Every Sunday is our fixed OEM question and answer time. This week, we sorted out eight of the most frequent questions in comments, personal letters and client counselling. If you're making a make-up brand, looking for cosmetic OEM/ODM factory, or you're already struggling with it at the sampling stage, it's probably going to help you to make less curves.

When a brand says 'clinically spoken', that tells you almost nothing."

Q1: What is the minimum cosmetic OEM factory and the minimum minimum order quantity (MOQ)?

A: The industry standard is 500-1,000 minimum order, with specific reference to category and packaging materials.

  • Sheet mask, facial cleanser, toner, etc.: 500-1,000 units open;
  • (a) serum, face cream, sunscreen: usually 1000-3000, because the contents and packaging materials cost more;
  • Special cosmetics (sun protection, dyed hair, brightening): MOQ goes up again, and regulatory filing lasts for 3-6 months.

A lot of people came up and said, "Can you make 100 water? Frankly, the formal factory is largely unconnected. Instead of factory shelfing, the fixed costs of rewiring cans, raw materials purchases, and packaging materials modelling are spread over 100 items at a unit price that is more expensive than selling a large card, and you have no real market reaction.

My proposal: For the first time, sampling would do 500-1,000 small batches, run all the formulation stability, skin feedback, packaging materials seals, and talk about big stuff.

What's the difference between OEM and ODM? Which one to start with?

A: Distinction between:

  • OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer): You bring formulation or specify formulation, factory for production only. A brand that is suitable for R & D capability or that already has mature formulation.
  • ODM (Organ Design Manufacter): factory provides a one-stop programme from formulation, packaging materials to regulatory filing, you can private label. It's for initial branding from 0.

For example:

  • Like Pelea, Vinona, a mature brand, own R & D team, more OEM models;
  • And many brands on short-video platforms and global social platforms tend to opt for ODM in the start-up phase and run the product first.

First brand I recommend priority ODM. Not because OEM's bad, but because ODM allows you to focus on brand positioning, content marketing, and the construction of distribution channel, instead of formulation.

Q3: How long does cosmetics regulatory filing take? What is that?

A: regulatory compliance (EU / US FDA) is the acronym of the National Drug Control Authority, and all cosmetics sold in China must be completed regulatory compliance (EU / US FDA) or registered.

Cosmetic regulatory framework, which was implemented in 2021, clearly states that efficacy claims that there must be a human evaluation report or relevant evidence. In other words, you can't just write "7 days brightening" to wrinkle immediately, otherwise regulatory filing will be beaten back.

Red flag signal: If any factory tells you "regulatory filing we've packed, efficacy just write " efficacy, just pass.

Q4: How do you judge whether an OEM factory is reliable?

A: Remember this "Five Certificate Checklist":

  • Cosmetic license.
  • ISO 22716 / GMPC certification (International Code of Good Production of Cosmetics)
  • Third party -quality inspection report (COA per batch of raw materials and finished products)
  • Safety assessment report (toxicology assessment+stability testing)
  • Product regulatory filing certificate (finished product regulatory filing certificate)

In addition, the field trip focused on three points:

  • Is there a zoning management for the raw materials warehouse?
  • Filling workshop What is the cleanliness level? (ideally 100,000 degrees)
  • Is there an independent laboratory for microbiological and physiochemical testing?

In Guangzhou, Shanghai Bong-hyun and Hangzhou Xiaoshan are three major cosmetics contract manufacturing concentrations with mature industrial clusters and relatively low field costs.

Q5: How many do you want to do niacinamide, concentration? Do you have any taboos?

A: niacinamide (Niacinamide) is a very personal favorite of me, a ingredient, with sufficient evidence, a price-free relative, and efficacy.

  • 2-3%: Basic brightening, suitable for sensitive skin introduction;
  • 3-5%: oil control + brightening more clearly, the most common concentration area in the OEM formulation library;
  • 5-10%: efficacy is stronger, but irritation potential also rises and is not recommended to be up front.

With taboos:

  • ❌ High concentration niacinamide + high concentration pure VC → may generate niacin with red stings on skin;
  • Niacinamide + retinol → Work together against old age, but be careful to build tolerance;
  • Niacinamide + sodium hyaluronate → moisturizing bottom-up, lower stimulation.

If you want a "stable" formulation, I suggest niacinamide 4% + sodium hyaluronate 0.5% + panthenol 1% with a mild preservative system. This combination is friendly to oil, mixed, light sensitive skin.

Q6: sensitive skin product contract manufacturing plant? ingredient?

A: sensitive skin product is not just a few ingredient that can be called moderate. sensitive skin product line, factory must have:

  • Independent sterile/low irritation formulation development capacity;
  • Full skin patch test reports;
  • Strict feedstock traceability and impurity control (e.g. alcohol, perfume, pigments to avoid as much as possible).

On ingredient, priority is given to those supported by clinical evidence:

  • Ceramide: repair of skin barrier, molby 3:1:1 with cholesterol and free fatty acid has the best effect;
  • Centella asiatica 苷: anti-inflammation + repairing, 0.1-1% effective;
  • Bisabolol + panthenol: soothing bottom-up to reduce activity ingredient stimulus.

