The Best Skin Care Labs in NY [Top 5]
For skin care brands based in or near NY, sourcing from a local lab can help reduce shipping costs, streamline communication, and make in-person collaboration more accessible.
New York is a large state with tons of manufacturing options. So, how do you know which NY lab is right for your business at its current stage?
Innacos is here to help!
Our in-depth guide below explores the pros and cons of five of the best skin care labs in New York.
Whether you’re a small, early-stage brand looking to work with a manufacturer for the first time or an established business searching for the best ingredients, we’ve got a lab on the list to suit your needs.
1. Lady Burd Cosmetics (Best Overall NY Skin Care Lab)
Lady Burd is one of the most accessible skin care labs in NY for emerging beauty brands. With low MOQs and a wide product range, it’s a great starting point for small businesses ready to move from home-to-lab.
About the Lab:
Founded in New York in 1972, Lady Burd is a family-owned cosmetics manufacturer with over 50 years of experience in skin care, makeup, and personal care.
This lab provides both private label and custom formulation services to a broad range of clients from small entrepreneurs to beauty schools, salons, and spas.
Its extensive private label skin care range includes makeup remover, exfoliators, serums, cleansers, moisturizers, masks, treatments, and even expands into body care and men’s skin care.
Pros:
Low Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs): ideal for small home-to-lab brands, this manufacturer’s minimum order level starts at just $150 for stock items or as few as 12 pieces per shade for private label.
Range Of Services: In addition to private label and custom formulated skin care, this lab also offers custom packaging design and full-color labeling for your skin care products.
Wide Product Range: Not only does Lady Burd provide a wide range of skin care products, but it also offers many other personal care products, from tanning formulas to makeup and brushes.
This supplier is a good choice if you plan to expand into other cosmetics in the future.
Cons:
Limited Startup Guidance: Although Lady Burd’s website is easy to navigate, they don’t provide much information on how to get started, which can be overwhelming for small beauty brands with no prior experience working with a professional lab.
2. Topiderm (Best Testing & Compliance Standards)
Topiderm is an NY lab that prides itself on its strict regulatory compliance and state-of-the-art in-house testing facilities, making it a great choice for new skin care brands that are particularly concerned about proper regulatory compliance.
About The Lab:
Founded in 1981 by Stanley & Burt Shaffer, Topiderm is a cosmetics manufacturer based in Amityville, NY. Its factory meets the highest industry standards - it’s ISO 22716-compliant, GMP-certified, and FDA-registered.
Topiderm offers full turnkey services, including R&D, manufacturing, in-house testing, packaging, and inventory control for established and growing skin care brands.
Their skin care manufacturing capabilities cover a wide range of product types such as sunscreens, cleansers, moisturizers, scrubs, exfoliators, toners, astringents, and oils.
With the passage of MoCRA in 2024, regulatory compliance is more difficult than ever, especially for small brands that are new to the industry.
Topiderm is a standout choice for founders looking for added reassurance that their formulations and processes are handled with full regulatory precision from start to finish.
Learn more about complying with MoCRA in our full blog post here.
Pros:
Regulatory Compliant Turnkey Manufacturing: Topiderm is an all-in-one lab that offers everything from formulation to packaging and fulfilment, all within a facility that strictly adheres to US cosmetics regulations.
Cons:
Limited Transparency On Formulations: Although Topiderm’s website is professional and easy to navigate, it does not provide any details or ingredient lists for past products.
This lack of transparency can make it more difficult to envision a full product range with this lab.
3. Intercos (Best For Turnkey Manufacturing)
Intercos is a global lab that provides streamlined, turnkey manufacturing services to skin care brands.
Although this manufacturer typically works with larger businesses and may not be a feasible choice at the early stages of your brand, it is one to bookmark as you scale up in the future.
About The Lab:
With its US plant located in Congers, New York, Intercos is a world-leading cosmetic contract manufacturer that specializes in product development, manufacturing, and packaging.
In addition to skin care, they also produce color cosmetics and personal care products for both established and emerging beauty brands.
Its skin care categories include face care and eye care, masks, hybrid products, cleansers, body care, hair care, and men’s grooming.
