Can I sell cosmetic products using the create cosmetic formulas program?

So, while you can definitely sell the products you create with the create cosmetic formulas program, there are some things you need to be aware of:

your label must contain certain essential information:

This includes things like a proper ingredient list, your street address (not PO Box), product name, quantity of product and product claims and directions to ensure safe use. This is not a complete list, and for EU/UK you will also need to hold a product information file and register the product in the EU/UK respectively  - read more on this below. Watch a brief overview of how to prepare your ingredient list here.  You can also learn full cosmetic labels and claims compliance with our Certificate in Cosmetic Labels & Claims.

your product must comply with claims and evidence requirements:

There are certain things you can say about a cosmetic, and certain claims you must not make. In addition, when you make certain claims, you must hold certain evidence. Watch an overview of the different types of claims and evidence required here.  You can also learn full cosmetic labels and claims compliance with our Certificate in Cosmetic Labels & Claims.

you need to check shelf life:

All brands putting cosmetic products onto the market need to hold shelf-life data, to prove the suitability of their products. This is also known as stability data – and particularly in EU and UK, has very set rules and regulations about how it must be conducted and what your results must show. Even outside of these regions, brands are responsible to ensure their products maintain their required quality over their entire shelf life – so this testing is essential. While the create cosmetic formulas program helps you create formulas with a high degree of ‘theoretical’ stability, the ultimate responsibility of proving a products actual shelf life (through samples) is with the brand putting the product on the market. Find out more with our overview of stability. You can also learn how to conduct your own quality and stability checks with our Certificate in Cosmetic Quality and Stability.

you need to ensure quality:

This is especially important if you are manufacturing your own products. In some Asian countries, you need a license to manufacture; while in most other parts of the world, you need to ensure you are manufacturing to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. This is essential, in order to avoid a product quality issue or product recall at a later stage. Watch the How to calculate large batch sizes to see how to easily and accurately convert your cosmetic formula into any batch size you might want it to be. Learn how to comply with GMP in our How to manufacture cosmetics (up to 100kg) workshop series.  You can also learn how to conduct your own quality and stability checks with our Certificate in Cosmetic Quality and Stability.

if selling in the EU/UK:

You will need to learn Responsible Person requirements and prepare a Product Information File (PIF) for each of your products. This also includes the need to get a Safety Assessment completed and register your products on the Cosmetic Product Notification Portal (CPNP). Learn all of your EU/UK requirements with our EU workshop series.

You don’t need to worry too much about ingredient limits, and complying with inputs, if you are following the program properly. When we created the Create Cosmetic Formulas program, we loaded the ingredients with limits to ensure compliance in different regions of the world. This means in most cases, you won’t need to worry about ingredient checks, but if you are using other actives in your formulas, especially those that aren’t listed in the program, please make sure you conduct checks to ensure they are used within the limits for your region.

Some additional tips to help you grow your brand, if that is what you want to do:

• Create products with a strong point of difference so they really get noticed.
• Watch these free videos to get started:
  • how to start a cosmetic business
  • how much does it cost to start a cosmetic brand
  • Build your own brand essentials – lecture 1
• Learn cosmetic brand management and market research:
  • At the beginners level: Cosmetic Brand Business Workshops
  • At the professional level: Diploma of Cosmetic Brand Management
  • Specific market research and product positioning only (from the Diploma program): Certificate in Cosmetic Market Research
• Build your sales and online presence with our Social Media for Cosmetic Brands workshops

 The first step is to have FUN – and the Create Cosmetic Formulas program is designed to help you do exactly that, knowing that you will not waste ingredients, because every formula works.

Once you have refined your formulas to exactly how you want them to look, feel and perform, you can definitely start selling them, just be aware of the additional steps you will need to take as you build your brand in this exciting and innovative industry.

Happy formulating!

New to cosmetic formulating, and want to get your cosmetic formulas and ingredient selections right from the start?

WITH CREATE COSMETIC FORMULAS PROGRAM, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO:

• Create almost limitless cosmetic formulas!
• Pick and choose what cosmetic ingredients your products contain
• Be guided on how much to use of each ingredient type
• Take the guess work out of the cosmetic formulas you create
• Follow our step-by-step instructions to make perfect samples, every single time
• Know the safe and suitable inputs of preservatives, actives and all other ingredients
• Make your own skin care and hair care formulas, and products, CONFIDENTLY.

FIND OUT MORE