How To Launch Skin Care Products With Private Label
Private label is one of the best ways to offer high-quality and affordable skin care products to your customers.
But if you take the wrong path - choose the wrong lab or select the wrong products - your private label journey can quickly end in disaster.
So, how can small business owners like you navigate the private label process in the right way?
Innacos is here to help!
Our in-depth guide below breaks down everything you need to know about private label skin care in 2025. We discuss how private label fits into the current economic climate and the pros and cons.
Plus, we provide tips on finding the right manufacturer and selecting the right products for your brand’s needs.
Why Choose Private Label?
According to a June 2025 report from McKinsey, the top 3 priorities influencing skin care purchases for consumers today are:
Performance and effectiveness for their skin type
High-quality ingredients and formulation
Affordability
Bringing high-quality skin care to market is not easy, especially for new brands formulating from scratch.
Not only is custom formulating expensive, but it’s also time-consuming and a complex process. For small or first-time beauty founders, formulating from scratch and managing compliance with regulations under the law can be too much to handle.
The Benefits Of Private Labeling
That’s where private label comes in. Unlike custom formulating, where every formula is unique and built from scratch, private label involves adding your own branding to a lab’s preexisting formula.
It’s the most cost-effective manufacturing method, and the natural next step for brands evolving from at-home formulating to lab-based production.
The formulation is already developed and tested in advance. Your role is simply to choose the right products from a catalog and add your own packaging and branding.
While this may seem unfamiliar to those outside the industry, it’s exceedingly common in the beauty market. Famously, as noted in Cosmopolitan, ColourPop’s and Kylie Cosmetics’ lip kits were formulated in the exact same factory and used near-identical ingredients.
According to McKinsey’s June 2025 report on the future of the beauty market, the industry is shifting toward volume-based growth.
Price increases are becoming less viable during economic uncertainty, and brands are expected to focus more on delivering value at scale, meaning private label is becoming even more valuable for small businesses.
Private label is not only more affordable, helping you offer good value to your customers, but it’s also the fastest way to bring product to market. The speed can be critical for new brands looking to launch ASAP and start generating revenue.
This manufacturing method also typically comes with lower minimum order quantities (MOQs), making it a lower-risk entry point for small businesses.
The Disadvantages of Private Label
The major drawback of private label is that your products won’t be unique. Other brands may sell the exact same formulas, which means your packaging, branding, positioning, and advertising must be strong to stand out.
If custom formulating is not feasible at this stage of your business, but you still want to set your products apart from the rest, consider custom product creation instead.
This process involves adding a limited number of ingredients (often trending ones) to a lab’s existing base formula to create something more unique without starting from scratch.
At Innacos, we offer as much flexibility and choice to our clients as possible. Our manufacturing capabilities include bulk, private label, custom formulating, custom product creation, and contract manufacturing. Learn more and find the right path for your business on our website here.
Types of Private Label Skin Care Products
One of the most important steps of the private label process is choosing which types of products to sell. Your product selection will directly shape how your brand is perceived, so it’s worth carefully considering your selection strategy.
Ask yourself:
Are you a trend-driven brand?
Do you focus on skin care staples?
Or do you plan to offer a blend of both?
Regardless of your positioning, keeping an eye on emerging trends can help you choose marketable, high-demand products.
According to Cosmetics Business, trending skin care products in 2025 include face mists, milky toners, and peptide-based lip treatments - all part of a wider skin-care-as-self-care movement.
The article also notes that fragrance is making a return to skin care, especially phthalate-free and paraben-free fragrance in cleaner formulations.
Meanwhile, Allure highlights a trend away from complex multi-step routines in favor of multitasking skin care products, which is likely a sign of changing consumer habits as a response to economic pressures.
This trend aligns with findings from McKinsey’s 2025 report, which shows that value for money is now a top priority for skin care buyers.
For small skin care brands like yours, this means choosing private label products that offer multiple benefits (or serve several steps in a routine) can act as a competitive edge.
At Innacos, we offer over 60 private label skin care products, ranging from the high-performing essentials to trend-driven, exciting formulations.
Some examples of our latest range include:
Face & Body Mists: trend-forward mists including our Anti-Pollution Spray, Bacne BHA Spray, and Prebiotic K Drama Essence
Ferments and Probiotic Skin Care: including a Probiotic Ampoule and a Post Biotic Cleanser
Staples: everything from gentle cleansers and moisturizers to a full range of hair care and body care basics
Proven Actives: including high-quality retinoid products, vitamin C skin care, and chemical exfoliants
Finding The Best Private Label Skin Care Manufacturer For Your Brand
Choosing the right manufacturer is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a private label skin care brand. Here are the key factors to evaluate when comparing labs:
Product & Ingredient Quality
Review ingredients lists carefully to assess quality. Does the manufacturer use high-quality, clinically backed actives? Look for cosmeceutical ingredients that deliver real, visible skin changes over time, not just filler formulas.
Product Variety
How big is their private label catalog? A lab that offers a wide and diverse product range allows you to build a skin care line that feels tailored to your brand vision, whether you’re focusing on a niche trend-driven line or a full staple collection.
Pricing & MOQs
Are their prices aligned with your budget? Are the MOQs low and suitable for new, emerging brands? Labs that cater to smaller businesses often offer low MOQs and flexible ordering options.
Regulatory Compliance
Are their products compliant in the regions where you plan to sell? If you’re targeting international markets, make sure the lab avoids ingredients banned in stricter regions (including the EU). Ask whether their private label products are formulated to meet international standards.
Ethical & Brand Aligned Practices
If your brand is built on ethical values, such as vegan, cruelty-free, clean, or sustainable beauty, look for a manufacturer that reflects the same standards in their formulations, sourcing, and production processes.
At Innacos, we pride ourselves on our large range of clean and ethical private label skin care made from high-quality ingredients and available at various price points.
Learn more about our ethical standards and ingredient quality on our website here. View our latest private label catalog on our website here.
The Private Labeling Process
Launching a range of private label skin care products can seem overwhelming at first, but the process is manageable and straightforward with the right manufacturing partner. The steps involved from start to finish are as follows:
Create a shortlist of potential labs
Order many samples and test formulas
Choose your manufacturer based on product quality and compatibility with your vision
Select your skin care product lineup from their private label catalog
Source third-party packaging (or source through Innacos - get a packaging sourcing quote here)
Finalize the agreements and paperwork
Production: we begin manufacturing, batching, testing, filling, and assembling
Payment and shipping: your products are shipped directly to your warehouse, office, or third party fulfillment partner
Learn more about the entire private label process from start to finish at Innacos here.
In sum, the process of creating private label skin care products is as follows:
Understanding the pros and cons of private label compared to customized manufacturing, especially in the context of economic uncertainty
Deciding on the types of skin care products you want to sell in your range
Searching for potential manufacturers and selecting the best one based on pricing & moqs, product quality, product variety, regulatory compliance, and ethical standards
Finally, understanding the private label timeline and beginning the process with your chosen lab
Searching for a high-quality private label manufacturer to source your skin care products? Innacos would love to work with your brand. Get in touch by emailing: customerservice@innacos.com or calling: (812) 329-1105 for more information.
