How To Choose The Best Lab To Make Your Lipgloss Formula
Dreaming of releasing your own lipgloss product, but struggling to find the right lab or formula for your brand?
From picking the right manufacturing method to selecting the best ingredients and choosing between suppliers – lipgloss development is not easy for small home-to-lab brand owners.
No need to worry — Genie Supply is here to help!
Our easy-to-follow guide below outlines the entire lipgloss creation process from start to finish.
We discuss the selection criteria for finding a manufacturer, the importance of clean and high-quality ingredients, and how to find the best shades and flavors for your lipgloss.
Just keep reading!
Identify The Best Manufacturing Method For Your Brand
Before you search for a supplier to create your lipgloss, first you must understand the three main manufacturing methods and decide which one works best for your brand:
Custom formulating
Private label
Custom product creation
Always ask potential suppliers about their manufacturing options as not all labs will offer all three.
To find the best method for your business, consider the following criteria:
Your budget
Your estimated launch timeline
Your product vision
Custom Formulating
Do you have an idea for a unique lipgloss formula that will help your brand stand out from the competition?
Custom formulating involves working with a team of chemists to create a completely new lipgloss formula from scratch. Although it’s a more expensive process and requires more patience than other methods, custom formulating is the best method to bring a truly unique lipgloss product to market.
Learn more about custom formulating at Genie Supply here.
Private Label
If you are just getting started with your beauty business, you may not have the budget or the time to formulate a brand-new lipgloss formula from scratch.
Private label is a more cost and time-effective alternative to custom formulating. This process involves adding your own customized branding to preformulated lipgloss products.
Custom Product Creation
Do you want your lipgloss formula to stand out, but you lack the budget to create a formula from scratch?
Custom product creation is that sweet spot between custom formulating and private label.
This process involves adding a limited number of customizations to a supplier’s existing base formula. In the case of lipgloss, this could involve adding a specific skincare or plumping ingredient to a preformulated gloss formula.
Read more about Genie Supply’s custom product creation services here.
Supplier Location: Domestic Vs International Lip Gloss Labs
Once you have identified the best manufacturing process for your brand, it’s time to begin your supplier search.
You can find reputable manufacturers at trade shows, in directories, or through word of mouth. Still, a simple internet search is generally the most efficient way to evaluate all your options.
In addition to the manufacturing services on offer, you need to vet each potential lab based on location.
Imagine this scenario: you find the perfect lip gloss lab.
They offer your preferred manufacturing process, the cost per unit is well within your budget, and the quality of the ingredients and performance of the formula is exactly what you were looking for.
There’s just one issue – the manufacturer is based halfway around the world.
This distance can cause a range of issues, including:
Exorbanate delivery costs and timelines
Timezone communication tissues
Financial and political instability risks
These distance-related downsides can turn even a seemingly perfect supplier into just another poor option for your brand. Where possible, always source your lipgloss from a lab located in the same country as your business.
Learn more about the pros and cons of sourcing domestically in our full blog post here.
Creating The Best Possible Lip Gloss Formula For Your Brand
As reported by Global Cosmetics Industry, lip products are the fastest-growing prestige makeup category, with lip gloss sales even outperforming lipstick as of 2022.
This is a lucrative market – but the competition is fierce.
Lipgloss development is not just about choosing between a matte or glossy finish anymore.
With high-quality variations on the traditional formula dominating the market, including plumping or cooling gloss (and sister products like lip oils or full-coverage liquid lipsticks), your lipgloss formula needs to deliver something special to succeed in this industry.
Understanding your target market is key to selecting the best formula and finish for your brand.
For example, if your target audience is interested in holistic wellness and minimalist makeup, opt for a clean formula with added skincare benefits and low coverage, light gloss finishes.
It’s noteworthy that lipgloss is particularly popular among Gen Z. As reported by LSN, Gen Z is the least likely age group to wear lipstick. 70% of Gen Z use lip gloss, much higher than the 55% of people in all other age brackets.
Prioritize Labs That Choose Cleaner Ingredients
A 2021 report by Nielson found that clean beauty is driving sales growth in the cosmetics industry. The personal care industry as a whole experienced sales growth at a rate of 2% in 2021. The clean beauty niche, however, grew at a rate of 8.1% in the same year!
Taking a clean approach is particularly important in the lip product niche, as users will inevitably ingest trace amounts of any products applied directly to the mouth.
Despite increased awareness about this problem, mainstream lip glosses are still full of petroleum derivatives, drying alcohols, parabens, and synthetic fragrances – all of which are being ingested with each application of gloss.
