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Pull up a chair and get ready to scroll through THE ultimate business startup checklist for handmade skincare entrepreneurs!
If you are on a mission to make skin care products from your own home and sell them via e-commerce, you’re in the right spot – this list will guide you through each and every detail: business mission to market research to publishing your website.
The most streamlined way to get your skin care business up and running ASAP!
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links (at no cost to you). Please read the disclosure for more information.
Don’t need the whole list? Click below to skip ahead:
Your business mission – your ‘WHY’ – is going to define every step you make as an entrepreneur.
Take the time to soul search. Dig deep. Of course you want to sell handmade skincare products and make an income doing it – but what kind of experience do you want to provide? How do you want to be perceived?
This statement is just for you. You’re not a huge corporation that needs to post this on your site (unless you want to!). Don’t get caught up in the details of having ‘fancy’ language or the ‘right’ number of sentences. Keep it straight and simple.
Write down your mission statement and use it as your guiding light for every step in this list.
Additional resources and reading:
If you try to sell to EVERYONE, you will sell to NO ONE.
We live in a time where we get to (and NEED to) choose very specifically who we want to cater to.
This means rolling up your sleeves and pinpointing the demographics, psychographics, and fleshing out a customer avatar for your unique skin care business.
Do NOT skip this important step – and have FUN with it (you are making your dream business come to life!).
Your color palette, font choices, packaging choices, and marketing platforms will all depend on this background work.
Additional resources and reading:
The name of your skin care business creates a ‘first impression’ for your customer.
Your business name will be the anchor of your website, social media handles, and email address – take the time to choose a name that represents your mission and target market!
Be sure to read the first article below for tips, strategies, and examples for naming your skin care business that will stand the test of time.
Additional resources and reading:
We’re lucky ducks to be in a time where small business bank accounts can be free – a luxury compared to how it used to be!
When choosing a bank, make sure you understand if there are minimum balance requirements, transaction fees, and easy access (online banking, ATMs nearby, etc).
The recommendations below by Nerdwallet are just to get your feet wet with questions to ask and features to check for in a financial institution for your skin care business – be sure to search for local spots that offer community perks as well.
Additional reading:
I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘Why does this checklist start with target markets and bank accounts BEFORE even diving into the topic of skin care recipes???’
And that is because I made two assumptions:
As a business owner, you need to create what your target market actually wants to BUY, not what you want to MAKE (which is where most handmade entrepreneurs go wrong).
Choose the products for your future line by doing some basic market research on Etsy and Google – dig around and see what your ideal customer is searching for.
Read the ‘Create a Converting Skin Care Product List’ below and have fun entering your product ideas in Google Trends to see if they’re winners!
Additional resources and reading:
One of the perks of handmade skin care is that a lot of supplies and ingredients are already hiding in your cabinets…if you’re making products for yourself.
Now that you’re going to be an entrepreneur, you absolutely need a separate set of supplies and ingredients that are dedicated JUST to your business.
Most obviously because this omits the possibility of cross-contamination between skin care ingredients and food.
But this is also logistically necessary for tax purposes, such as deductions and end-of-year inventory for your Schedule C…but more on that further down on the list.
Time to stock up using the links below (and save those receipts for tax time)!
Additional resources and vendors:
Before deciding on your final product list, take the time to practice making all of your intended recipes on repeat.
Your customers will expect consistency across the board, and you want to make sure that you can batch-create while keeping top-notch quality.
You also want to make sure that the skin care products you make are worth your time (time is money, especially as a maker!).
If making that cold process soap or filling teeny tiny tubes is taking so long that it puts you below minimum wage, it’s time to move on to a more profitable product idea.
There are so many fantastic retail-worthy DIY skin care recipes out there – find the ones that work with your unique skill set!
Additional resources and reading:
The last key to determining your final FINAL product list is feedback from individuals that represent the target market of your skin care business.
Yes, it’s okay to get the opinion of family and friends – just make sure that if your ideal customer is a new mother in her mid-30s that you’re not getting the opinion of a younger individual with no childbearing experience.
(There’s no way they would understand the skincare needs of that postpartum mama!)
Sidenote: The timing of feedback can be a tricky thing. Obviously you want to know if your products are well-received before purchasing containers, labels, etc. for that particular item...
However, these details are also part of the overall experience. Getting feedback throughout the entire making/branding process is always the best bet. The branding details included in the questions below will be discussed in the next section of our list.
