How we manufacture
Everything on this page applies to every formula we run, so it lives here once instead of being reprinted on each of the 95,439 formula pages. The formula pages carry only what is specific to that formula — its actives and levels, its pH window, its process parameters, its cost lines.
Private label
Your brand on stock formulas. Minimum order is set by the manufacturing system, from 1,000 pcs on an emulsion or a gel — the table below shows why each system has its own floor. Custom packaging, quotes in 24h.
OEM / ODM
Your formula or a co-developed one. Encapsulated actives, stability-tested emulsions, golden-sample QC. We bring the emulsifier choice and the pH resolution to the sampling round rather than after it.
Our own facilities
5 production bases, 56,487 m², 405 staff and 191 filling and processing machines — ISO 22716 (cosmetics GMP), GMPC, NMPA production licence, held per base. Every batch ships with its own CoA.
Compliance support
MoCRA (US) facility registration and labelling; CPNP notification and CPSR documentation (EU); SCPN (UK); CNF (Canada); ASEAN, SASO/ESMA, NAFDAC and ANVISA files. The per-formula route is mapped on each formula page.
Minimum order, by manufacturing system
A 1,000-piece minimum on a pressed powder is not a number we could honour, and a 1,000-piece minimum on a toner is not one we need. Each floor is set by a piece of equipment, and the reason is printed on every formula page.
| System | MOQ | Sampling | Production | Why this floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| emulsion | 1,000 pcs | 7–10 days | 12–15 days | One 500 L main vessel is the practical floor for a stable emulsion — below that the homogeniser cannot wet the oil phase properly and you get batch-to-batch viscosity drift. |
| gel | 1,000 pcs | 7 days | 10–12 days | Aqueous gels need one full hydration cycle per batch; the gellant must be dispersed in the whole water charge at once, so there is no way to run a partial batch. |
| aqueous | 1,000 pcs | 7 days | 8–10 days | The fastest system we run — a single-tank cold or warm process with no emulsification step, so the minimum is set by filling-line changeover, not by the batch. |
| micellar | 1,000 pcs | 7 days | 8–10 days | Single-tank liquid process; the minimum is set by filling-line changeover and by the one-off cost of the surfactant blend we keep in stock for you. |
| surfactant | 2,000 pcs | 7–10 days | 12–15 days | Surfactant systems are made in a 1,000 L tank — the same batch chemistry at half volume gives a different foam profile, so we will not run below the tank's working minimum. |
| clay | 1,000 pcs | 7–10 days | 12–14 days | Clay needs a full high-shear swelling cycle; the batch is defined by the disperser's working volume, not by the fill quantity. |
| anhydrous | 1,000 pcs | 7 days | 10–12 days | Melt-and-pour in a jacketed tank — no water to lose and no emulsification to stabilise, so small runs are economic. |
| bullet | 3,000 pcs | 10–14 days | 18–22 days | Poured sticks need the mould set for your case: the tooling changeover is the cost, so it only amortises above roughly 3,000 pieces. |
| powder | 5,000 pcs | 12–15 days | 20–25 days | Pressed powders need a dedicated press die plus a 24-hour cure before packing. The die is the fixed cost and it is what sets the minimum. |
| sheet mask | 5,000 pcs | 10–12 days | 15–18 days | Set by the sachet-filling line, which runs a minimum of 5,000 pouches per setup after the substrate is die-cut to your sheet shape. |
In-process and release controls on every batch
These four run on every batch of every product, regardless of formula — which is why they are here and not on the formula pages.
| Check | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance / homogeneity | Visual against the reference standard, every batch |
| Microbiology | Total aerobic count, yeast & mould, and absence of specified pathogens against the limits of the destination market |
| Preservative efficacy | ISO 11930 on the final formula, not on a pre-thickened intermediate |
| Batch record | Signed batch record retained with the retained sample for the life of the order |
Label requirements that apply to every product we make
Formula-specific labelling items — an SPF claim, a pregnancy warning, a halal statement — stay on the formula page where they belong.
- INCI ingredient list in descending order of concentration, using the market's preferred nomenclature (INCI is accepted in the EU, UK, US, ASEAN, Brazil and most of Africa).
- Net content, batch code and a best-before / PAO symbol as required by the destination market.
- Name and address of the Responsible Person (EU/UK) or manufacturer/distributor (US under MoCRA) on the label — not just on the carton.
