brands are casting a broad net, independent brands have the ability to get close to a niche audition or tackle a specific problem—and problems change less frequently than trends.
If you exercise want to get wide or stick to basics in terms of conception or product type, you can lean on a potent philosophy and brand story to connect with your audience. "If you're going to formulate a certain way or exclude or include certain ingredients, you should really be thoughtful about that," says Megan.
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iv. Embrace the unexpected and roll with it
Before y'all even consider product, determine what yous stand up for. You lot can develop your brand and grow an audition well earlier you manufacture products or launch an online store. This period will let you get to know your audition, gather feedback, and build trust. Employ this time to also hone your brand story and generate hype effectually your upcoming launch.
Investing in knowing your market may uncover other niches yous didn't consider. Since she originally developed Wink for herself, Megan assumed that her customer persona would await much like her: younger people with natural lashes damaged through lash extensions or trichotillomania (a disorder characterized by pulling out one'southward own hair).
"We found that it actually resonated with older women and people who had just gone through cancer handling," says Megan. "I didn't really wait that at all." Amalie embraced this unexpected market and actively supported cancer survivors by altruistic one product to a cancer survivor for every bottle sold during her #PinkWINK campaign.
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5. Use the resources you've got
"I didn't accept any coin or experience," says Megan of her decision to start a business. Her initial investment was exactly $1,812 (a 10th of Tarte's original startup costs)—it was every penny she had.
Not allowing her meagre investment to hold her dorsum, she incorporated the business organisation for $700, bought 500 bottles and a few thousand boxes, and paid for her first month'southward subscription on Shopify. She had $6 left to her name.
With no money left for marketing, she needed to get creative. She first went to Reddit, which resulted in a few sales. It was a simple call to her hometown's local paper, though, that was the catalyst for her big breakout. The paper interviewed her, bringing in nevertheless a couple more than sales, merely the turning point was when the story was picked upwards by the state paper and The Associated Press. "I went to sleep, and when I woke upwards, we had $10,000 in sales and we had sold out," she says.
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6. Get hands-on with skincare product formulation and manufacturing
In that location are a few methods for formulating products: making products by paw at habitation, renting a dedicated manufacturing space, working with a lab to create custom products, or taking a private label approach with a dazzler manufacturer.
Uncomplicated formulations like facial oils tin be made from home. However, to industry cosmetics in the The states, you'll need to follow FDA guidelines for ventilation, air control, and surfaces. While your manufacturing processes should attach to FDA standards, there is quite a bit of flexibility for businesses that manufacture in spurts. Mobile clean rooms—essentially pop-upward tents—are designed for this purpose and ideal for small businesses.
Experimenting with formulations yourself will assistance yous empathize the backdrop you lot're looking for in a formulation—consistency, appearance, scent—positioning yous for informed conversations with your manufacturer.
"If you're starting small-scale, there is value in working with the ingredients hands-on and trying to figure that out," says Megan. "Only at some point yous're still going to demand to work with a manufacturer." Many successful beauty founders, like The Lip Bar's Melissa Butler, started their lines from their own kitchens simply moved to a manufacturing facility as they scaled.
Experimenting with formulations yourself volition help you sympathize the properties you're looking for in a formulation—consistency, advent, olfactory property—positioning you for informed conversations with your manufacturer.
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7. Develop a human relationship with your skincare manufacturer
While she endemic Amalie, Megan worked with manufacturers in both the Usa and China. There are pros and cons to both, depending on your production runs and how close you want to stay to the procedure. Megan spent much of her time in China, overseeing production. "I wanted to know where my ingredients were coming from. I wanted to accept everything documented. I wanted to be at that place," she says.
Since those days, and now walking in the shoes of those manufacturers, Megan has softened her opinion. "I practise think that it'south important to negotiate all of your quality control points and to be actually upfront about what y'all look," she says. But at some point, you practice need to trust the manufacturer to do their job. "You can't argue almost every little bespeak or nickel-and-dime them."
Beauty manufacturing, in general, is kind of a blackness box.
Megan Cox
While in that location are benefits to working with manufacturers in Prc, such as price and bachelor options, Megan and her partner moved Genie Supply to the Usa to help bring manufacturing closer to its customers and improve the overall experience.
"Beauty manufacturing, in general, is kind of a blackness box," says Megan, who had to learn the ropes on her own. That'southward why her new company invests resources in educating its clients and providing transparent information correct on the website. If you're new to skincare, find a manufacturer like Genie Supply that can help walk yous through the process.
