Are you a beauty influencer thinking of creating your own skin care brand? Or are you a distributor considering creating a private label brand to grow your business? 

So you've envisioned the perfect skin care product – a luxurious face moisturizer, a game-changing cleanser, or a groundbreaking face serum. You've thought about the possible names you could use for your beauty brand. You know your target audience and you have a clear direction of how you want your brand identity to look like. 

But then comes the question: how do you translate that dream beauty product into a tangible reality on store shelves? Cosmetic manufacturing can seem like a complex maze, filled with unfamiliar beauty lingo, business terms and manufacturing jargons, minimum order quantities (MOQs) that make your eyes water, and the daunting task of navigating an unfamiliar culture or language, especially if you're looking to South Korea, the mecca of beauty, for its innovative beauty solutions and advanced manufacturing technologies. 

Well, do not worry! In this blog, we'll summarize a few important stages in the manufacturing process, so that you can have a better idea before kickstarting your entrepreneurial journey.

5 Things to Know Before Manufacturing Cosmetics or Skin Care

1. Finding the Right Cosmetic Manufacturer

This process is one of those steps that take the most time. You'll have to do your own research to find a list of potential beauty manufacturers to work with. Then you'll have to screen them to see if they can deliver your requirements. Some manufacturers will have certain capacities for certain types of products only, for example skin care cosmetics, or some manufacturers will specialize only in color cosmetics such as eye and lip makeup. Some manufacturers will have certain certifications but not others. Even if you found the manufacturer that you want to work with, there are chances that they have maxed out their production capacities and are not able to accept your order. Or the MOQs are too high and the customization options are limited. Or there are language and cultural barriers that prevent a smooth communication throughout the process. Then you'll have to go back to the drawing board again and look for other options, which takes up even more time. 

That's why our clients choose MAYK. We'll connect you with reputable Korean manufacturers who specialize in your desired product category. You can skip the search, cut the queue, get your desired products manufactured in Korea while we help you to negotiate better terms with the manufacturer. No more wading through endless online searches! 

2. Cosmetic Formulation Expertise

Imagine this. You found a skin care product that you like but don't completely love. Like there is something lacking in the formulation and you want to fix that by creating your own brand, but better. Or you found a niche in the beauty market and you want to create a beauty brand that fits that niche, that speaks to the audience in that niche market. Or you imagined something out of the norm, and you're wondering how you could bring this innovative, new beauty innovation to life when you need lab experts to formulate the product from scratch. 

We've all been there. Our clients have been there too. If you need help tweaking your dream formula, or want to create something right from scratch, our team can assist you every step of the way. We have labs that can formulate your dream product or tweak some ingredients to create your dream product. Don't be afraid to start something new!

3. Understanding Cosmetic Manufacturing MOQs

High minimum order quantities can be a major hurdle for new brands and new entrepreneurs. If you've done your research (or if you haven't, here's the tea!), you might find that most manufacturers require MOQ of at least 5,000 to 10,000. A manufacturer that produces with a MOQ lower than 5,000 or even 1,000 is extremely rare but not impossible. 

If you're looking for low MOQ options, you may run into never-ending fruitless searches on the internet. Thankfully, with MAYK's expertise and wide network, we're able to connect you with manufacturers that produce at a lower MOQ, or connect you with other like-minded buyers for a combined group order to meet the MOQ collectively. One of the reasons why our clients choose us is because we're able to connect you with Korean skin care manufacturers that do not speak English. This valuable connection can open doors to even more possibilities in finding the perfect manufacturer that checks all your boxes. 

There are also private labeling options that you can opt for, which can bring the MOQ even lower to 200 for some products. Ultimately though, the common starting point for new businesses with low MOQ demands is to begin with private labeling or white labeling options as it involves ordering ready-made products with existing formulations and then rebranding them as your own. So if you're just starting out, we'd recommend to start with our private labeling service. 

4. Cosmetic Labeling & Compliance

Have you ever wondered if the claims on cosmetic products are regulated? Depending on the country that you're planning to sell to, some claims on the labels are actually regulated by government bodies. For example, some countries require explicit disclosure of manufacturer's entity, some doesn't. Some countries also regulate the cosmetic claims made on the label, especially those that are related or similar to OTC (over-the-counter) products. For new starters, it can be difficult to grasp, but we can definitely help make things easier for you. 

If you're looking to get vegan certifications or cruelty-free certifications for your products, there are certain regulations to look into as well. Be sure of which certification you want to get, and the requirements you need to fulfill. As some of these certifying institutions have strict requirements, you'll have to be prepared and plan the whole sourcing strategy to avoid making costly mistakes. To save you the headache, we can help you plan and source from the right suppliers in order to obtain the certification(s) you need. 

Also, don't get lost in the legalese! We'll guide you through the complexities of labeling requirements and ensure your product adheres to all safety regulations. Not only that, we'll handle the contractual terms as well to make sure your rights are protected. 

5. Clinical Trials and Cosmetic Testing Procedures

If you're a passionate user of K-beauty products, you might have seen many instances of brands showing before and after images of the skin closeup, or microscopic images of pores, or conditions of the skin taken with UV cameras, so on and so forth, all in effort to visualize or display the the efficacy of the product. These images are not made up! They can be obtained by running clinical trials and tests with an independent institution, to prove the efficacy of the product. There are many institutions that do that in Korea, and most of them do not speak Korean. If you're looking to do the same clinical trials in Korea, MAYK can help you at every step of the process. 

Building Your Beauty Brand with Confidence

With MAYK by your side, you can navigate the world of beauty manufacturing with confidence. We'll empower you to:

• Launch Sooner: Our streamlined process gets your product from concept to market faster.

• Save Money: We offer cost-effective solutions through our group-buy program and by optimizing production processes.

• Maintain Control: You remain at the helm of your brand, with our team providing expert guidance and support every step of the way.

So, are you ready to turn your dream product into a reality? Let MAYK be your partner in navigating the exciting world of cosmetic manufacturing. Together, we'll transform your vision into a success story on store shelves!

Contact us now to get started!