- Any Annex III warning that applies to an active in the formula, verbatim and in the local language.
- The claim wording actually used, checked against the market's cosmetic/OTC boundary before the artwork is signed off.
Decoration, tooling and one-off costs
The same menu for every product. On a formula page you see only the typical set summed into the first-order budget; here is what is behind it.
| Item | Range |
|---|---|
| Silk-screen print on pack (1 colour, min. 1,000 pcs) | $180 – $420 |
| Roll-label printing (per SKU) | $90 – $260 |
| Secondary carton (per SKU, optional) | $120 – $380 |
| Hot-stamp foil (per position, optional) | $250 – $600 |
| Custom mould — only if you change the pack shape | $1,800 – $6,500 |
Testing schedule and cost
Stability, preservative efficacy and per-batch release testing are on every project. Claim-specific testing is added by category — an SPF claim is not something you can skip and still sell the product.
On every project
| Test | Range | Lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Accelerated + real-time stability (12 weeks / 40 °C + 12-month on-going) | $650 – $1,800 | 12 weeks |
| Preservative efficacy (ISO 11930) | $450 – $950 | 5 weeks |
| Heavy metals + microbiology COA (per batch) | $90 – $220 | 5 days |
Added by category
| Category | Test | Range | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun care | SPF in-vivo (ISO 24444) / FDA 2011 final rule | $2,600 – $4,800 | 4–6 weeks |
| Sun care | UVA in-vitro PA (ISO 24443) | $900 – $1,600 | 2 weeks |
| Sun care | Water resistance (if claimed) | $700 – $1,400 | 3 weeks |
| Colour cosmetics | Heavy metals incl. lead (per batch) | $90 – $220 | 5 days |
| Colour cosmetics | Migration / staining panel | $450 – $950 | 2 weeks |
| Hair care | Combing / tensile (if claimed) | $700 – $1,600 | 2 weeks |
| Serums | HRIPT / RIPT patch test | $900 – $2,600 | 4 weeks |
The documents that ship with every order
Market-specific files (CPNP dossier, MoCRA listing data, TGA pack and so on) are added on the formula page, filtered to the markets that formula is written for.
| Document | What it actually covers |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Analysis (CoA) per batch | Appearance, pH, viscosity, assay of the actives, heavy metals and microbiology — issued against the batch you actually receive, not a generic spec sheet. |
| Safety Data Sheet (SDS/MSDS) | GHS-format, in English. Issued for the bulk and for the finished good. |
| Stability report | 12-week accelerated at 40 °C / 75% RH plus 3 freeze-thaw cycles, on the packaging format you choose. Real-time data follows as it accumulates. |
| Full INCI list and label copy | INCI in descending order, ready for your artwork — including any Annex III warning wording that applies to the actives in this formula. |
| Formula specification sheet | The percentages, the phase order, the pH window and the process parameters — the document your own lab needs to audit what we ship. |
| Golden sample retained reference | One sealed unit from your approval batch, held for the life of the order, so any future batch can be compared against it. |
The ten-point checklist every formula page has to pass
We hold every formula page to this list before it is allowed into the search index. Pages that fail stay readable and quotable, but they carry noindex until the missing evidence exists.
- The specific materials are named — a real INCI-level material, not a category like “vitamin C”.
- Why each material was chosen, written from its actual chemistry, sourcing and role.
- Which price band and which kind of brand it suits, derived from the unit cost.
- The MOQ, and the equipment reason behind that number.
- The FOB price band, with the ingredient cost that sits inside it.
- Sampling and production lead times.
- Which markets we have already supplied as client cases — we do not have this data for a framework formula, so it stays open rather than being invented.
- The documents included with the order.
- A skin-feel description specific to that texture, not a generic claim.
- The practical advantages that come out of that formula and that system.
A page also has to clear a library-level test: it must not read as a near-duplicate of another page. Where two formulas would produce the same page with a different number in the title, only one is indexed. The scripts that enforce both tests are part of the site build.
Where to go from here
The standards above apply to whatever you pick below — every formula page carries its own numbers on top of this baseline.
Browse formulas by shelf
Or by what you want the product to do
Check a material before you commit
The ingredient encyclopedia covers every material we formulate with — INCI name, typical use level, pairing, cautions and indicative price. The AI formula advisor turns a plain-English brief into a shortlist from the same library.
Have a formula in mind? Browse 95,439 in the library first.