Questions to consider asking your feedback volunteers:
If you’re sold on the idea of neon pink skin care labels simply because it’s your daughter’s favorite shade, we have some work to do.
93% of consumer purchases are decided upon due to visual appearance (which includes color palettes) – the perceptions of what each color means CHANGES based on gender and culture (!!!).
Make a purposeful choice about your skin care business color palette that will be carried through on your product containers, labels, and website design.
The resources below will give you tons of information and guidance as you discover color psychology that speaks to your target market!
Additional resources and reading:
As e-commerce skin care entrepreneurs, we have a special set of boxes we need to check with our font selections.
Our choices need to look good on a label (in large print for the product names AND for the tiny ingredient list) as well as on a screen (desktop AND mobile devices).
There are four main font categories, and they all ‘speak’ differently:
Use the resources below to find the fonts that work well for your target market, have design flexibility, and are clearly legible in all the formats you need as an ecommerce skin care entrepreneur.
Additional resources and reading:
Using your color palette and font pairings, create a logo that includes your business name and a recognizable graphic (if desired).
The key here is simple, simple, simple.
You want your logo to stay in the same format as much as possible, and should be recognizable in all sizes.
It is common for skin care entrepreneurs create a few versions of their logo, especially for product labels so that it fits a specific space better.
There are many online graphic design programs that make this super easy (for free) if you’re comfortable with a little experimentation. Otherwise, you can hire someone to create one for you on a freelance site, such as Fiverr.
Logo design resources:
Now that you have your target market completely fleshed out and understand the visual elements of your brand, we can move to the BIG FUN part of really making your product line and company have a uniquely branded presentation for your skin care business.
With your specific audience in mind, what packaging options would make them stop and click on your product’s listing to learn more?
Though it is tempting to get a different type of packaging for every item you make, it is more cost-effective to ‘double up’ packaging for multiple products, especially at the beginning of your journey while you wait to see which listings will be your best sellers.
For example, use the same amber glass bottles for facial serum, beard oil, and hair treatments.
Additional resources and vendors:
Most handmade skin care shops include a business card in their customers’ shipments, but I have also seen flyers, brochures, and postcards done well. The most popular information inclusions are:
Canva has tons of free templates available, but you could always have someone on Fiverr design one for you (especially if they have already been handling your logo and/or label designs).
Additional products and services:
If you want to stand out and really make an impression on your customers, you will need to intentionally create an unboxing experience.
We’re talking about taking the customer from having no real memory of opening your package to creating a MEMORABLE first impression.
We’re talking about the difference between your customer opening your package and throwing the box away vs. opening your package, HAVING to take a photo because it’s displayed so perfectly, HAVING to write a review because they were blown away, HAVING to give you a shout-out on social media.
Presentation MATTERS…even the precision of how you tape up a box. Care in EVERY detail speaks volumes.
Consider interesting packaging filler, logo stickers on the shipping box, perhaps your logo stamped on the skin care product packaging itself, maybe a branded box color – enjoy making your business stand OUT!
Additional ideas and vendors:
Your profile picture is a headshot of YOU (nope, not your soap) and is your FIRST touch of personal connection with a customer.
USE A PHOTO THAT WAS TAKEN INTENTIONALLY FOR THIS PURPOSE. No shadowy bathroom selfies, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! Make sure it’s brightly lit and shows depth. If you can’t take a decent photo yourself (or know of a friend who can…phone cameras these days are amazing!), spend the money on a professional photographer.
Use the same profile picture across all accounts. The goal of branding is recognizability, and that means consistency from platform to platform.
Making the decision of what platform to sell on is about MUCH more than the way your storefront looks. Much more.
Over the years, I have sold handmade skin care products on many platforms: Etsy, Shopify, Wix, Pattern, Facebook, Squarespace, Ecohabitude, and Wanelo.
My two most successful sites (hands down) have been Etsy and Shopify. I happily recommend both for different reasons, but the one best for you depends on your personal situation and where you are in your business journey.
So which is better? Must-read: Shopify vs. Etsy for your Handmade Skincare Business
Additional resources and reading:
No matter what platform you sell your skin care products on, one thing is for sure. Your site has to keep your reader’s attention and interest if they’re going to purchase from you.
Every e-commerce site should communicate what you’re about, what the customer can expect, why they should buy from you specifically.
