How To Start A Natural Cosmetics Business
Wed, Nov 11, 2009
When I started my natural skincare business, the natural skin care industry had caught my interest because I did not want to be using chemicals in my skin care products and making it myself seemed th only alternative.
And I really liked that they are a much better environmental choice as well.
If it is something that you would like to do, Carrie's article helps to spell out some of your options.
Her "Natural Natural Mom Business Guide" is packed with information that you will need to start you own online business.
I wish I had it when I started.
How To Start A Natural Cosmetics Business – Carrie Lauth
You like using organic and earth friendly cosmetics and skin care and are telling all your friends about the benefits of these types of products.
You notice that herbal based products are even popping up at the neighborhood grocery and drug store. And now you're thinking of starting a business marketing natural skin care and makeup.
You have several options.
1) You could join a Direct Sales business When most people think direct sales, they think of Mary Kay or Tupperware. Awesome companies, for sure, but you want to represent a product line with natural ingredients.
Did you know there are lots of direct sales companies that make these types of products now? Just a few of the ones I've seen market items such as:
Organic skin care
Aloe based skin care
Swiss skin care Aromatherapy based products
Chinese herbal based products Homeopathics
You might want to search around at the Direct Selling Association to find a good company.
2) You could make your own products. More people than ever are interested in buying homemade products with ingredients they can pronounce!
A lot of people like the idea of supporting cottage industries in this way.
If you have an idea for your own product, why not start marketing your product online? Let the world be your customer! Building an online presence has never been easier.
For around $20 a month you can build a beautiful, professional website with no knowledge of html (the coding language of web designers). If you like making your own products you could also compile your favorite recipes into an ebook and sell it.
3) You could promote another's product for a commission. This idea is called affiliate marketing. You basically promote another person's product on your website and when people click through and purchase, you get paid!
This business model is great because it's so inexpensive to start. Affiliate programs are free to join and all you need is a website.
You can also differentiate your offerings on one site by promoting several affiliate products. According to industry statistics, the interest in organic products is growing by 20% each year.
You can capitalize on this interest and turn your passion for natural skin care and makeup into a business!
Carrie Lauth is the author of The Natural Mom Business Guide, a complete step by step course that reveals the tips and tricks to building a natural business on the Internet. It contains tried and true advice to help you start, build, and market an online business. To find out more go to: http://www.NaturalMomBusinessGuide.com
Thanks for the information. My wife has been briefly looking into the subject, but this article will definately help her out. Thanks.
This is great information. My wife has looked into traditional direct sales vendors (i.e. Mary Kay) with very little success. I am going to recommend she serious consider making her own cosmetic products.
Very useful information for me. Thanks a lot.
I would like to add that while making your own products is very interesting and a passion for some, if you don’t have your heart in it, it’s A LOT of work (even if you do have your heart in it!)
There is a lot to learn about product, ingredients, regulations (there are more and more everyday), insurance costs etc. and that doesn’t even include perfecting your recipes.
It’s not a decision to take lightly, but it can be extremely rewarding and enjoyable if you have a passion for it.
My advice is to start simple. Pinpoint an item group that you would like to offer (bath salts, soaks, bombs etc have a good markup price, are fun and easy to make – and they sell well in my experience) The nice thing about it is that they are fairly inexpensive so could be a good place to start experimenting and doing market research.
Get in on some craft sales etc and talk to people, find out what they want, get them on your list and go from there.
Home parties I think have a great earning potential.
And of course, a website that you can use as on online brochure, reorder and selling tool is essential.
I will talk more about this on my blog at http://www.skincarenaturals.com/natural-skin-care-blog
Be sure to pop in and ask any questions you may have.
Thanks for the info. Ive always wanted to start my own makeup company.
great idea!! although there are a lot of MK people in my area, so i’m wondering would natural cosmetics be cheaper or better than MK?? that’s the only way those people will switch.
Hi Heather, ultimately it will come down to a personal choice. People who prefer true natural skin care won’t buy MK because although it may be effective, it is full of synthetics.
Pretty much any ‘off the shelf’ product is because the product needs to stay ‘fresh’ for at least a year, usually more so a heavy duty preservative is used.
