What separates the top cosmetic manufacturers from the rest? 

Selecting the right supplier seems like a daunting task. And to be honest - it should! This decision can make or break your beauty business. 

If you’re struggling to choose, Genie Supply is here to make the process easier for you. 

Before signing your name to any contract, evaluate each manufacturer on your shortlist across our five essential criteria to find the best option for your beauty brand. 

Our guide below reveals the key red flags to look out for and the essential questions you need to ask before committing to any manufacturing contract. 

Just keep reading to reduce the risk of partnering with the wrong lab. 

1. Manufacturing Process(es) and Customization Potential

The first step is to consider the type of manufacturing service your beauty business requires. This is important as the manufacturing method will impact your expenses, potential product customization options, and the time it will take to launch your brand. The best labs will give plenty of options.

To make your search easier, make sure you understand the difference between these three key manufacturing processes: 

• Private labeling

• Custom formulating/contract manufacturing 

• Custom product creation

Private Labeling

Private label involves collaborating with a cosmetic lab to use their existing formula(s) as your own.

This is the best option if you want to launch your beauty brand as soon as possible (it’s a speedier process), and if you don’t want to add any customizations to a cosmetic manufacturer’s already impressive formula. 

Custom Formulating

Or maybe you know that you want a super specific product that requires a unique formula made from scratch?

Search for manufacturers that offer custom formulating (a process where the lab makes a unique formula for your brand) and contract manufacturing (where they manufacture that specific formula for you).

This process is lengthier and more expensive than private labeling. 

Custom Product Creation

Are you on a budget, but still need your brand’s formula to stand out from the competition? If your needs fall somewhere in-between the two manufacturing extremes, all top cosmetic manufacturers (should) offer custom product creation.

A faster and more cost-effective customization process, custom product creation allows you to add customizations to a manufacturer’s base formula to make it your own. 

Does The Lab Offer Multiple Manufacturing Options?

At the early stages of your brand’s development, it’s difficult to make such an important and expensive decision and commit to a lab that only provides one type of product manufacturing.

Look for top cosmetic manufacturers who offer a wide range of manufacturing services to give your business more options. This is always a green flag that you are dealing with a professional lab.

At Genie Supply, we offer a range of manufacturing services from private label, and custom formulating/contract manufacturing, to custom product creation. No matter your brand’s needs, we’ve got a manufacturing process to match! Learn more about transitioning from your home to the lab on our blog.

2. Clean & High-Quality Product Formulas

Once you’ve narrowed down the top cosmetic manufacturers who provide flexible manufacturing options, you need to vet every single one based on the products they have on offer. 

Be clear in your brand’s vision:

• Are you specializing in a particular product? Maybe you’re a lipstick business or a body butter specialist? 

• Planning to offer a wide range of beauty products? Decide if you will sell a mix of makeup and skincare or just one or the other. 

Read through every manufacturer’s existing private label catalogs first, and then check their website for more information on their custom formulating or custom product creation options.

Ask yourself the following:

• What type of cosmetics do they offer - are they a specialist lab, or do they offer a wider array of beauty products? Can they produce the exact formulas you need for your business? 

• How many products in total are in their entire private label range? Does their line cover every single product that you’d like to add to your own brand?

• How extensive is their customization process? Does it match the level of innovation that your brand requires? 

Top Cosmetic Manufacturers Prioritize Their Formula and Ingredients 

Once you’ve established that the lab offers the products you want, you need to look deeper and evaluate the actual quality of their formula. 

Are their cosmetics packed with paragraphs and paragraphs of cheap ingredients with few genuine skin care benefits for your customers? Instantly disqualify all of these manufacturers.

Top cosmetic manufacturers produce high-quality products made with science-backed ingredients that truly make a difference to the skin. 

Need to brush up on your ingredients knowledge? Try ingredient-tracking apps like Skinsort or Good Face. Simply copy and paste the ingredients list into the website to learn more about the purpose and supposed benefit of each ingredient in a formula. 

The Top Cosmetics Manufacturers Prioritize Clean Beauty 

The industry is trending towards a cleaner future, with the global clean beauty market expected to exceed 22 billion dollars by the year 2024. If you have big retail ambitions for your brand in the future, it’s important to understand that retailers are increasingly prioritizing clean brands.

Ensure your brand doesn’t get left behind – partner with top cosmetic manufacturers who formulate with clean ingredients. 

At Genie Supply, we take clean beauty seriously. Our range of beauty products is formulated without over 2000+ ingredients – for fabulous skincare results and quality makeup looks that won’t cost your customers their health. 

We can custom formulate your products to match any clean beauty requirements, and many of our private label products already match the standards set by retailers like Whole Foods, Sephora, Ulta, or Credo (additional testing may apply).

3. Close Location Sets Labs Apart 

While it’s tempting to source from abroad to save on costs in the early stages of your business, your brand will save time and money in the long run by focusing on top cosmetic manufacturers closer to home. 

Working with home-grown labs ensures a faster product development process and allows you to develop a proper long-term working relationship with your manufacturer. Plus, it eliminates any language barriers and timezone issues, making communication and on-site visits so much easier. 

Shipping is faster and you don’t have to worry as much about unforeseen economic or political unrest abroad impacting your beauty brand’s stock refills. 

Genie Supply is based in Indiana and we conduct all of our R&D and manufacturing in the USA. Learn more about the top benefits of working with US beauty manufacturers on our blog.

4. Quality Assurance & Legal Testing Process

Top cosmetic manufacturers deliver quality products every single time. They always check the formula for any signs of contamination, comply with all legal requirements, and make all of their products fresh to guarantee a longer shelf life. 

Legally, all cosmetic products need to be tested to FDA standards before entering the market. Top cosmetic manufacturers will offer copies of their testing certifications as evidence that the products are legally ready for sale. 

For example, stability testing is a must for all cosmetics products on the market. Preservative Efficacy Testing (PET) is also required for any beauty formula that contains water. 

At Genie Supply, we offer a range of legally required and optional tests to ensure that your products match FDA standards and perform safely for your customers. We also make all of our products fresh to keep the full shelf life of your products. Learn more about our testing process here. 

5. Top Cosmetic Manufacturers Offer Excellent Customer Service 

Top cosmetic manufacturers understand their customers’ needs and go above and beyond to make your experience better. 

Customer service can be the tiebreaker between all of the labs that passed the previous tests. Does this manufacturer offer add-ons that can make your life easier by saving time or money?

This could come in the form of free guides that clearly explain the different manufacturing processes and your brand’s options, zoom calls, or convenient add-on-services beyond the product formula, like packaging and screenprinting. At Genie Supply, we offer these services and more! 

As specialists in home-to-lab brands, we also understand your budgeting and storage constraints. As such, we don’t have a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)! We simply place a small fee on any orders under 5,000 units. 

Dropshipping is one way we help to overcome storage issues. This method involves the manufacturer shipping out your products to your customers. Read more about our Amazon FBA dropshipping package here.

In sum, the most important qualities of top cosmetic manufacturers include: 

• A wide range of manufacturing and product options 

• High-quality formulas with a focus on skincare benefits and clean beauty 

• A nearby location that offers convenience for your brand and provides speedy delivery 

• Proper quality and legal testing with certification proof for all tests involved 

• Customer service that goes above and beyond

Interested in partnering with Genie Supply? Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions by calling (812) 329-1105, or via email: customerservice@geniesupply.com