Your home page is the first impression and a quick overview of what you have to offer. Make it short & sweet, but make it SHINE:
If you’re selling on a marketplace that doesn’t allow you to have a home page, the information in this section may be split up into several sections on your site: Announcements, Seller Bio, Optional Photo Section, etc.
Additional resources and reading:
Newsflash. Your ‘About Me’ page…it’s not really about you.
It’s about how your audience is going to relate to you.
What parts of your story are RELEVANT to your skin care business, and why is your reader going to stay on your website to purchase from you?
Additional resources and reading:
You will have a different sales page for every item you sell. Each page (aka product listing) will need the following inclusions:
Additional resources and reading:
This page can be a catch-all for your most commonly asked questions or other information you don’t have a clear spot for:
This may sound a little overwhelming at first, but don’t sweat it. Most e-commerce website builders and marketplaces have basic policies for you to use (with the ability to edit).
A lot of times as a new business owner, you’ll start with the basics. Your policies and FAQs page will more fully develop as your communication grows with your customer base and you see recurring questions.
Additional resources and reading:
Google Analytics is a free tool that helps you to analyze the traffic and engagement on your website.
This will help you to see how your customers are finding you, what they are clicking on, the most visited pages, how long they’re staying on each page, etc.
Many website platforms give you basic site analytics (page views, conversion rates, etc). This extra tool takes it further so that you can effectively advertise and market based on your customer’s behavior.
Use the resources below to set up your Google Analytics account and get your ID number. Then navigate back to your e-commerce platform for instructions on how to link your website to your Google Analytics account.
Additional resources and reading:
Proofread every detail of your site.
Proofread every detail of your site.
Proofread every detail of your site.
Then have another person (or three) proofread every detail of your site.
No matter how many times you personally review your site, there will be small things that you miss – to look professional and trustworthy, your spelling and grammar need to be an A+.
If you don’t feel comfortable sharing your site with friends or family to proofread for you, consider the resources below.
Proofreading Assistance:
Since you are selling skin care products online, you need to know the ins and outs of sales tax! Wahoo!
This is not a complicated matter once you know the details, but the details do vary depending on where you’re selling and how much you’re selling.
Get started by clicking on the State Sales Tax Map (link below), and then choose your state (if you live in the United States).
Note: The financial aspect of owning a handmade skin care business can be crippling for a lot of makers. This checklist that you’re reading right now is meant to keep you on task, but I am not a CPA.
If you want more hand-holding throughout the financial setup of your business, visit Paper + Spark which covers all things sales tax, bookkeeping, etc. All resources created by a financial professional (and she specializes in handmade entrepreneurship!!!).
Additional resources and reading:
The million-dollar question – ‘Do I need insurance to sell handmade products?’
Just as you don’t ‘need’ an LLC to sell handmade skin care items, the business structure protects your personal assets.
Most e-commerce sites and marketplaces do not require proof of insurance to sell on the platform.
However, I have experienced some brick-and-mortar boutiques that DO require coverage if you want to sell in their shop.
It’s up to your comfort level with how protected you want to be and where you see your business going in the future.
Handmade business insurance helps to protect your business assets, but can also include bodily injury and property damage depending on the type of coverage you get.
The best insurance for your unique product line will be specific to you and what you sell. Do some searching through the links below to see what your range of products is eligible for.
Additional reading and resources:
Did you save all of those receipts from your supplies, ingredients, containers, and labels?
Luckily, most purchases are online now and invoices are available for a certain period of time. Set up good entrepreneur habits and create a system for keeping and organizing those receipts.
With those in hand, get ready to dive into creating an inventory system for your skin care business!
This is not just for the ‘I’m Type A I need things super-organized so I can function’ people.
This is for the ‘I am now a business owner and need to report every purchase and sale to the government’ people. (That’s you.)
Every year when you file your Schedule C (the tax form that reports your income), there are boxes that ask for inventory on hand (such as ingredients, packaging, and products that are already made), cost of goods sold, items that were used for personal use, etc.
You can’t do that without a system in place, and the only one that I have found for handmade skincare entrepreneurs is by Paper + Spark (and it is amazing). It comes with hours of tutorials and online support from a CPA that works specifically with handmade businesses.
Get the Inventory Spreadsheet Here:
To understand the financial health of your business, you need to track your sales, the cost of your supplies, and all of your random business expenses (including printer paper, transaction fees, shipping costs, etc.).
