How Much Does it Cost to Start a Makeup Line?

At Auraline Beauty, one of our most important jobs is serving as private label makeup manufacturers for entrepreneurs starting a cosmetic line.

We love seeing the creativity and drive from creative people navigating the ins and outs of how to start a makeup line, but there is one question that looms above all others: How much does it cost to start a beauty brand or makeup line?

The answer, of course, is complex and largely dependent on your own choices. But the short answer is, “probably less than you think!”

Our prices for individual products are listed in our online catalog, so rather than exhaustively detailing the price of every individual item, we’re instead going to give you a general idea of what costs to keep in mind when starting a makeup line, and how we can help you keep those costs down!

Minimum Orders for

Private Label Cosmetics

One of the biggest concerns for an entrepreneur thinking about how to start a makeup line is that initial, up-front investment. How much is it going to cost to fulfill that minimum order with a factory that requires thousands, or even tens of thousands of products to be bought in a bulk cosmetics order?

We understand what a burden that can be, and that’s why we don’t require excessively high orders for private label cosmetics designed with your brand and logo. You can order private label cosmetic products with your own brand from Auraline Beauty in quantities as little as 48 per order. If you’re not having your own label printed on the products, there is no minimum quantity required.

That means you can invest less up-front when starting your own beauty brand, and dip your toes in to experiment with what works. You can order a quantity that works for what you need, without having to worry about storing thousands of extra units while you wait to move them.

Naturally, larger bulk cosmetics orders will have a more favorable cost per unit, which will give you better profit margins at retail, but we believe that you should have the flexibility to decide what quantity of private label cosmetics is right for you at any given point.

And our private label cosmetics company provides another benefit related to your overall cost as well – speed.

Private Label Cosmetics

and Time to Market

If you were looking to create your own makeup line entirely from scratch, you’re looking at much higher costs for cosmetics manufacturing, and about a year of lab testing and approvals before you’re ready to make your first sale.

Auraline Beauty provides a variety of cosmetic formulas and blends that are already tested, pre-approved for market, and ready for your branding.

By working with us to choose from these ready-for-market formulas, you can get your private label cosmetics and start filling orders in as little as three weeks.

This means you can start making your investment back almost immediately, rather than waiting months for costly manufacturing and testing processes.

With Auraline, that testing is already done and passed, and you don’t have to worry about a sudden regulatory issue delaying your timeline.

You can even work with us on custom manufacturing when you’re starting a makeup line and want some deeper customization on shades, colors, and materials.

This will add additional cost and time to market, and may increase your order minimum, but it is still likely to be less costly and faster than beginning the process from scratch, as we will provide all necessary support with testing and approvals.

We Want to Help You

Start a Makeup Line

and Make it Successful!

The reason we provide so much flexibility and support in our private label cosmetics manufacturing is because we want to do everything we can to support you starting a beauty brand.

When you’re successful, we’re successful! Whether that success means taking the world by storm with your new makeup line, or just making your mark in your neighborhood, Auraline is ready to support you!

If you’ve got a logo and a brand to promote, we’ve got the private label cosmetics to do it!

Check out our sampler kits to get better acquainted with our products, or tell us about your project with this question form to start making your first order today!

Starting a makeup line requires insurance, marketing, and costs related to the manufacturing and shipping of products.

It costs between $10,000 and $20,000 to produce a single skin care product; starting a makeup line of products will cost considerably more.

The largest cost related to launching a makeup line is product testing, microbial, stability, and safety testing are required for beauty products created for consumer application. These tests cost $800 to $1,500 per product, with SPF testing running almost $4,000 per product.

You should add approximately $1,000 for every item in your product line to cover the required testing.

Beauty products can be sold online, through a retail space, or from a booth at trade fairs and exhibits. All of these options carry their own costs. Online internet sales can be done for under $1,000 per year but require the shipping of products to consumers and the associated costs.

Retail space involves a monthly rent and selling from a booth can cost between $50 and $200 per day.