I can’t say about MK in particular, but often you will find ‘natural’ products stuffed with synthetic colouring and fragrance (an example is almost any fruit scented/flavoured products are done with synthetics and many marketed as natural) on top of the preservatives with a minuscule amount of a natural derivative giving to them and those they market to a natural product.
Bottom line is that if you don’t want all that stuff you probably need to make it yourself or use products that don’t require preservation (products that don’t contain water for the most part).
To ‘sell’ natural, it helps to know about the effects that the synthetics have, not only on our health but on the environment.
For me it’s a matter of common sense and I believe that people really want natural, but false advertising and industry regulations (in favour of big business, who are the main offenders as far as misleading advertising goes although you see it in the smaller arenas as well) are making it very hard for the average person to make a good choice.
Hence, one great reason to get in the biz and a big reason that I did.
I wrote an article on what is natural skin care here
http://skincarenaturals.com/natural-skin-care-blog/226/what-is-natural-skin-care/
Thanks. I ‘v known from this article that it is popular to sell natural cosmetics nowdays. Maybe in future i’ll start such kind of business, especially i have 1 domain in the internet =)
But does the goverment controll this business’s sector, will i have some difficulties with quality standards and other?
Hi Pavel, there is gov’t regulation of many things, it is getting more stringent all the time, much because natural products and cottage industry on the whole are being targeted.
There is a lot going on right now as far as new bills etc being passed in Canada and the US.
There is some good info that everyone should know here about the Globalization Act happening in the US – http://skincarenaturals.com/natural-skin-care-blog/167/globalization-act-of-2008/
I don’t know as much as I should about the Canadian situation, but here is a link that you can do a bit of reading from
http://www.itsyourdaytoshine.com/forum/topic/show?id=2047489%3ATopic%3A741
Hi Queen: Well noted! Natural alternatives work just as well as over-the-counter ones….especially if you are in good health and following the normal guidelines mentioned on great informative sites like yours. Thanks again . . .
hi there… I’m Dino!!
Very useful information for me as well..
ty!
A ground start up is one of the most challenging ways to break into the mainstream. My office carries many different products and lines. The third idea you mention can also be carried out by businesses as well. Placing your products and also giving them free samples to hand out can help your name take off.
Good luck and keep up the good work!
I believe that the cosmetics industry needs a “facelift”. Change in this business will come from the bottom up as more and more women start to take control of their cosmetics and eventually eliminate their dependency on big cosmetic firms. This really is an inspiring article.
Jan, thanks for the great article, I am actually just getting started in affiliate marketing and linking to paraben free beauty products. This is a new adventure for me, thanks for your advice!!
Sephora even carries some environmentally friendly and naturally derived products. Love this trend!
This is pretty crazy. I never thought that you could actually do it so easily.
The beauty industry needs to start moving towards more natural ingredients overall. There are way too many harmful chemicals in todays cosmetics that people aren’t even aware of. Great article!
Why do make up companies think women want to be adding more chemicals to their skin and faces when what’s in the air is already causing what they are trying to battle and cover? Natural products is the new way to go. Let mother earth give us our natural beauty back.
I know a lot of people who are into this kind of business and they are really making good money out of it. It’s really a feasible business and it’s also promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle because of the natural stuff that they use for the products.
This is a fascinating article. We set up a natural skin care business from scratch (www.faceboutique.com). We wanted to offer skin care to the under thirties that was free from any harmful chemicals. The hardest thing was convincing the big retailers that we were a serious brand. From our experience the best way to do that is link up with known experts in the field. This strategy worked for us and now we’re stocked in leading shops across the world. Good luck everyone out there – it’s tough but keep perservering as it’s worth it!
It’s nice to know that the cosmetics industry can now be penetrated by small business players. It’s actually a good idea for a start-up venture.
Its so great that your are reporting about natural (!) cosmetics!! I think this is getting more and more important in the world-or: I hope it will come!!
Great article. One of the things I noticed is that in general, the basics are all the same. You need to pick something and then monetization and sales are all models to follow.
I think it is a good idea to focus on something you are passionate about. By doing that, you can make sure you keep the interest alive, and not lose interest in the product line…Matt
I agree that this seems like a huge business opportunity. I have been working hard to remove harsh chemicals from the household products I use.