I’ve used various small business software programs over the years, but they were so expensive and I didn’t need all of the features they offered (and none of them had all of the features that handmade sellers need).
The same CPA (Janet from Paper + Spark) that creates the inventory system discussed above also makes handmade seller spreadsheets that keep all of the bookkeeping we need as skin care entrepreneurs super simple.
AND it’s only a one-time cost instead of a recurring monthly fee, which is AWESOME.
The seller spreadsheets are different than the inventory sheets, but they work seamlessly together and can be purchased in a bundle.
If you’re like me and sell on more than one platform, there are also options for merging all of that information together into one spreadsheet (see the spreadsheet bundle below).
Additional resources and reading:
Cash management, aka ‘How do I pay myself? How much do I save for taxes? How much should I be spending on ingredients and supplies?’ etc. etc. etc.
While all of this is a personal decision and there are no hard-and-fast rules (except the taxes thing – you have to pay those no matter what!), coming up with a formula you can stick to is important.
I personally stick to the following formula: 50% to myself, 25% taxes, 25% operating expenses.
Let’s pretend I make $2,000 in sales in January. I pay myself $1,000, I put $500 to the side for future taxes, and I have $500 to use for website fees, office supplies, ingredients and containers I need for my skin care products, etc.
I know other makers that pay themselves a specific salary every month no matter how much the business takes in (obviously that is after having been in business for a while and seeing trends and having savings built up for slower months).
The best strategy I have found is called Profit First, a method taught by Mike Michalowicz (get the book below).
In a nutshell, it’s about paying yourself first instead of paying for all expenses first. When done correctly, it makes you very aware of how you’re spending your money and forces you to reduce expenses.
Additional resources and reading:
Now that you have encountered most of the expenses that you’ll need to cover as a business owner, you can accurately price your skin care products for what you’ll sell them for.
The biggest mistake in pricing is totaling up your ingredients, containers, labels, and shipping boxes, adding on a certain percentage for profit, and calling it a day.
Nope.
To earn what you’re worth, you need to correctly include all of your overhead expenses, which includes things that your customers don’t see, such as the course you took to learn about essential oils, the spreadsheets mentioned above, the printer you use to print off shipping labels, the fees that your e-commerce site charges you for each sale, etc.
Suggested formula: (Supplies x Profit Markup) + Labor + Overhead = Retail Price
If you purchased the spreadsheets from Paper + Spark above for your inventory system already, you’re set! By plugging in all of your materials and other expenses into this sheet your prices are calculated for you.
Additional resources and reading:
Next up: Publish Your DIY Skin Care Business Website!
After all of this hard work, it’s finally time to share your online skin care business with the world!
Do it! Hit that ‘PUBLISH’ button!
As a heads up, understand that it takes months (and sometimes years, depending on your e-commerce platform) for the World Wide Web to know that you exist.
When you hit that publish button, the orders won’t come rolling in on their own.
And this makes sense. We know there are more handmade skin care sellers in the world than just us (not to mention all of the professional ‘big shot’ companies that are paying millions in Google Ads placements).
The solution is simple: we just need to direct our own traffic to our websites.
And it’s FUN!
Now that you’ve done all of the hard work above, you can handle putting together a few social media posts a week, right???
Where and how you go about your online marketing completely depends on who your ideal customer is and where they’re hanging out on social media.
Marketing goes beyond the scope of this checklist, but I’ve included my top blog posts (plus a social media calendar just for handmade skin care entrepeneurs) below.
Additional resources and reading:
My friend. You’re a big deal. A huge deal. The work you just put in to build a handmade skin care business from the ground up was NOT EASY.
Go out and CELEBRATE your enormous accomplishment, and get ready for a fabulously rewarding entrepreneurial journey.
And a journey it is. Our time together is just getting started.
But for now, go out and do whatever it is you do to remind yourself that you are so beyond capable and are going to move mountains!
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There are few industries out there with as much potential to develop loyal, die-hard customers as beauty and cosmetics. Beauty products are a staple in bathroom cabinets around the world; whether a person is going for an “I woke up like this” look or the avant garde “makeup is art you wear on your face” feel, just about every woman (not to mention tons of men!) use beauty products on the daily.
