Cosmetic contract manufacturers for OEM and private label in the USA

The minimum comes in five units

Of the 15 US labs we read, 10 publish a minimum order, and they express it five different ways. Units or pieces per SKU is the most common: Cosmetic Solutions in Boca Raton states 250 pieces per SKU for private label, Pravada in Fort Myers 50 units per product for stock formulas, Next Beauty Labs 50, Spa de Soleil 12 units per SKU for its in-house formulas, and Cosway in Carson, California 25,000 units per SKU. Gallons of bulk is how RainShadow Labs in Oregon quotes it: 10 gallons for a stock formula and 25 gallons for a custom one. Ounces of bulk is Sarati's unit in Texas: 1,000 ounces per product each time you order a custom formula. Dollars per order is how the color cosmetics houses start: Lady Burd in New York asks $150 an order and Audrey Morris in Florida $200. And pieces per shade sits underneath that: 3 per shade at Audrey Morris, 50 per shade for customized products at Lady Burd.

The bulk units hide the real number of bottles. RainShadow does the conversion itself, which almost nobody does: 25 gallons comes out at 3,200 units in a 1 ounce fill, 800 units in 4 ounces and 400 units in 8 ounces. So a 25 gallon minimum is a small run for a body wash and a large one for an eye serum. Sarati's 1,000 ounces works the same way: 1,000 one ounce bottles or 125 eight ounce ones, before any loss in filling. Always restate a bulk minimum at your fill size before you compare it with a lab that quotes units.

Five labs publish no minimum at all: Prime Matter Labs (the Miami group that manaproducts.com now redirects to), Formulated Solutions, Voyant Beauty, kdc/one and Nardo's Natural, whose number appears only in a video. The large custom houses mostly publish nothing, which is a signal in itself. If you need a run under a few thousand units, the labs that write their minimum down are usually the ones built for it. Our low MOQ manufacturers guide covers the same pattern across other categories.

Stock, semi-custom and custom are three different prices at the same lab

The widest gap in cosmetic manufacturing is not between labs. It is inside one lab, between its catalog and its custom bench. Spa de Soleil publishes three tiers on one page: 12 units per SKU for its in-house formulas under your label, 150 to 1,000 units per SKU for custom labels, and 5,000 for custom manufacturing (its FAQ says 3,000 to 5,000 pieces). Pravada runs 50 units on stock bases, 250 on semi-custom and 2,500 on a custom formula. Cosmetic Solutions says 250 pieces for private label and 5,000 units for custom. That is a factor of 10 at the narrowest and roughly 400 at the widest.

The development fee follows the same ladder, and only three labs put a number on it. Pravada charges $350 for semi-custom, where you can add ingredients to a base but not remove them, and $2,500 for custom, which it says covers formulation, three rounds of samples and its standard accelerated stability testing. Preservative challenge and compatibility testing are quoted separately. Sarati charges a $150 lab consultation fee per product, then bills lab time at $150 an hour. RainShadow publishes $5,000 for custom and $3,000 for semi-custom on its terms and FAQ pages, and $2,500 per formula on its custom manufacturing page, so ask which one applies before you sign. Cosway goes the other way and says that in most cases it does not charge a separate development fee, with fees applying if a program is cancelled or quantities are cut.

The practical sequence most founders can fund is a stock or semi-custom launch first, then a custom formula once the product has sold through a first run. If you are launching skin care specifically, our private label skin care manufacturers page compares the stock-base labs in more depth.

Who owns the formula when the lab writes it

This is the clause that decides whether you can ever move your product, and it is the one founders read last. No lab in our set of 15 states that the brand owns a custom formula by default. Three publish a position.

RainShadow Labs states in its terms that it will own the formulations created in its lab, and that it signs a non-disclosure agreement so it makes your product only for your company. Nardo's Natural goes further: formulas, processes and methods remain the manufacturer's exclusive property unless agreed otherwise in writing, the manufacturer may produce similar or identical formulations for other customers, and paying the lab development fee does not include or transfer ownership of the formula. It leaves a door open to buying the formula under a separate written agreement. Formulated Solutions answers the question in its FAQ: IP developed for a partner can be exclusive to the brand, co-owned or retained by the lab, depending on the development agreement. The other 12 labs publish nothing on it.

