In the woke year of 2025, the skincare industry remains a multi-billion-dollar sector. With many people looking for personalised beauty solutions to achieve the perfect look, it is expected to become more profitable with passing days.
So, if you want to hop on the trend and take advantage of this booming industry, why not start now? But how to actually do it? No worries; we’ve got you!
Here, we’ve compiled a step-by-step guide on how to start a skincare business with the detailed plans and the way to execute them, so let’s take a look!
1: Research Your Niche & Target Audience
The first thing you need to do for “how to start a skincare brand” is to understand and research your niche before formulating products or ordering labels. Ask yourself a few questions:
- Who is my target audience?
- What skin concerns am I solving?
- What makes my brand different?
Once you’ve nailed your niche, you can build a cohesive brand identity, which includes your brand name, logo, mission, and voice. This will help you with your marketing and product decisions.
Quick Tip: Make sure your brand name is unique, and the domain and social media handles are available.
2: Define Your Brand USP & Product Line
USP is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), meaning the clear reason why someone should buy your skincare brand over others. It’s basically the core of your brand identity and positioning.
To define your USP, you need to decide what solutions your skincare offers, your target audience, the unique ingredients you’ll use, and its unique attributes, like sustainability, results, affordability, luxury, or personalisation.
Once your USP is clear, your product line should directly reflect and support it.
3: Choose a Reliable Private Label Manufacturer
If you’re not producing the skincare products in-house, you might need a private label skin care manufacturer. To find that, you need to make sure they are/offer:
- FDA-registered or -certified facilities (depending on region)
- MOQs (Minimum Order Quantities) that match your budget
- Experience with natural/clean/vegan formulations (if applicable)
- Transparent communication and timelines
The benefits of private label manufacturers are versatile, so you can trust them! Before choosing one, make sure to ask for samples, check their existing client portfolio, and always sign NDAs and quality agreements.
4: Select Your Formulas & Ingredients
Next, you need to select the formulas and ingredients for your products. If you don’t know how to formulate skincare products, you can take a look at the options below:
1. Private Labeling: You can buy pre-made formulas from a manufacturer and apply your branding. It’s quick and cost-effective but can affect uniqueness.
2. Custom Formulation: You can work with a chemist to create unique products from scratch. It is relatively more expensive but allows for innovation and exclusivity.
3. DIY Formulation (In-House): If you’re certified or experienced, you can formulate yourself, though this requires extensive knowledge of cosmetic chemistry and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices).
Whichever you choose, ensure your products are dermatologist-tested, safe for intended use, and compliant with regulations
5: Finalize Branding, Design & Packaging
Many experts say that packaging is key to first impressions. It should reflect your brand and appeal to your audience while being functional and sustainable. There are three factors of packaging that you should consider!
- Primary packaging: Bottles, jars, pumps
- Secondary packaging: Boxes, inserts, mailers
- Labeling: Ingredients, usage instructions, batch number, expiry date
We recommend you work with a designer (or use platforms like Canva Pro, Figma, or Adobe Express) to create cohesive branding across all materials. If you’re confused with what to do, you can go for biodegradable packaging, minimalistic design, and refillable options.
6: Sampling & Testing
Before selling any skincare product, make sure it’s compliant with your local regulations, which generally involves:
- Product safety and stability testing
- Ingredient and allergen declarations
- Cosmetic labelling regulations (INCI names, usage directions, warnings)
- Insurance and liability coverage
A Quick Tip: Hire a cosmetic regulatory consultant to avoid costly mistakes.
7: Place Your First Order
Once you’ve finalised your product formulas, tested prototypes, and confirmed packaging design, it’s time to place your first bulk order. This is the step where your brand physically comes to life — but it needs to be done with strategy and care.
Before shipping, ask your manufacturer for batch numbers, product specs, QA reports, and photos or videos of the finished product. You also need to arrange logistics, such as fulfilment, storage, and labelling for retail readiness.
8: Launch Your Brand Online & Offline
If you want your launch to be grand, plan it like a mini-campaign. Here are some things you can do:
- Soft launch: Introduce products to a smaller group for feedback.
- Pre-launch strategy: Build hype with sneak peeks, giveaways, and countdowns.
- Press kits: Send samples and press releases to editors, bloggers, and influencers.
- Launch event: Host a virtual or local pop-up to create buzz.
In the big year of 2025, you need to create your digital footprints. For that you can create websites and use social media platforms to spread awareness. If you like, you can also use email marketing and create a mailing list for the interested users.
Bonus Tips to Start Your Skincare Brand in 2025!
Here are some additional tips you need to consider while launching your skincare brand!
1. Start With a Hero Product: Instead of launching with a full range, start with one exceptional product — a “hero” that solves a specific problem.
2. Build a Personal Connection With Your Audience: Consumers in 2025 buy from people, not faceless brands. So, share your story, like why you started the brand, your skincare journey, etc.
3. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC): Encourage early customers and influencers to share real experiences, like before-and-after photos, etc. Use hashtags, incentives, and email follow-ups to gather content.
4. Focus on Ingredient Transparency: Since today’s consumers are label-savvy, be open about what each ingredient does, where they are sourced from, etc.
5. Be Ready for Returns and Reactions: No matter how great your product is, someone will react — it’s skincare. Prepare a clear refund or exchange policy, and be transparent about common reactions.
6. Think Long-Term: Your Brand Is Bigger Than Products: Your brand is a community, a voice, a movement. So, think beyond creams and cleansers and focus on educational content, collaborations, skincare brand marketing, and expansion.
Conclusion
Starting your own skincare brand in 2025 might be challenging, but with this step-by-step guide, you can get a head start. With transparency, quality, and customer connection, you can create a skincare brand that actually resonates with the public and gives you organic clout.
If you are looking to outsource the production and packaging of the skincare products, you can contact us at Naturo & Orgo, which is one of the top private label skincare manufacturers in India.
FAQs
Q. Do I need to be a chemist or dermatologist to start a skincare brand?
Ans. No, but you do need to work with qualified professionals like cosmetic chemists and regulatory consultants to ensure product safety, effectiveness, and legal compliance.
Q. How much money do I need to start a skincare brand?
Ans. Startup costs may vary, but a small batch launch can start around 7 lakh to 10 lakh. This includes formulation, manufacturing, packaging, branding, and marketing.
Q. How long does it take to launch a skincare brand?
Ans. From concept to launch, you can expect 6–12 months. However, timelines often depend on formulation complexity, manufacturing, and branding readiness.