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Highly pigmented & opaque eyeshadow formula development.
Hello, I am new to the forum but grateful for the resources I have found here so far.About me: I am an alternative model known for my makeup application, mainly the way I do my eye shadow. I use a lot of different brands of eye shadow like Mac, Urban Decay, and Sugarpill. I get good results but I would like to formulate something that is more opaque like a theatrical grade eyeshadow that is highly pigmented and create my own custom label and pallet. I’m looking to start out with a small run of 500 - 1,000 three color compacts because I feel with the size of my audience I would be able to sell around that mark starting out. Then if all goes well introduce more pallets and higher orders.The issues I’ve been running into:I’ve been searching the Internet and calling companies for the past month trying to find a company to work with and have run into the following roadblocks: For starters, it seems that compressed eye shadows are not common for makeup companies and I find a site that looks like it has everything I need only to find out they don’t make eye shadows. Minimum orders are my second issue. The companies that do have everything I’m looking for have minimum orders of 7 - 10,000 units. Lastly, it’s hard to weed private labels out of the searches. Some say they do custom formulas but when you call they try to convince you that their house formula is already what you’re looking for so I should just slap my label on it and put in an order.What I’m looking for:I’m looking to create a highly pigmented and opaque 3 color eyeshadow (black, white & gray) with the bigger (33m I believe) trays. Packaging would be a plus but not necessary. I don’t want common plastic Compacts, I have an idea for the packaging and think I may need to print it separately and assemble the trays into it. I’m looking to do a small run of 500 - 1,000. I am located in the USA and would be able to travel to your state’s facility to be part of the formulating process if necessary. I would like to have my makeup be cruelty-free & vegan if possible. I would appreciate any help I can find on this forum and if anyone could point me in the right direction I would be very great fun. Thank you
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12 Replies
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A small run of 500 to 1,000 is barely a pilot run for pressed powder. My guess is that you’re going to pay about as much for 1,000 units as you’d pay for 7,000. Being “part of the formulation process” will also cost you extra, since you will slow down all of their other work substantially.
As much as I personally don’t like the company, your best bet will probably be Intercos http://www.intercos.com/en/ That being said - I was a color cosmetic chemist for a long time, and got pretty good at makeup application over the 15 or so years that I did it. There are a few things that I am sure of. First, that there is zero performance difference between pressed and loose powder eyeshadow. Pressed powder as a packaging form only came about because loose powder is too bulky, and it’s messy if you try to apply it quickly. Second, I think that there’s a much better way of getting a great eyeshadow look, and that’s with a pigmented base/primer cream and an absorbent/setting powder coating over it.Good luck with your new venture. -
Hi @Bobzchemist. Thank you for your reply and for suggesting a company that may be able to help me even though you don’t really like them overall. I wasn’t able to reach them to inquire because even on the English version of the website all the contact info is for Italy. I found the New York office number through a Google search but it just rings endlessly wit no way to leave a message. I totally agree with you about loose powders and cream, the reason I’m looking for compressed is because of convenience of use. I’m really looking to do a specific compact with pressed powders in it. I’m going to continue hope I can find a manufacturer with the minimums I’m looking for but you may be right and it may be a futile effort
So I have a follow-up question about loose powder eyeshadow. I have found places that will do small minimums on loose powders and I have heard that you can take loose eyeshadow and use a bit of alcohol and press them yourself. There are a few DIY blogs that show it being done.I was planning on getting the packaging done separately anyways because I have a unique packaging idea in mind, and trays can’t be that much overhead..Even though it would be a lot of work, what are your thoughts on this process? Obviously it’s not optimal, but would it be a hard job, yet worth it in the end if I were able to get my eyeshadow line off the ground or is it a waste of time because the DIY process is for the little bit of extra makeup you have in the bottom of your makeup bag and won’t work on a larger 500-100 package scale? Hard work aside, considering it’s a black, white and gray pallet so color changing from the alcohol would be less likely, would this option be worth considering as a plan B? -
From my point of view (because I’m a chemist, and not a marketer), marketing is the hard part, and when you’re just starting out, I think it’s what you really have to concentrate on. Spending a lot of money on extremely unique packaging and product at the same time may be wasteful - a fairly unique product won’t need a flashy, unique package - it can stand out by itself in standard packaging.
The diy process will work - sort of. You could also get whoever makes your loose powder to add a binder and additive level that will work for pressed powder too.As my last bit of free advice - If you pay someone to make you a white and a black powder, you can then mix your grey yourself from the two of them (it will be mostly white - order at least 2x as much white as black). -
I have to agree with @Bobzchemist here. In the beginning, focus on marketing. That is the hard part. There are many excellent products that never go anywhere because the makers couldn’t get people to buy them.
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We’re right on the edge between “free advice” and “information I should pay a consultant for if I can’t/don’t want to research it myself”.
There are consultants who do this sort of thing for a living - I try to avoid stepping on their toes. -
Indeed! We always appreciate your contributions!!
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It is thanks to people like Bob that I decided to not get into colour cosmetics, at least not yet. So if anyone wants several kilos of various oxides and glitter…
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When it comes to marketing, I’m one of those popular internet girls so I have a built in audience. I’m sure 500 - 1,000 would be sold just by posting on my Facebook and instagram that I started a makeup line. The packaging is not going to be that off the wall, just sized a bit different than standard because it’s a three color compact. Thank you again for your reply you have provided a lot of help. I will post back here in a bit just to let you know what route I took and the results. Thanks again this is an amazing forum with great contributors on it
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Mandy,
Honestly, making a unique and/or different pressed powder that also works well and lasts is tough.If I were going to do this, I’d invest almost all of my time and money in a great primer/basecoat and get standard private label eyeshadow - at least to start with.There’s just so much more that you can do with a primer - even moisturizing/skin treatment claims are possible - and the level of improvement you get even with cheap basic eyeshadow over it is amazing. -
You make a great point and I don’t disagree with you but there’s no way I’d be able to get away with standard private label. Even though I have a large audience that would support my makeup, I would still have to send quite a few compacts to the makeup blog girls. These blogs constantly are able to pick out who uses private labels and even if it is a high quality private label makeup it will still get slaughtered in the online community. I would probably be able to sell through stock because people would be buying it because of my name but I would never be able to continue with new color pallets
Just out of curiosity, why is it that eyeshadow is such a hard product to manufacture? Things like lipstick and lotions are easy to find low minimums on custom formulas. Is it the ingredients or pressing machine or both that make eyeshadow such a hard product to manufacture with low minimums? Believe me I wish I was known for my lips, this would be a much easier process but I’m known for the way I do my eyes plus my audience would love an ultra high pigment opaque eyeshadow in a compact even though it’s going to be a rough task to produce.
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It’s all economics.First, knowledgeable powder chemists are few and far between. To get a powder to press hard enough to stay in the pan and not crumble even when dropped, but still be loose enough to apply correctly is hard to do.Then, pressing powder on a small scale is very labor intensive. More labor = more cost.My thoughts at this point are for you to contact a cosmetic chemist consultant who specializes in color cosmetics. I can personally recommend either of these folks:Nick Morante and Jennifer Morante-Di MarcoRichard KonikRAK Cosmetic Consulting ServicesorI hardly ever recommend this, but have you considered making the eyeshadow yourself?A powder press is here:And you’d need a lab balance plus a good blender.
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Though I hate to say this, I have been able to source good quality eye makeup from China. Not all of it is bad. I know this isn’t what you’re looking for, but bear in mind, people like me who import decent quality Chinese powder and resell it at an attractive price will be competing with you.
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