The good news is it’s possible to create much cleaner lip gloss formulas. However, without formulating expertise, it’s not easy to separate clean and safe ingredients from potentially harmful ones.
That’s why it’s important to partner with a cosmetics lab that formulates every lip product with clean beauty in mind.
At Genie Supply, we place clean, safe, vegan, sustainable, and cruelty-free ethics at the heart of our business. Our private label range features six different lipgloss and lip oil products.
Our vegan and cruelty-free classic finish lipgloss formula is preservative-free and meets Sephora’s and Wholefoods’ strict clean beauty standards. Order a sample of our classic finish lipgloss from our website here.
Formulate A High-Quality Lip Gloss That Goes Beyond Aesthetics
Formulating a great lipgloss is not just about choosing clean ingredients. You also need to consider how the ingredients work together and perform on the lips.
The ideal formula:
Is smooth to apply
Is not sticky
Has great lasting power
Provides the exact finish and color-payoff level desired by your target market
Given the high levels of competition in this niche, if you want to really stand out, your formula needs to go that extra mile.
In addition to plumping effects and pH-adjusting shades, one way that brands are setting themselves apart is by infusing skincare benefits into makeup products.
Global Cosmetics Industry notes that multifunctional, skincare-benefit lip glosses are particularly successful in the current market.
For example, RMS Beauty’s Liplights Cream Lip Gloss is formulated with peptides, shea butter, and jojoba oil to soothe and hydrate damaged lips.
Look for a manufacturer that can formulate high-quality lip glosses with benefits that go beyond just a beautiful look on the lips.
Order plenty of lip gloss samples from multiple suppliers before you make any decision, and ensure the lab you choose offers samples for feedback during the custom formulating process.
At Genie Supply, we’re experts in novel chemical research, new-to-market concepts, clean beauty, and hybrid products.
Plus, we offer samples for feedback throughout the custom formulating process to ensure you are satisfied with your lip gloss formula. Learn more about our approach to innovation here.
Choose A Lab That Offers A Broad Range Of Shades
Imagine two (almost) identical lip gloss products.
One ends up a best seller and the other flops.
There’s just one small change that makes all the difference - the shade.
Understanding your target market is key to selecting the right shades. Most lip gloss users look for neutrals, pinks, browns, and reds.
However, there is a market for alternative colors, including blues, blacks, and even yellow tones.
Choose a manufacturer that offers a broad range of choices. The more shades, the better! This provides flexibility as you formulate and will make it much easier to expand your shade range at a later date.
At Genie Supply, our private label glossy finish lipgloss is available in 48 shades, with additional metallics and shimmers for a more dramatic look. View the entire shade range for our glossy finish lipgloss here.
Adding Flavor And Scent To Your Lipgloss
Lipgloss is applied right under the nose – meaning the scent (and flavor) matters more than any other makeup product.
Sensory psychologist Marcia L. Pelchat, PhD, tells Cosmetics and Toiletries that scent preferences are highly culturally influenced. For example, cinnamon-scented products work well in the US. However, in France, where cinnamon is not as widely used, the smell is considered medicinal.
On the other hand, Pelchat explains that taste preferences are innate.
Finding the right flavor and scent comes down to understanding your target audience. Preferences vary widely – search for a manufacturer that offers multiple options, including the option to go unscented.
At Genie Supply, we offer 15 different flavor options for our lipgloss products. Check out our range of lip gloss flavors here. Plus, we can add color to your lip gloss if required. View our natural colorants catalog here.
Evaluate Each Supplier’s Packaging Options
Your lipgloss packaging choices are arguably just as important as the formula.
Remember, consumers will see your packaging before they try your formula. Make that first impression count by investing in high-quality branded packaging and finding the right lipgloss tube for your product.
At Genie Supply, we offer 10 different lipgloss tubes plus customized packaging and screenprinting services to truly make your lipgloss your own.
Shop our lipgloss packaging samples here and learn about our screenprinting and customization services here.
In sum, finding the best lab and creating a high-quality lipgloss formula involves:
Choosing the right manufacturing method
Formulating with clean and high-quality ingredients
Searching for domestic suppliers online
Choosing a lab that offers a broad range of lipgloss shades and flavors
Investing in quality customized packaging
Are you ready to take that leap and formulate your own lipgloss? Genie Supply is here to help! Learn more about our private label, custom formulating, and custom product creation services by calling: (812) 329-1105 or emailing: customerservice@geniesupply.com