This means if you own a beauty or cosmetics line, the potential for some serious business is there. But it also means if you want to grab that business and take it for yourself, you’re going to need to find a way to break through the clutter, jump off the shelf at Sephora, and tell your ideal customer “THIS is the lipstick for you!” And the best way to do that is your packaging.
Your packaging is the first thing the beauty die-hards you want to turn into customers are going to see. If your packaging grabs their attention and speaks to what they’re looking for, they’re likely to take your product home and give it a try. If not? It’s likely to gather dust on the shelf.
But how, exactly, do you design the kind of packaging that makes your ideal customer scream “I need that blush yesterday?” Never fear, 99designs is here with all the information you need to design packaging that stands out on the shelf and gets your product into your customer’s bag (and, eventually, on their face).
A stunning cosmetics packaging design by IQDsgnBefore you get started with your packaging design, there are a few things you want to clarify:
It’s important to know who you’re designing for. Who’s your ideal customer? Are they tween girls just as obsessed with sparkles as they are with boy bands? Are they women of color who want makeup that actually (finally) matches their skin tone? Are they men who are masculine… but also want baby soft skin? And once you know who they are, what are they looking for in a cosmetics brand? What’s going to grab their attention?
Just as important as your customer’s identity is your identity. What’s your branding? Are you dark and edgy (like Urban Decay)? Simple and classic (like Bobbi Brown)? Luxurious (like Dior)? Accessible (like Wet n Wild)? Who you are as a brand—and the personality you want to portray to your customers—is going to determine what design elements you use in your packaging.
You’ll also want to consider how you’re going to sell your products. Are you selling online or in store? In small boutiques or in large retailers? Your design strategy might change depending on where you’re shelling your goods.
A great thing to do before you start designing is to create a mood board for your brand. Pull together images, colors, advertisements and whatever else you feel embodies your brand personality; these will act as inspiration as you go through the design process.
If you need a little inspiration for your packaging design there’s no better place to start than looking at the latest cosmetics packaging trends. Once you know what’s currently trending, you can create packaging that caters to what’s important to your customers right now and that speaks to them in the right way.
Remember that you want to pick a look that’s both modern and on trend, but also timeless and universally appealing, so your packaging design looks up-to-date for as long as possible.
Here are the cosmetics packaging trends we’re seeing everywhere right now:
Intricate drawings using fine lines and lots of detail are a timelessly beautiful trend for cosmetics packaging. Particularly floral and hand-made drawings work well, either cleverly placed in select areas or covering the whole product. If you’re going for something less feminine but still want something elegant and detailed, a more geometric, clean and cool drawing-style may be right for you. This trend is perfect for you if your brand has an eye for detail or if you’re looking for a subtle yet beautiful way of showcasing what’s inside your packaging, by drawing the ingredients you use.
The bold font trend we’re seeing across the board in graphic design naturally extends to packaging as well. Unique fonts can give your packaging a whole lot of character. Typography is the perfect way to express who you are as a brand, and a handlettered font can be just the thing to set you apart from the crowd. Whether it carries a retro vibe, a bold statement or a quirky flair, a unique font is sure to stick in people’s minds.
With loud stripes and wild color combinations the bold pattern trend is going to make your packaging jump off the shelves. Well-placed, eye-catching patterns make your packaging pop and give your brand a confident, young look that sets you apart from everyone else. Especially irregular patterns are a reoccurring trend that can give your packaging a certain edge. But that doesn’t mean that your brand has to be young and loud to be able to use this trend: abstract patterns can work for any brand, as long as you get the colors and shapes right.
Black and white cosmetics packaging is a timeless trend we will never get tired of. What’s new in the packaging designs we’re currently seeing is that while white used to be the overwhelming choice for cosmetics packaging, it’s black that seems be dominating monochrome packaging right now. To add an interesting twist, these designs use subtle patterns and tiny pops of color to catch the eye. Packaging that is mostly black looks luxurious and has an air of mystery and coolness. What’s more, if you pick a classy monochrome design you can be sure that your packaging will never go out of style.
A stylishly-vintage trend we can’t get enough of is cosmetics packaging covered in rich, warm florals and natural, earthy tones. While this trend has a feminine and sometimes even sexy vibe to it, it can also feel warm and comforting. This combination of lush, rich floral illustrations with simple typography results in a classic style that creates an approachable yet luxurious look.
