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Looking for formulation services for lip gloss and eye shadow
We are having a hard time trying to find custom formulation services for lip gloss and eyeshadow. Most of the resources we were able to find do not deal with color cosmetics. We are based in Chicago. Any suggestions?
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5 Replies
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Forgot to add that we are NOT looking for free services/advice. We are looking to pay consultants to help us with formulation.
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Hi there,
Shoot me an email at Emily@debutdevelopmentllc.com
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Try talking with Susan Raffy at Raffy Consulting. Last I spoke with her she had these services available. http://www.rockstarchemist.com/
One of the challenges with starting a Color Cosmetic line is the fact that you must have a “wide” product offering (my terminology) or that ideally you would have small runs of numerous colors. Contract manufacturers aren’t really set up this way as they are comfortable with a “deep” product offering (again my term) or many units of the same product. In this case the Manufacturers piece run sizes will make it difficult to obtain an effective product line and inventory for many start-ups.
As such, many Color Cosmetic lines will go with Private Label solutions. Here you will use a Formulation which the manufacturer has developed and which they will own. While many think this means that they can’t express themselves through the Product design, these are solid products in most cases and as anyone can tell you, effective Marketing is the secret. As I like to say, “If we were selling shoes, 20% of the value would be from the leather and 80% from the polish.”
If Private Label is an option, there are numerous providers. My clients have had some good results with Precious Cosmetics (POC Ivonne Ruggles); http://www.preciouscosmetics.com/
Good luck with the Project! I hope it all goes well.
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Thank you for your responses.
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You are welcome.
Returning to the Private Label conversation, I have always found that you need to look at your strengths. If you are a Technical person such as I, you would do 80% Technical and 20% Business. Much of that 20% Business I delegate to my Accountant. Conversely, if you are rightfully a Business person “dabbling” in the Technical side, you should reconcile that you will want to do 80% Business (Sales, Marketing, Promotion) and do 20% Technical at best. You can delegate these Technical Services to a Consultant or in the case of Private Label, a Contract Manufacturer.
With Color Cosmetics, the issue is that you aren’t making several different types of “widgets” but rather need to offer numerous colors of the same widget and give your clients a wide range of choices. In this case you can quickly flesh out a Color line, set-up your Business Infrastructure (Web Site, Social Media, etc.) and get into the market with a lower inventory and initial outlay of materials.
Another last advantage of Private Label is that you will be able to collect real World Sales data. Inevitably the product that you think is your big seller may tank while an under-estimated product might fly off the shelves. Later on as you grow, you can use this data to prioritize which products should be your first priorities as you start the R&D Formulation process.
Good Luck.
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