Pros:
Turnkey Services: Intercos handles everything from skin care R&D, formulation, and production, to packaging and branding.
It’s a good pick for established businesses looking to streamline their product creation process as much as possible.
Cons:
Scale Requirements: As a large-scale manufacturer, Intercos typically works with brands that can meet high MOQs.
The overall costs of working with this lab are likely too high for small emerging brands in the industry.
4. Cosmetics Labs of NYC (Best Manufacturing Management Company)
In an increasingly competitive market, it’s not easy for skin care brands to find reliable turnkey manufacturing services.
If you’re struggling to find good quality partners across your skin care product development process, working with a manufacturing management company like Cosmetics Labs of NYC can be a good move to tackle product development bottlenecks.
About the Management Company:
Cosmetics Labs of NYC is not a traditional manufacturing lab, it is a cosmetics and skin care manufacturing management company based in New York that serves as a middleman between cosmetics labs and beauty brands.
Rather than formulating and producing skin care in-house, they work behind the scenes to connect you with the right manufacturing (and other service) providers for your brand’s needs. Their impressive client list includes KylieSkin, Tarte, Too Faced, and Kylie Cosmetics.
Struggling to find the right partners for developing unique formulas, designing your packaging, or marketing your products? Cosmetics Labs of NYC can connect you with the right services, including formula development, manufacturing, and packaging design.
Pros:
True Turnkey Support: While traditional labs often focus only on formulation, this management company helps manage the entire product development process from concept to shelf (and beyond).
Cons:
Additional Costs: Cosmetics Labs of NYC acts as a middleman, meaning it’s an additional step in the product creation process, which can lead to higher overall costs compared to direct lab partnerships.
5. Micro Powders Inc (Best For Sourcing Specialist Ingredients)
Micro Powders is an ingredient supplier, best suited for brands with strong in-house formulation experience, or those working closely with a custom lab that welcomes new 3rd party ingredient suppliers.
This pick is not suitable for beginners, however, it is a potential option as an ingredient supplier as you move into more advanced customized formulations.
About the Lab:
Micro Powders is a Tarrytown, NY based specialist lab focused on the development and production of powders and exfoliating ingredients used across multiple different industries, including skin care.
While this lab does not offer full product manufacturing, it does play a key role in ingredient supply chains.
With over 50 years of experience, this manufacturer develops specialist ingredients to improve the quality of cosmetic formulas, including gels, exfoliants, and ultra-fine powders.
In the skincare category, Micro Powders’ ingredients are suitable for serums, face masks, creams, and lotions, along with personal care products like deodorants, toothpaste, shaving products, and sunscreen.
Pros:
Unmatched Expertise in Exfoliants & Powders: If your product line includes exfoliators, scrubs, or other texture-driven formulations, Micro Powders is a great New York based ingredient supplier to work with.
Cons:
Specialist Focus/Not A Full Service Lab: This lab only manufactures ingredients - you must partner with a product manufacturing lab or formulate yourself at home if you want to partner with this supplier.
MOQ: As an ingredient supplier, the minimum order quantity is likely higher - this NY based skin care lab is best suited as a partner to larger beauty brands.
Innacos Labs (Best US Skin Care Lab For Home-To-Lab Brands)
Yes, we’re a little biased, but the quality of our formulations and our level of client support justifies our place as one of the best skin care labs in the USA.
Based in Indiana, we are experts at formulating clean, vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainable skin care and color cosmetics for small beauty brands like yours.
We believe flexibility for our clients is key, and provide a number of different formulating services from private label/bulk, to custom product creation, and custom formulating.
Plus, we offer different tiers of preformulated products to suit a range of different budgets.
We also believe in rewarding loyalty, and offer up to 200% of your formulation fees back in the form of manufacturing credits.
Ready to get started? Visit our website and blog for support and advice for making the journey from home to lab. Learn more about getting started with Innacos here.
Looking for a US-based skin care lab to source your products? Innacos would love to work with your brand. Get in touch via email: customerservice@innacos.com or by calling: (812) 329-1105 to learn more.
