Choosing a suitable private label supplier is the most critical part of starting your new product. This article will cover all the details you need to focus on when searching for a reliable supplier for your new product.
There are many tips and publications on how to choose and work with a suitable manufacturer. In this extensive process, you will learn how to choose a reliable and trustworthy supplier for your new product.
Table of contents
1.Know your needs
2.How to choose a reliable and trustworthy supplier (online & offline)
3.Prepare purchase document
4.How to evaluate supplier
5.How to get product quotes
6.Pre-production preparation
1.Know Your Needs.
Nobody knows your potential product better than you. You know as much information as possible about the product you are considering to produce and may have great ideas on how it should be created. Before starting a suitable supplier, keep in mind what service you want your private label manufacturer to provide. Know your needs and then search for one supplier that is capable of meeting them.
2.Ways to find a suitable private label supplier
When you know what kind of manufacturer can create your product, you can start to source. There are two channels to search for suppliers.
1.Online
• B2B trade website
-Alibaba is the largest B2B online marketplace in the world. If you have the budget to do long-term business, Alibaba is a good choice for you. If you want to start with lesser quantity, Aliexpress or Shopee is the smarter option .
• SNS
-You can also search for suppliers on social media, like Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, etc. Many suppliers launched their products on Linkedin to attract audience attention and obtain customer resources.
2. Offline
• Fairs
-There are many kinds of the fair in China every year. Canton Fair is the most recommended exhibition in which the capable and mature suppliers participate twice every year.
• Industrial clusters
-In China, relatively mature and large-scale cosmetic OEM manufacturers are mainly distributed in coastal areas, concentrated in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta.
3.Prepare purchase documents
• Questionnaire list
After you confirm several manufacturers that are suitable for you, you can start to contact them. Prepare the questions related to the your production needs which would help you narrow down your choices. Here are some sample questions to inquire to possible suppliers:
• How long have they been in the field?
• What types of lab testing do they perform?
• Can they produce ___(your product)?
• Can they handle your formula procedures?
• Do they do Induction Sealing? Shrink Wrap? Labeling?
For each step of the production process involving artworks, specification, packing design, etc., you should have a comprehensive understanding according to your prepared list.
• Specification
An excellent cosmetic product should be restricted in its foundation, so comprehensive and detailed specifications are necessary before production.
• Raw and packaging material specifications
• Name of material
• Description of material
• Testing parameters and acceptance limits
• Technical drawings
• Special precautions
• Finished product specifications
• Name of the product
• Product description
• Physical properties
• Chemical assay and their acceptance limits
• Contract
According to the questionnaire answers from several suppliers, you choose one that is capable of catering to your needs. Terminating a Contract should be prepared to confirm a long-term relationship in which the supplier guarantees an acceptable profit margin. The supplier should show the required certifications in the attachment and be committed to meeting your needs and specifications. The following are the points to involve:
• Manufacture of Products
-supplier responsibility
-annual minimum order volume forecast
-new product development and formula changes
-facility
• Rejection of Product
• Compliance with Applicable Law
• Quality and Inventory Control, Inspection and Notice
• Price and Payment
• Term
• Confidentiality
• Trademarks
• Termination
4.How to evaluate supplier
Before awarding contracts to suppliers, you must evaluate both suppliers and their services.
• Quality system
For skincare products, quality is a paramount concern. These products are used directly on human skin. Therefore, cosmetic products must ensure that they are fit for their intended use and do not place users at risk due to inadequate safety or quality. A quality system should be developed and implemented as a means by which stated policies and objects. The system includes the following points:
• Sampling
• Testing standards
• Odor smell checking, reaction with skin, expired date checking, leakage checking for the packing, function test, and artistry checking,
• Inspecting
• Equipment
• Equipment should be easily cleaned. Cleaning skincare machines are considered to be specifically critical because skincare products directly remain in contact with the skin. Manual and complex cleaning processes may result in production downtime.
• Packages should be sustainable development. Efficiency and technology are taken into account when evaluating the equipment of the manufacturer. However, with the exceeding cost of energy and raw material, the manufacturers find it hard to produce lavish packaging. They pay more and more attention to sustainably producing merchandise. Therefore, ecological and ethical packing is critical in evaluating the packing of equipment, reflecting the value of a manufacturer.
• Certification
It’s critical to confirm the manufacturer adheres to any certification you need to put on your product. If your products are organic, cruelty-free, natural, or eco-friendly, the manufacturer must own these certifications in the cosmetic industry to put this characteristic on your label.
5.How to get product quotes
• Payment
One of the most important is the payment. A suitable payment process can help you keep a continuous flow. Before awarding a contract with your supplier, let’s take a look at the international payments.
• Wire Transfer
• Western Union
• PayPal
• Letter of Credit
In terms of the terms, Chinese suppliers usually adopt such a payment clause：30% deposit before manufacturing, 70% balance before shipping out from China.
• Quantity
One of the questions you want to ask the manufacturers when you talk to them is, “What is your MOQ?” You need to know the minimum amount they would be willing to produce. For instance, most suppliers support producing no-label products and digital printing products in small quantities (several pieces or less than 20 pieces).
• Lead-times
Lead times are quoted at the time of ordering and confirmed through an official contract. Many unpredictable factors affect lead-time, including stockouts, shipping delays, and inefficient inventory control.
6.Pre-production preparation
Before putting it into mass production, there is still a lot of preparation, such as specification confirmation, packaging testing, and sample building.
• Specification confirmation
Specifications apply to the information of labeling and marking of skincare products, including symbols, designs, numbers, and other expository materials.
• Packaging testing
Packaging tests avoid unnecessary problems. Whether the package materials are purchased by yourself or supported by the manufacturers, you need to test the quality of the container. If the leakage appears after mass production, it will be too late.
• Sample building
Before mass production, you need to build a sample to confirm whether the finished product is what you expect, including the location of code and label, details of packing, formulation, etc. Confirm carefully after the sample is produced to ensure that it is foolproof, it is very troublesome to stop modifying once the work started.
Choose an experienced and expert private label supplier to enhance your skincare line. If you or someone you know is looking for a manufacturer that can help them create high-quality skincare products, we are always here to help. Thanks to many years of experience, it made us fully equipped in cosmetic research with more than 10,000 mature formulations committed to constant development and innovation. Our mission is to provide our clients with a complete production service utilizing the latest equipment. To learn more about us, you may call us at 86 020 3160 4051.
