To create a part- or full-time income, have you ever considered turning your hobby into a business venture? Homemade cosmetics can be the perfect way for you to do this, from creating makeup and hair products to focusing on skin care.
You’ll need to find a niche that you’re going to focus on because different people will have varying requirements when it comes to their cosmetics. It’s also important to understand how trend led the beauty industry is, so you’ll need to make sure you’re up to speed on what products and ingredients are popular by doing your research. To start selling your products to customers you’ll need to focus on unique properties that will make them want to buy your cosmetic range over others.
Setup Your Business
To begin with, you’ll need to choose a name for your business and apply for a Federal Tax Identification number. You’ll also need to think about what entity you want your company to be. You may find it’s going to be more beneficial to be a partnership or a limited liability corporation (LLC). To help you decide, you can visit the U.S. Small Business Administration website and their business structure guide.
Buy All of Your Equipment and Ingredients
It’s important that you have the right tools and equipment to start making your cosmetics. These include precision scales, metal or glass funnels, heat-safe bowls, measuring utensils, pots and storage. It’s also important that all of your cosmetic equipment is kept separate from your day-to-day kitchen utensils.
When buying your ingredients, make sure you shop around and get a few quotations before choosing a supplier. If you’re going to make a profit you’ll need to make sure your bottom line is as low as possible, so finding ingredients at an affordable price is a must. There will be a number of wholesale cosmetic suppliers that can provide you with herbal ingredients and natural oils, and you may also find your local market or supermarket stock these too.
Don’t forget to buy a fridge to store all of your perishable ingredients in so you can keep these separate from your own food.
Buy the Right Packaging
Once you start to produce your cosmetic range, you’ll need to order packaging like tubes, bottles and jars, e.g. products from CL Smith. Once you’re happy with some of your formulas, make some test batches and give them to family and friends and ask them for their feedback. Make sure they’re as honest as possible so you can use their comments to make improvements.
Produce the Right Labeling
You’ll need to design and print some labels and these will need to include those all-important details such as a list of ingredients, volume and the net weight of the product. Check the U.S. Food and Drug Administration site for their Cosmetic Label Guide so you can make sure you’re within the legal guidelines.
You should also purchase liability insurance and get the relevant permissions from your local government, if required. It may be best to speak to an attorney in these cases, just to be on the safe side.
Create a Website
If you’re going to turn your cosmetic line into a profitable business, you’ll need somewhere to sell it and the Internet is the perfect place! Create a website that presents customers with your story, how you came up with the idea and what your philosophies are when it comes to beauty care. Add wholesale and retail pricing for your products and make sure the customer knows how they can order from you.
If you can, it’s worth adding a shopping cart facility to your site along with shipping rates so customers can order at the click of the button. Also provide retailers with a contact form so they can contact you for quotes.
Market Yourself
If there are any local events where you can have a stall, this will be a great place to showcase your products. This will allow you to present your cosmetic line to the local community who will be delighted to see someone within their neighborhood creating such a unique range of cosmetics. After all, word-of-mouth is still one of the greatest marketing tools available!
Get the details for local newspapers and editors and provide them with information about your product, asking them to produce a feature on you and your company. It’s also worth going around all of your local shops and boutique stores to present your product and ask if they’d be interested in selling one of your lines in their shop.
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