If you are looking for the perfect color cosmetics manufacturer to pair with in order to start your own private label line, it can be super confusing on which one to choose. It might seem like your options are endless, but the truth is: there are only a few companies in the U.S. that rise above the rest of the pack.

To help you sort through the countless number of color cosmetic manufacturers in the United States, I went on a hunt for the five best and compared them to Genie Supply. To accomplish this, I took a close look at each company’s website and called each one to rate their customer service.

And, yes! I even called Genie Supply, pretending to be just another customer.

Curious about my results? Just scroll down and take a look. I will count down from the worst to the best, and then I’ll give you the inside scoop on how our own company did with my phony call.

The Five Best Color Cosmetics Manufacturers

So let’s count them down. Here is my unbiased rundown on the five best manufacturers in the U.S.

Want to know how Genie Supply rated? Just scroll to the bottom. As they say: always save the very best for last!

My Method

Using a pseudonym, I began each call with, “Hello. I’m thinking about starting my own color cosmetic line, and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”

My first question was always: “Do you have a minimum order requirement?” It seemed like the best generic question to start with (and one that any good phone rep should easily be able to answer). If I was given more time (which was not always the case), I also asked about screenprinting.

Below, I will give you all the details of each phone call, plus a pro and con list for each U.S. color cosmetics manufacturer.

5. Lady Burd

Since Lady Burd Cosmetics has been around for 55 years, it was a bit surprising that they ranked so low on my list. Based out of Farmingdale, NY, their website boasts that they serve clients all over the world. Yet they only have one review on yelp (a poor one), and five on Facebook.

The customer service representative who answered my call was polite but completely disorganized. She asked me to hold while she connected me to a sales rep. After waiting on hold for about a minute, my call was then redirected back to the first person I spoke to.

I began to speak, but was quickly disconnected entirely. Even though she had taken my phone number at the beginning of the call, I was never called back.

Color Cosmetics Manufacturer Review Summary

Color Cosmetics Available: Full line of eye, cheeks, and lip products

Website Usability: Attractive and easy to navigate

Customer Service: Polite but unorganized

Pros: No minimum order requirements; custom formulations offered

Cons: Must register with email to see prices; poor selection on packaging; not clear if screenprinting is offered

Overall Rating: ** (out of five)

4. Mana Products Inc.

Mana is another company with a long history (40 years) and poor customer service. The person who answered my call first asked me if I was thinking about ordering “ready-to-go” products or if I wanted to customize.

I randomly chose the first option, and she then asked me to hold while she transferred my call to the appropriate person. But instead of getting to talk to someone, my call went instantly to voicemail. I left a detailed message, but no one has called back as of yet.

This company is based in Queens, NY, and was recently purchased by Traub Capital. It is unclear whether this buy-out is the reason they also have no reviews on Yelp. The reviews I did find were about being an employee rather than about being a customer.

Their website was confusing, especially because they actually have two websites. After visiting the first one, you have to click on “Private Labels” to find the second (click here to see the second site).

Color Cosmetics Manufacturer Review Summary

Color Cosmetics Available: Full line of eye, cheeks, and lip products

Website Usability: poor (due to there being two different sites)

Customer Service: poor

Pros: Sample packages available (although it’s unclear if these are free); extensive library of makeup tutorial videos

Cons: Minimum order of 96 pieces in order to get screenprinting; must call in order to find out pricing

Overall Rating: ** (out of five)

3. Rozelle

Rozelle has been in business for 50 years and operates from Westfield, VT. I could find no reviews of them anywhere, but I was impressed by the friendly tone of the phone representative and the fact that they have no minimum order requirement.

Even so, I was once again redirected to a sales rep who was not actually available. I left another message, but no one has returned my call yet.

