Vegan Cosmetics OEM Stock Products or Custom Development

If you’re a beauty brand looking for vegan cosmetics OEM suppliers, a first consideration is whether to start with an existing stock line or create a completely new formulation & packaging design. While BAOLISHI beauty products can be ordered in small quantities from our existing product lines, new customized orders are planned from around 10,000 units. Early demand testing with a view to adding to an existing product line would likely be with an in-stock item, whereas a completely new range of products would be needed for a line that has its own individual product choices and brand identity.

Verify any product or market claims before proceeding down either route. The BAOLISHI Factory does not conduct animal testing. Individual products may be listed as ‘vegan’ within the product information. For example, the Y3114 lip product is listed as ‘vegan’. Check the current formula and supporting information for this product before reiterating any vegan claims as a buyer.

Choose Stock or Custom by Launch Stage

Our stock products are designed to help buyers reduce the amount of decisions that they need to make purchasing products. By selecting from existing products by color, texture, pack size and form, products can be ‘fitted’ to a customer and distribution channel. Our stock products are available in small quantities under our BAOLISHI brand name and are perfect for testing demand before launching a private label version of a formula.

Verify SKU #, available sizes, current inventory, ingredients & claims prior to ordering. Review vegan listing against current formula and supporting documentation prior to repeating the same on packaging and/or advertising.

Also, even when you are not changing the stock product formula or packaging, ask for the way the product will be offered to the buyer. Is the retail product and the outer carton for multi-pack products equipped with the BAOLISHI logo? What language is printed on the packaging? Are the records of the used ingredients and/or the stock product including all packaging variations available for the listed articles? The answers to these questions can be of major importance for the speed of listing a product by a reseller as well as for the adequate distribution on a certain channel.

We have a wide range of customization options for existing formulas, colors, fragrances, textures and packaging/tubes for products that do not have an adequate corresponding OEM/ODM item. For completely new product concepts we can develop a differentiator for you. For custom products a sample, a specification, approval and a minimum order quantity for production apply.

Use existing BAOLISHI brand products to gather enough information to decide whether to develop your own product or not. Use the same for testing demand. Customize when customer, visual direction and replenishment plan are already established.

Separate Vegan and Cruelty-Free Checks

A lot of confusion exists between ‘vegan’ and ‘cruelty-free’. It is essential to check for animal-derived raw materials within the formula and separately investigate the animal-testing policy of the supplier and whether current animal testing is taking place. Both of these points should be clearly outlined in your brief.

Ask for the current ingredient list and available origin information. Clarify any ambiguous raw material. For cruelty-free language, document the policy and whether the claim applies to the factory, finished product, or both.

Clearly state the target market and intended claims to the manufacturer. Ensure that required evidence is presented before finalizing artwork. Claim wording and required documentation will vary between markets.

Set the Scope for a Vegan Cosmetics OEM Project

Begin by defining the first product: role, category, user, and desired character, before launching into a large variety of products within the framework of a very broad vegan makeup line. Compare the existing directions of all products within the existing BAOLISHI product range and make changes as needed.

List required formula attributes, excluded ingredients, color family, finish, texture, fragrance direction, and application format. For a lip concept, specify balm, gloss, tint, or another use. BAOLISHI’s Y3114 offers a vegan, custom-color direction, but the project still needs its own approval.

This could include information on the shape of the tube, the type of closure, applicator, any special features such as printing or other decoration, and label information. It is also useful to consider how the formula and its individual components are going to be presented, for example an applicator can affect the perception of a texture and a package can affect the perception of a color. Are there off-the-shelf options and will any of the solutions require custom work.

Create a note with target market, claims, sample references, estimated quantity and final approver. Determine how samples will be judged to get more useful feedback than ‘it looks more natural’.

Use Samples to Confirm the Full Product

Test feel, payoff, blendability or spread, application control, fragrance if relevant, and appearance in the final package. Keep the approved formula, shade reference, component, and artwork together so later adjustments remain traceable.

Verify the formula records when a sample changes e.g. because of color, fragrance or raw materials. Verify updated claim support before releasing production.

Get out your records for inspection, and your target market documents. What a sample can tell you about a product’s performance, its safety, and its ethics is limited. Make a list of the things that your sample has proven, and the things that still need to be proven about your product. Also, list the version of your product that you are approving for production.

Plan Volume Around the Customization Decision

For customized cosmetics, 10,000 pieces or more are usually needed for planning. MOQ and commercial terms for a specific product, formula, packaging and design may vary from project to project.

You need to clarify whether the quantity in the quote refers to one SKU, one shade or the whole order. Also, find out whether different colors can use the same packaging and parts. In the quote include the sample and approval milestones as a schedule so the team can see when each of the formula, shade and packaging decisions become ‘set in stone’ and confirmed for the supplier’s project proposal. Also, confirm the final quantities to be produced and the commercial terms in the supplier’s project proposal.

Estimate your initial sales and subsequent replenishments before committing to a specific custom color or packaging option. One hero item is typically easier to validate than several colors. Should initial orders be too large, we can start with BAOLISHI-brand stock and work from there.

Request separate proposals for stock and for customization, with indication of the brand’s ownership and the corresponding formula changes, colors, fragrances and textures, as well as required packaging. Compare proposed routes against documentation provided by brand and brand’s cash-flow plan.

Conclusion

When starting an OEM project for vegan cosmetics, it is important to determine whether you would like to first test demand with stocked products or develop differentiating formulas and packaging. BAOLISHI offers stocked products from its own brand in small quantities. The custom order quantities depend on the respective product and scope of customization. We would be happy to provide you with information regarding the respective category, market and order quantities desired by you.

FAQ

Q: Can a small brand start with vegan cosmetics without placing a 10,000-piece custom order?

Yes, we can sell the products from existing stock under the BAOLISHI brand name in smaller quantities. However, the custom product route is a separate route to launching products, and we would recommend suitable planning for products of this size from around 10,000 units. Please check that the relevant SKU is available for immediate dispatch and that the necessary stock, variant, ingredients and cosmetic claims are in place before purchasing off the shelf for a launch.

Q: Is vegan the same as cruelty-free for cosmetics?

No, Vegan positioning refers to animal origin ingredients in a formula, whereas Cruelty-free positioning refers to animal testing. These are to be treated as two separate checks against a product brief. Get the current formula information and the supplier’s animal testing policy and check that the resulting evidence supports the claims that you are going to be communicating to your target market.

Q: Which parts of a vegan cosmetics product can BAOLISHI customize?

Most aspects of a product can be customized, such as formula, color, fragrance, texture and tube / packaging. Available options depend on the type of product and the scope of a project. Please outline the proposed use of the product, target market, preferred ‘formula feel’, required components and desired quantity in the brief. The final scope and MOQ for the chosen SKU can then be confirmed.

Q: How should a brand verify vegan and cruelty-free claims before launch?

Check current ingredient list, relevant information about origin of individual ingredients and the animal test policy of suppliers for the selected product. Review these documents after any changes of formula, shades or fragrances. Keep approved samples and corresponding claim information together and check if wordings and corresponding evidence are correct for the respective market where the product will be sold.