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Skincare Line Preparations and Planning
Hi all,
I am new to the forum but have followed and enjoyed ChemistsCorner for many years now. I am a pharmacist (science background) and am in the early days of planning out a possible skincare line. I believe I may have found a gap in the market and aim to see my skincare line address this gap.I am impressed by the knowledge base of the active members on this forum. I have a couple of questions and want to hear your opinions on the way I am going about planning for this possible skincare line.The way I plan to go into this is as follows: I will focus on one product initially. Once I have designed a preliminary formula and played with it for a while I while make a few kgs and test it on product testers. I will make adjustments (based on feedback received), make a larger batch and test it on the market stall. I will continue as above and develop a range of tested products. I will of course have to obtain all the safety assesments and micro challenge/stability testing needed. Once I am satisfied with feedback from the market stall I will move onto the step of designing packaging and labelling. My channel of distribution will be online via email orders, Etsy and a maintained social media presence. When I am positive of where I stand I will send out samples to beauty bloggers and beauty magazines. Then, taking it from there, I will decide to enter the larger market.Notes and questions:- I have experience and background in making creams, lotions, balms, gels and scrub so I will be manufacturing my line. If I really needed to I may seek the help of a cosmetic chemist consultant to work on the formula with me.
- I expect my greatest expenses to be safety assessments, testing, packaging and labelling.
- How does one approach big departments stores to stock their line? I assume you get in contact with the head buyer or head of the department?
- Have I missed anything important?
Please feel free to weigh in with your thoughts/remarks/suggestions (please no negative comments. I want constructive feedback). -
9 Replies
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This is a good plan especially focusing on one product, but in my opinion you are putting the cart before the horse.
This might sound strange coming from a chemist and formulator, but I think the most important thing to do first is create your marketing story, package image, and point of differentiation. Spend your money figuring out who your customer will be and what problem your product will solve for them. Once you figure that out, then go develop your product.The reality is there are plenty of excellent products on the market which no one is buying. And the reason is because there is nothing compelling about the marketing story to inspire someone to buy the product. Some very successful cosmetic brands used standard, private label formulations.As to your questions -1. Yes, you should work with a cosmetic chemist consultant when you’re ready for formulation work. You’ll need to spend your time working on your product marketing.2. At first, this will probably be your biggest expense. I would add marketing development to your cost.3. Put together a sell sheet and show them sales proof. Yes, talk to the buyer. You’ll have to sell them on why your product is unique and demonstrate that you already have sales to justify them taking a risk.4. Look to other brands for inspiration (e.g. http://www.yestocarrots.com/) Their products and formulations are nothing great. In fact, they are inferior in terms of performance and experience compared to things put out by P&G, but their marketing story and point of differentiation set them apart. You can be very successful with mediocre products. You can also be a complete failure with the best formulations on the planet. Marketing makes all the difference. -
Also I would think about revisiting your decision to manufacture your own line. As Perry points out you will have significant marketing tasks ahead of you to make your product successful which will take a large part of your time. Secondly, it is an error to under estimate the administrative burden to properly document, track and monitor your Production under cGMP conditions. This administrative burden ensures your product is consistent, safe and effective. Lastly, if your marketing efforts are successful you will not be able to meet your production demands. This is an all too common mistake in the smaller lines. You will find that by the time you realize this and scramble to out source manufacturing, you will be 90 days behind. During this time you will see out of stocks and inventory shortages which in turn will be detrimental to all your marketing efforts.
In a Cosmetic Start-up you need to address your strengths and weaknesses. You can either be a manufacturer/formulator who needs a businessperson/salesperson/marketer or vice versa. It is terribly difficult and almost impossible to take on both roles especially if your line grows.
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It may be a shock to learn this, but department stores, especially the big ones, do not buy much, if any, cosmetics/skin care. All those counters you see? Rented from the store by the cosmetic companies, and the people staffing them are employees of those companies, not of the department stores.
The same is true of the big box stores, like Target. The shelf space that your products take up has to be paid for. -
Perry-Thank you for your detailed reply. I agree with you about planning my brand image, marketing story and unique selling point before developing my product. The market is saturated and competition is high and even with an exceptional product, without a great marketing story to back it up no customer will feel compelled to buy. I am looking at other brands for inspiration and am really enjoying the process. I have my work cut out for me!
Microformulation- Thank you for your reply. My decision to manufacture my own products was because I enjoy the whole process (and to save on costs) and then when and if production orders pick up I would then outsource. I would have to be very watchful and move fast. But I will consider your advice and think about it. Again, it is still early days and a lot of ground has yet to be covered. -
Bobzchemist-Thank you for your input. I did not know this and am shocked yes! Renting shelf space and having employees is a huge deal so I will have to approach boutique stores, salons/spas and trade shows/exhibitions.
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Yes, exactly that. Once you have a following, and can demonstrate good sales numbers, that’s when you can start moving up the food chain.
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Hi all. I am new to the forum and looking for some advice. I have a small skincare company that has had moderate online success and had great PR exposure with local and regional news and media outlets. My brand and marketing story are solid. I am new to this making my own products. I enjoy the process but wonder if its hurting my long term goals.
Who should I speak with to formulate my recipes and potentially manufacture all my products? And will the costs be so exorbitant that my products will be unaffordable?
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Agree with Microformulation……”You can either be a manufacturer/formulator who needs a businessperson/salesperson/marketer or vice versa.”
We started with our brand Indochine Natural…..but as things developed we were doing more and more OEM/Private Label. Now we are at a point where 85-90% of our turnover is OEM/Private Label and have opened a second production facility to cope, simply because we just do not have the resources/expertise to market Indochine Natural.
We dis try outsourcing, and it was a failure. If your products are truly unique in the marketplace, as our are, it is almost impossible.
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@tags - try some of the people listed here.
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