Color Cosmetics Manufacturer Review Summary

Color Cosmetics Available: A bit limited, but they do offer eyeshadows, blush, and lip products

Website Usability: Very simple and easy to navigate

Customer Service: poor

Pros: No minimum order; sample packs available (but not free — $85)

Cons: Unclear if they do screenprinting; No prices (other than the sample packs) available

Overall Rating: *** (out of five)

2. West Coast Cosmetics

This is a really unique company that might be a great fit for someone who is specifically interested in having an all custom line of color cosmetics. Why? Because custom cosmetics is all they do.

They do not have any “off-the-shelf” products available at all. So, if you are looking for an easy start-up, this is probably not the company for you.

West Coast is based in Chatsworth, CA and has been serving clients since 1992. The person who took my call was quick to point out that they see themselves primarily as a “research and development” company, meaning their goal is to be innovative rather than easy-to-use.

I found their customer service representative very friendly and knowledgeable, and she easily answered all my questions.

Color Cosmetics Manufacturer Review Summary

Color Cosmetics Available: Full line of eye, cheeks, and lip products (as well as skincare)

Website Usability: Easy to navigate and matter-of-fact

Customer Service: good

Pros: Having all custom products could be a pro for the right brand

Cons: No screenprinting; no prices on website

Overall Rating: **** (out of five)

1. Audrey Morris Cosmetics

Serving customers since 1965, Audrey Morris has a 3.5 star review rating on Yelp, which might seem low. But, considering I had a hard time finding any reviews at all for the other companies on this list, I give it props for managing to get 3.5 stars.

They are based in Pompano Beach, FL, but they also have an actual store in Deerfield Beach. On Facebook, reviewers gave them 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Out of all the places I called, I was the most impressed by the phone rep at Audrey Morris. Besides being super friendly, she was also incredibly knowledgeable and answered all my questions (including a few I had not thought to ask). She asked politely if she could take my email to send me more information, and I quickly got a few emails from her immediately following our call.

The website looks a bit dated, and it is a bit clunky to navigate, but it still offers most of the information a new customer would be looking for. Still, it was not perfect by any means.

Color Cosmetics Manufacturer Review Summary

Color Cosmetics Available: Full line of eye, cheeks, and lip products, plus a ton of extras

Website Usability: A bit “clunky”

Customer Service: Excellent

Pros: Free samples if you call; custom colors available; screenprinting available

Cons: No prices for products on site & screenprinting pricing is confusing

Overall Rating: **** (out of five)

How Did Genie Supply Rate?

While we — like all other companies in the United States — would like to think we’re perfect, the truth of the matter is: no one is perfect. Although our phone representative was super polite and friendly, she had to admit that she was “just filling in” and was therefore “probably not the best person to speak to.”

Hey, that’s okay! At least she was honest.

She did, however, inform me that all email inquires to Genie Supply were answered within 24 - 48 hours and offered to give me the appropriate email address so that I could forward all my questions to the right person. That is much better than getting voicemail . . . and ten times better than being disconnected!

Plus, we still have a lot of advantages over our competitors. For one thing, we have a consistently updated blog that answers MANY questions before a call or email is even needed. In fact, we do our best to anticipate any question a customer might have so that we can write a detailed blog specifically about that question.

Want to know more about CBD beauty? Check out this informative blog.

Additionally, after reviewing the other five companies, I noticed that Genie Supply seems to combine all the best things about all of those companies in one place. We offer screenprinting with no minimum quantity, and we do custom colors (as well as “off the shelf”). We also have a ton of great packaging options available.

So, while I may not have had the best overall phone experience at Genie Supply, I’m still confident in saying that our company is indeed the best, mostly because we have the widest range of products, pricing, and options to choose from.

Color Cosmetics Manufacturer Review Summary

Color Cosmetic Available: Heavy on lip products and skincare

Website Usability: Excellent

Customer Service: fair

Pros: screenprinting available; free samples; updated blog

Cons: No customer reviews available; phone service could be better

Overall Rating: **** (out of five)

Try Genie Supply Today

Contact us by email (answered within 24 - 48 hours) or check out our FAQ page for more information.