Expert Insights & Advise

Turnkey? Turkey? For some reason, turnkey might be one of the most frequently misspelled words I have seen in contract manufacturing. But what does it actually mean? The simplest way I can explain it is: You pay someone else to take care of almost everything for you. As we discussed in our article, How Does a Beauty Product Actually Get Made? A Practical Guide to the NPD Process, developing a beauty product involves a lot more than creating a formula. There is formulation, pa

We all have some instinct for what feels like a reasonable retail price. $50 for a basic lip balm? Probably too much. $5 for a premium eye cream? You might start asking some questions. There is an entire science, and probably a little bit of art, behind pricing. Cost-plus pricing, competitive pricing, value-based pricing, penetration pricing...the list goes on. But today, I don't want to talk about pricing. I want to talk about costing. Pricing is how much you decide to sell

Every time you enter a new industry, or even a new company, it feels like you have to learn a completely new language. And a big part of that language is acronyms. The beauty industry is certainly no exception. R&D, PD, COG, MOQ, PET, HRIPT, GMP, ERP, BOM...sometimes a project meeting sounds like someone is reading random letters from the alphabet. Of course, knowing more acronyms does not automatically make someone an expert. But understanding the terminology does make it mu

How does a beauty product actually get made? You may have heard terms such as New Product Development (NPD) or New Product Launch (NPL). These are commonly used by Marketing, Product Development, R&D, Process Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, and many other departments involved in managing products from initial concept through commercialization and eventually the rest of their life cycle. If I tried to explain everything involved in the NPD process in detail, I would pro

Who actually manufactures the products we use every day? We are all familiar with giant brands and corporations that design, develop, manufacture, market, and sell their own products. But did you know that many small and mid-sized brands do not have their own manufacturing capabilities? Instead, they rely on someone else to manufacture, and often even develop, their products for them. Even some of the biggest names in the industry rely on these companies for specialized produ

Launching a skincare product can be an exciting yet daunting task. With the beauty industry booming, many entrepreneurs are eager to dive in. However, the path to success is not as straightforward as it may seem. From understanding your target audience to navigating regulatory requirements, there are several essential steps to consider. This guide will walk you through the process of launching your skincare line successfully. Understanding Your Target Audience Before you even