Pastels and minimalism are a match made in heaven. While pastels will soften an otherwise harsh-looking minimalist packaging design, a minimalistic and clean design will ensure that your pastel packaging looks modern and grown up. Play with both concepts to find the right mix for your brand. You can keep it simple and stylish by picking one pastel shade that speaks to your customers and brand or you can work with a combination of pastels to achieve a playful and dreamy look.
When it comes to cosmetics packaging, anything goes. Dare to be different! Play around with designs that speak to you and that express what your brand is all about. Its unique designs stand out from the crowd. Need more inspiration? Check out our article on packaging design trends.
Now that you’re feeling inspired, it’s time to start designing your beauty packaging and cosmetics labels.
The first thing you’ll need to do when designing your packaging is set your elements of design.
There are a few different elements you’ll need to consider:
The first thing you’ll want to consider is the mood and personality you want to bring to your packaging. Are you going for a minimalist vibe in your design? Or do you want to go more over-the-top and stylized?
Knowing what style you want to move towards will help lead the rest of your design and ensure you make packaging decisions that are in line with your overall design goals.
Locking in your style will also help you determine any additional design elements you need to consider. Are you going for a pop art feel? Then you might need some illustrations done to lead the design process. Are you incorporating natural elements into your natural cosmetics brand? Then maybe you’ll want to pull in some nature photography to include on your packaging. The point is, when you know what style you’re going for, you know what design elements you’ll need to get that style to come across in your packaging.
When choosing colors, you want to choose colors that a) match your brand personality, b) grab customers’ attention and c) stand out from the competition. This last point is especially important in the uber-competitive world of beauty and cosmetics.
This hand cream pairs playful brights with luxurious, classical design elements to create an unusual but eye-catching brand. Design by HollyM. Yellow is not a color usually associated with peppermint, but it works because it sets a cheery mood and differentiates from other essential oil brands. Packaging by Imee008 for Cielune.Neutral, luxurious pink packaging design by bcra for Makeup Geek.Think about choosing your brand’s color palette like you would assembling this season’s must-have eyeshadow palette; you want to stay true to your brand while differentiating yourself from the competition. So, for example, pink is a wildly popular color in the beauty and cosmetics world. It’s fun, it’s feminine, and it just so happens to be a color that’s widely used in all the glorious cosmetics we put on our faces. But if you go with pink as your packaging color, it might be hard to grab your customer’s attention since the shelves of every cosmetic store are already a sea of pink.
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The most recognizable beauty and cosmetics brands use color as a way to build their brand. When people think purple, they think of Urban Decay. Bold black and white belong to Make Up Forever. And the reigning queen of pink? Too Faced Cosmetics.
If you want your brand to be just as successful, you’ll need to do the same thing and find a brand color palette that not only jumps off the shelves but becomes instantly synonymous with your brand.
Next up is fonts.
Like with colors, you want to choose something that’s unique, on brand, and instantly recognizable to your customers, while they’re scanning the shelves.
Product packaging design by gianni88 for Xlash.Urban Decay’s All-Nighter Foundation screams edgy – and has the font to match. Via Urban Decay.Have a brand that’s a little on the edgy side? Go for a bold, display font like Urban Decay.
Product packaging design by Daria V. for Naturopathy.Too Faced Cosmetics takes feminine to a whole new level with their flirty script font. Via Too Faced Cosmetics.More fun, flirty, and feminine? Go with a whimsical or script font, a la Too Faced.
Product label design by Flora B. for Rhea Skin Therapy.Nothing says sophisticated like Chanel… and their modern sans serif font. Via Chanel.How about clean and sophisticated? Try a sans serif font, which will give an upscale modern feel, like Chanel.
Product label design by Martis Lupus.Is there any cosmetic more classic than Clinique? Via Clinique.Going for the classic feel? Stick with elegant serif fonts, like Clinique.
One more thing you’ll want to think of when choosing fonts? How it’s going to look on your packaging. You want your fonts to be clear and easy to read—even when they’re on a tiny compact box.
Next up, you want to collect all of the information you need to include on your packaging (including the information you need to be FDA-compliant).
Some common things that show up on cosmetics packaging:
Now, it’s time to actually choose the physical packaging.
Just like you start with primer, follow with foundation and end with finishing powder, when it comes to packaging, there’s three different layers you need to think about: outer packaging, inner packaging, and product packaging.
Outer packaging is the first thing your customers will have to dig through to get to your product. This can be the box you use to ship customer orders from your warehouse or the bag you package your cosmetics in at your retail location.