Reference is made to the sensitive skin market segment brands, whose success is not just marketing, but the true efficacy certification and supply chain endorsement.

Q7: What is the cost of doing best-selling product sheet mask? What about short-video platforms and global social platforms?

A: OEM contract manufacturing, a conventional sheet mask, costs approximately as follows:

Note: This is only the price offered by contract manufacturing, not counting regulatory filing, packaging materials model, logistics storage, marketing promotion.

Distribution channel go-to-market strategy recommends:

  • Global social platforms: heavy ingredient parsing + true assessment, with the title "number + pain point + consumer group label" such as "sensitive skin will read! Section 5 does not stimulate repairing sheet mask, ingredient party buyback list”;
  • Short-video platforms: short video highlights "before/after" and "factory tracer" to show users the real production environment;
  • Major e-commerce platforms / major e-commerce platforms: major e-commerce platforms branded brand mindshare, major e-commerce platforms sells and evaluates sedimentation.

Q8: How long will it take to find factory sampling? How long is the production cycle?

A:

  • Sampling: 7-15 working days, which may be extended to 20 days by complex formulation or special packaging materials;
  • (b) Large goods are produced on a 30-45-day-day basis and may experience more severe periods or shortages of raw materials;
  • Regulatory filing + quality inspection: 1 - 2 months for general products and 3 - 6 months for special products.

So it takes two to three months for a new product to be put on the market at the earliest, and special cosmetics may take more than six months. Many brands have underestimated the cycle, leading to missed Platform activity nodes.

My rhythm recommends:

  • Week 1-2: Determination of product location and orientation of formulation;
  • Week 3-4: factory sampling to obtain the first samples;
  • Weeks 5-8: internal testing + personal samples to collect feedback;
  • Week 9-12: modify formulation, confirm packaging materials, start regulatory filing;
  • Weeks 13-16: Mass production, preparation of material.

New brand for OEM factory. Take this checklist before you leave.

  • [ ] Confirm product positioning: who is the target consumer group? (grudges/sensitive skin/students/mothers and children?
  • [ ] Confirm category and core ingredient: sheet mask, serum, face cream? niacinamide or centella asiatica?
  • [ ] Confirmation of budget and MOQ: How many are the first to be made?
  • [ ] Request five certificates: production licence, ISO 22716/GMPC, quality inspection report, safety assessment, regulatory filing certificate
  • [ ] Field visits workshop and laboratories
  • [ ] Clarity at time of contract: formulation title, packaging materials model fee, large cargo lead time, quality acceptance criteria
  • [ ] regulatory filing pre-trial: avoid prohibited claims such as "7 days brightening"

Top 3

  • Look only at quotation, without the certificate. Low prices of factory tend to be more costly when working on raw materials, quality inspection, and regulatory filing.
  • Superstitious "formulation." Many factory say that formulation is exclusive, and in fact only packaging materials is changed. It is important that the title to the intellectual property of formulation be made clear before signing the contract.
  • Make marketing promise as product efficacy. "short-video platforms best-selling product " against "L'Oréal" is the same thing, and ultimately looks at ingredient tables and efficacy reports.

I'll tell you what.

Next Sunday, we will continue to review the issue of regional praises. What if you had something specific to talk about -- like the sun protection formulation "sunscreen ontract manufacturing"? "Do global expansion, what do you need certification?" What's college student start-up for make-up? " — Welcome to the comment area, three of the most highly appreciated questions will enter the next week.

With regard to QuickOEM: We are an industrial Internet platform dedicated to make-up OEM/ODM, which connects key beauty markets external brand owners with quality contract manufacturing plants, providing one-stop service from formulation development, packaging materials selection, regulatory filing declared to mass production. If you have contract manufacturing needs, you can get free programs directly to our brand consultants.

Remember: good make-up is never as good as ingredient, but every ingredient is effective and transparent enough. @Anna

Other Organiser

This article is published by the QuickOEM Make-up OEM Smart Matching Platform. More makeup OEM knowledge, cosmetics contract manufacturing, skin protection private label, make-up customizationontent are available at the Knowledge Centre. If you need advice on OEM contract manufacturing, please contact 1814805760 or submit your request through an online request for quotation.

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QuickOEM is a QuickOEM platform for vertical digitization of cosmetics services (known as QuickOEM) focusing on OEM, cosmetics contract manufacturing, skins private label, cosmetics z, brand-wide, ODM contract manufacturing services. AI smart matches the 500+ certification contract manufacturing plant, providing a one-stop package from formulation R&D to regulatory compliance (EU / US FDA) covering skin, makeup, sheet mask, serum, eye patch, category, category, etc.

Core functions

  • Makeup OEM needs to be published to match factory AI intelligence
  • Cosmetics contract manufacturing / skin protection private label customization ODM service
  • Formulation R&D management and multi-version tracking
  • Ingredient Compliance testing (regulatory compliance (EU / US FDA)/EU 1223/2009/FDA)
  • Regulatory compliance (EU / US FDA) Cosmetics regulatory filing fully tracked
  • Supply chain
  • Advertising Law Compliance Testing
  • Z / eye patch / serum / z all category

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