Setting up of a home based cosmetics business

[Lifestyle_natural]

Hi,

I have made some skin care products (soaps and lotions) at home. I have done some test marketing and have got very good reviews. I would like to now start selling them in local fairs, shops etc.

Please could some of the forum members advise me on the steps to be followed. I guess this would have been addressed earlier, if so a pointer to an old post would be very helpful.

Some people have told me that I need to get the product approved by certain agencies before I can start selling them. I am lost as to what are the steps to be taken to get the product ready for selling to the public!

Appreciate the help, thanks a lot in advance,
Kathy

 

[telabadmanwot]

Your products will never be sold in shops. Your competitors are the biggest most protective manufacturers in the world.

You may make a small amount of money running it as a 'home made' line of products at a fair and maybe be picked up by a much lager company if you become very successful (levi roots). But the regulations you have bypassed could cost tens of thousands to comply with and years of testing to make sure your home brew wont cause a bad reaction to somebody and cause permanent injury.

Get some very good insurance.

 

[AlanGuidry]

If you sell cosmetic products there are legal requirements for composition and product labelling. It comes under EU Regulations and is enforced in the UK by trading standards. (Cosmetic Product Enforcement Regulations 2013).

I am sure that many people make their own products and sell on market stalls without any such consideration of the above, but if you intend to make the business a success its wise to do things properly.

 

[Rob75]

Hi Kathy,

I would suggest you type 'starting a cosmetics business legislation' into a well know search engine - it will provide you with some very useful information (including guidance documents, legislative references, UK Trading Standards factsheets (you may also want to contact your local Trading Standards office) and some links to previous threads on here on the same subject).

I am afraid I cannot share links at the moment as I do not have enough posts - I hope this helps.

Regards,

Rob

 

[Lifestyle_natural]

Thank you all for the replies. Appreciate the help.

I have seen quite a few people who sell homemade stuff online and promote through facebook etc. Not sure if there are separate regulations for selling cosmetics online?

How easy or hard is it to get the cosmetics clearances? Would you know the cost involved? I am puzzled as to why there should be so many barriers for small businesses to enter the cosmetics sector ( based on telabadmanwot's reply). I was planning to sell something based on natural ingredients, which in my view is better than some of the petroleum based products sold by the large players. I am sure there would be many others like me in the small business space. Why should this be discouraged, sigh! That's an open question.

Have a nice day,

Kathy

 

[telabadmanwot]

It is sad, but that is how big business influences policy makers Kathy. On the flip side, it stops unscrupulous traders from causing permanent harm and physical disfigurement to consumers.

There is no separate regulations online vs physical retail. What the majority of 'home made' producers sell is illegal and they are vulnerable to being sued, if they dont have a business to protect them financially, they could loose their possessions (house car assets etc) If they do have a company and choose to ignore regulations, they can be criminally prosecuted and go to prison.

You need to take the advice of a specialist before you continue. If you are using all natural ingredients, it does not mean that if they were combined they would not be harmful. But maybe if you placed a statement on the product like, 'do not put directly on skin' you could bypass regulations. Obviously you couldnt call it face cream then, as the use would be implied.

 

[telabadmanwot]

Just looking at your username Kathy. Are you aware a business with the same name exists in Canada?