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8. Put your skincare formulations through rigorous testing
Megan learned the difficult way that testing at every stage of the process is important. While the conception for Flash and the packaging were tested, when the ii interacted, the production turned out to be incompatible with the glue—and the brushes fell apart. "Packaging was a actually big effect for me," says Megan. "I lost a lot of my customers because it was unreliable."
Experienced labs are an asset to industry newbies. Manufacturing in Northward America can be more expensive, but the upside is the access to the factories and the power to be hands-on with the testing process.
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9. Sympathize safety and labelling laws
Similar starting a nutrient business, launching in the skincare manufacture carries take chances—you are making products that could potentially damage people. It'southward important to educate yourself on preservatives, shelf life, allergens, and proper storage and handling of skincare products. And to research labs advisedly and so you know you lot're working with a partner that is knowledgeable in these areas.
Product shelf life
Customers often expect products labeled "natural" or "organic" volition be free of chemical preservatives. Nevertheless, omitting preservatives can profoundly bear upon stability. When Megan launched Amalie, her products had a 12-month shelf life.
When her distributors couldn't motility product fast plenty, Megan was on the claw to replace expired units because it would impact her brand if she didn't. "I bit a huge cost there, but I'1000 non going to let someone take a bad product with my name on it," she says.
Labelling laws
Labelling requirements can be daunting for those starting a skincare line from scratch—and each country or region will have their ain rules. Megan, who had the experience of navigating these laws on her own, adult a visual guide on Genie Supply's website to help her clients. "I would've killed for a guide similar this five years agone," she says. "That's why I made it."
A reputable lab can help you ensure that your packaging meets standards, simply ultimately the responsibility is yours. "No one's checking for yous," says Megan. "You should do your due diligence and make sure that you're post-obit the FDA labeling laws." Or, talk to a lawyer.
Skincare product stability and safe
While it's possible to dabble in skincare from your own home, in that location are limitations. "If your products contain water," says Megan, "you lot are potentially putting your customers in a lot of danger."
Genie Supply and other reputable labs will put ingredients and formulations through rigorous testing to ensure that they're gratuitous from yeast, mold, leaner, and fungus during a product'southward shelf life and use. "We also run microbial and viral pathogen testing," says Megan. "If you are doing anything with water, don't exist giddy—work with a lab."
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10. Build trust with your customers through transparency and content
The dazzler client, faced with alien information and overwhelming choices, tends to be discerning and naturally skeptical. Edifice trust with your audition is the key to forming long-term relationships and securing repeat business.
Under the Fair Packaging and Labelling Human activity, the FDA requires manufacturers to listing every ingredient in its products. That'southward a fact, Megan says, that many skincare brands try to manipulate.
"Why are you putting dear and metals and all of this garbage inside your production? It doesn't fifty-fifty work," says Megan. "They're just trying to confuse consumers on purpose." She built trust for her brand on the transparency of the ingredients. Amalie's Well-nigh page clearly, and in layman's terms, explains the scientific discipline behind the ingredients and how each was necessary to the formulation.
The number of options on the market, unpronounceable ingredients, and smoke-and-mirrors marketing copy drive skincare consumers to online reviews before buying.
Megan'due south too used content marketing to abound her business and personal make, tapping into the popularity of beauty reviews and unboxings at the time. The number of options on the market, unpronounceable ingredients, and smoke-and-mirrors marketing copy drive skincare consumers to online reviews before buying.
The strategy established her as a trusted skillful, and she defended much of her weblog to reviewing products other than her ain in a researched and practical format. At her peak, she was blogging four times a week, sending her organic traffic soaring. She also used content to grow her newsletter, offering downloadable content in the course of beauty guides, such as The Amalie Brow Bible.
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xi. Lean into what makes yous unique
Marketing is one of the biggest challenges for many new founders. And considering it'south competitive and constantly evolving, skincare is an industry that requires consequent attention to this attribute of the business.
It's not enough to accept a great product—to succeed in the skincare industry, beauty entrepreneurs need to invest much of their attention in defining their audience and understanding its unique needs.
As the traditional model of selling cosmetics wanes—"slapping a celebrity on the brand and hoping it sells," co-ordinate to Megan—the fourth dimension is now for niche brands to shine. Consumers are looking to connect and to place with a brand. It'southward not enough to have a keen product—to succeed with marketing, dazzler entrepreneurs demand to invest much of their attention in defining their audience and understanding its unique needs.