Inner packaging is what houses your product, like the box your customers open to get to their lipstick.
And the product packaging is the packaging itself: the container that holds your product inside, be it a lipstick tube or a foundation bottle.
When it comes to beauty and cosmetics packaging, the sky’s the limit. The first thing you need to think about when choosing your cosmetics packaging is the “what.” What is the purpose of your packaging? What kind of product are you creating? Obviously, the product packaging that works for a lip gloss isn’t going to be the right pick for a body butter, so you want to choose the product packaging that makes the most sense for each product.
Some popular packaging options in beauty and cosmetics include:
Now, obviously, there are certain packaging standards for different products. Most lipsticks are going to be housed in a lipstick tube. But that shouldn’ts top you from thinking outside of the box! Take lip gloss, for example. It used to be the standard to put them in a tube with a wand. And while that certainly still is the most common packaging choice, plenty of brands deviated from the “norm” and went with other options, like squeeze tubes, jars, and twist tops. So don’t feel like you need to stick within the confines of “standard” packaging!
Once you know what kind of packaging you want, you need to figure out how and where you’re going to get it. There are tons of cosmetics packaging companies out there where you can buy packaging at wholesale prices. You can also get custom bottles, boxes or tubs designed, which can make your product stand out on shelves, but will definitely cost you more than a pretty penny.
Once you know what type of product packaging you want to move forward with, it’s time to start thinking about design. And the best place to start? Choosing a focal point.
When your customer looks at your product, you have a split second to get your message across before they move on to something else on the shelf. What’s the one thing you want your customer to know about your product? Whatever it is, that’s what needs to come through on your packaging design.
Do you want to build brand recognition and let your customer know the lipstick or face cream they’re picking up is all you? Then you’ll want to put your logo front and center. Is there a certain ingredient in your beauty product you know will wow your customers and get them to make a purchase? If so, that needs to be the focus of your design.
By focusing on one core element in your packaging design, you ensure that your key message gets through to your customer.
Next up is choose the materials and speciality printing options you’ll use in/on your packaging.
There are so many options out there to jazz up your packaging. But keep in mind: the more complicated your packaging, the higher the budget. Some upgrades might be necessary, depending on your product (for example, if your product is meant to be stored in the shower you better make sure your labels are coated and water resistant).
Foil printing can draw the eye to your packaging, but will be more expensive. Blush packaging by HollyM.Shampoo is stored in the shower so you’d better make sure your labels can stand up to the heat (and steam!). Design by ve_sta.Others are design choices to help you create a specific look and feel. Incorporating things like foil-stamping, embossing, metal, or ink that gives a 3D effect will definitely make your packaging feel more high-end, luxurious and fun, but it will also add to your cost-per-package.
If you’re not sure what options are out there—or what options your budget allows—talk to your designer about the material and printing options that are the best fit for your brand and budget.
There are a two common ways you can move forward with your cosmetics packaging design:
Your first option, of course, is to do things yourself. And while you might be tempted to take on the design yourself in an effort to keep your budget low, unless you have design experience, we don’t recommend it. Your cosmetics packaging design is so important to the success of your business; it’s not the place to cut corners.
Your other option is to hire a designer to manage the design process for you. There are two good ways to do this: you can hire a freelancer or you can launch a design contest.
If you want to work directly with a freelancer, you’ll want to look for someone with experience in product packaging design (even better if they’ve specifically worked in the cosmetics industry).
If you want to write a single brief and have designers from all over the world send you unique ideas, you can run a packaging design contest on 99designs.
Once you’ve got your designer on board, it’s time to start designing! Woohoo!
After you’ve reviewed your brand style design with your designer and let them know exactly what you’re looking for, you’ll want to ask them to develop a design mockup. This will give you a concrete piece of packaging to look at before you finalize your design.
Once you have your design mockup, you’ll want to evaluate your design and see if it feels like the right fit for your product. When evaluating your mockup, ask yourself:
Once you finalize your design and your designer creates your packaging dielines, you’ll need to get the files to send to the printer. You’ll need:
Once you have those files, you can send them to the printer, print up your packaging designs, and get your products out into the world!
There’s a ton of opportunity in the beauty and cosmetics industry. And with the right product, the right packaging, and the right design, that opportunity is yours for the taking!
This article was originally published in 2017. It has been updated with new examples and information.