Whether or non you make up one's mind to necktie your personal brand to your business, you should still utilize your homegrown status to make your make man. Appoint in comments and conversations, feature existent people like your customers or emerging influencers in your content, and stay open to feedback.
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Learn more virtually our skincare expert
Megan started her start business organisation to solve a personal pain betoken: afterward she destroyed her natural eyelashes with extensions, she couldn't find a restorative product that worked. The science-turned-business organization student went into research mode and constitute a gap in the market place.
What she too found was an untapped audience for her product—those similar her looking for a unproblematic, natural solution to a common problem. From her dorm room, and with $1,800 in personal savings, she launched Amalie and its flagship product, Wink, an oil that promotes regrowth of eyelashes and brows.
Amalie's success was tied to Megan'due south personal brand and her natural ability to build trust with her audience through content and transparency.
Megan would eventually expand to manufacturing her products in Communist china, living there for six months of the year to be closer to the process. She grew her business over the next few years from her family subcontract in Indiana, a small apartment in Shenzen, and on endless flights in between.
Amalie's success was tied to Megan's personal brand and her natural power to build trust with her audience through content and transparency. As a self-proclaimed introvert, this aspect of the skincare business would end up being her breaking bespeak. For Megan, the problem solving and the science excited her more, making Genie Supply a natural transition.
With Megan jumping into Genie Supply total time, she and her husband decided to transition the company in 2018 from a consulting bureau in Cathay to a lab in the US. The growth of the indie beauty market saw a surge in 2020, translating to massive growth for the couple's business organization. They now industry for more than 200 brands.
"The orders from our clients are getting bigger and bigger," says Megan. "We've really been able to prove that there is a need for niche indie dazzler manufacturing here in the states."
The all-time way to go started is to just start, establish Megan. Sure, yous won't have the experience or the upkeep of the big-box businesses, only you lot aren't carrying their baggage either. Focus down and notice fresh solutions for customers that can't become what they demand from major brands. And engage with those communities straight by being helpful and personal.
Y'all don't have to appeal to everyone in the beginning—that's the beauty of starting up.
How to start a skincare line FAQ
How do I brand skincare products to sell?
If you're just getting started, you can experiment with basic skincare formulations on your own to get a experience for the color, consistency, and scent. Some skincare can be made from home, but more complicated formulations containing water or emulsions require a manufacturing partner to address rubber concerns. Depending on your concern idea, y'all tin develop a custom conception with a manufacturing partner, or endeavor white labelling.
How much does information technology cost to offset a skincare line?
Most businesses spend $40,000 in their first year to run their business organisation. This amount includes startup and maintenance costs. Even if you plan to start a skincare business from home, you will need a modest investment for materials, packaging, and other business expenses. Wait to budget more if you want to work with a manufacturer, as many require minimum gild quantities, and production development tin be costly. For a depression-budget selection, dropshipping is a nifty solution, as you can sell products manufactured by other companies without carrying inventory.
How do I start a private label skincare line?
Private label and white label are a great means to enter the skincare industry if yous're new to the game. With white labelling, manufacturers sell identical products to multiple brands that customize with their own logo and branding. Private labelling involves a little more customization, allowing you to piece of work with a manufacturer to create a signature product within the limitations of their offerings.
Where do I discover skincare manufacturers?
Several skincare manufacturer directories exist that y'all can admission through a unproblematic Google search. It's important to vet manufacturers carefully, even so. Look for reviews and testimonials, request references, and ask for samples.
Exercise you demand a license to sell bootleg cosmetics?
ou don't need a federally recognized license to sell homemade cosmetics and skincare in the U.s.a.. However, the FDA carefully regulates this industry and requires y'all to have approving for certain ingredients. The laws differ depending on the state where you lot are manufacturing and selling your products. Be sure to exercise your homework or seek the advice of a lawyer.
How exercise you lot price skincare products?
Add together upward your costs: how much does it cost to produce the product plus any associated overhead costs plus your margin (turn a profit). Expect at what your competitors are charging and be certain y'all are pricing your products within a reasonable market range. You tin test pricing on your website to find out which range is best for profitability and sales book.
How long does it take to make a skincare line?
It takes no less than 12 weeks to develop a skincare product. However, well-nigh skincare lines crave much longer for research, development, testing, and go-to-market place. Skincare products require comprehensive testing, which takes time.
Feature illustration by Islenia Mil
Source: https://www.shopify.com/blog/start-skincare-line
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