Why it matters: if the lab owns the formula, your second source is a reformulation, not a transfer. A new lab starts from zero, you pay development again, and the product your customers reorder may not feel the same. Before you pay any development fee, ask three things in writing: who owns the formula and the full ingredient percentages, whether the lab may sell the same formula to another brand, and what it costs to buy the formula out. Pravada's bring-your-own-formula path is described as ideal for brands that already own their IP, which tells you the labs themselves see ownership as the dividing line.

What MoCRA puts on you, not on the lab

The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 split the paperwork between the facility and the brand, and the brand's half is larger than most founders expect. FDA defines the responsible person as the manufacturer, packer or distributor whose name appears on the label. If the label says your company, that is you. The responsible person must list each marketed product with FDA, including ingredients, and update the listing annually; report serious adverse events to FDA within 15 business days; and keep records supporting the safety substantiation of each product. The lab, as the facility that makes the product, registers its facility and renews every two years. Nardo's terms spell out the split: the brand owner is the manufacturer, distributor and marketer of record and is solely responsible for consumer complaints and adverse event reporting. Pravada sells product listing as a paid service for the same reason.

The small business exemption is narrower than it is often described. FDA exempts responsible persons with average US cosmetic sales under $1,000,000 over the previous three years, adjusted for inflation, but the exemption never applies to products that regularly contact the mucus membrane of the eye, products that are injected or for internal use, or products intended to alter appearance for more than 24 hours. A small brand launching mascara, eyeliner or a long-wear product lists regardless of size. One lab's FAQ paraphrases the threshold as $3 million over three years and leaves the exceptions out, so read FDA's own page rather than a vendor summary.

FDA registered does not mean FDA approved. FDA states that a facility registration or listing number does not indicate approval of the facility or its products, and on September 9, 2026 it added that it does not issue certificates to verify registration. It also says there is no exemption from registration for following ISO 22716. Cosmetic GMP is still not a federal rule: MoCRA requires one, but FDA's page links only a 2013 draft guidance and a 2023 listening session. So ISO 22716, which Cosmetic Solutions, Pravada, Cosway, Formulated Solutions and Sarati claim, is the nearest thing to a checkable quality standard today. Ask for the certificate and its scope.

Sunscreen, acne and antiperspirant need a different factory

In the US, a product with an SPF, an acne claim, an anti-dandruff claim or an antiperspirant claim is an over-the-counter drug, not a cosmetic. It must conform to an FDA monograph or get drug approval, and it is made in a facility registered for drugs. That changes which labs can take it and how many units you buy.

The published minimums jump. Cosway states 25,000 units per SKU for cosmetics and 75,000 units and up for OTC products. Sarati states 1,000 ounces per product for custom cosmetics and 21,000 ounces for OTC, and its UL certificate covers cosmetics only, with OTC sunscreen outside its scope. Some labs rule it out entirely: Pravada says it is not an OTC manufacturer and does not make sunscreens, acne treatments or medicated items, and Nardo's terms bar brands from making SPF or drug claims on its products.

The facility cost behind that is public. The Federal Register sets the OTC monograph drug facility fee for fiscal 2027, which starts October 1, 2026, at $47,891 per manufacturing facility and $31,927 per contract manufacturing organization, up from $19,188 and $12,792 in fiscal 2026. That is part of why OTC runs are large. Labs that list OTC work on their own sites include Cosway, Sarati, Spa de Soleil, Formulated Solutions, Bentley Labs, Voyant and Prime Matter Labs. If your hero product is a tinted moisturizer with SPF, brief only those.

When the lead time clock starts

Lead times in this category are only comparable once you know what starts them, and the labs that publish a start point all start it after something you have to deliver. Cosmetic Solutions schedules a purchase order into production only once it has accepted the order, received the raw materials and received the deposit. RainShadow starts its 4 to 6 week sample clock once the signed agreement and development fees arrive, and fills 8 to 10 weeks after label and packaging approval. Next Beauty Labs counts its 6 week first order from artwork approval. Audrey Morris says most clients launch in 6 to 12 weeks from final order confirmation.

The spread by path is wide. Stock ships fast: Spa de Soleil 5 to 7 business days for in-house formulas, Sarati about 7 business days for 100 units or fewer, Audrey Morris 3 to 10 business days for unprinted orders. Custom takes months: Pravada says 6 to 12 months for a custom formula, including a three month accelerated stability cycle, Spa de Soleil 90 days for custom manufacturing, and Bentley Labs less than nine months on average from idea to shelf. So a stock launch and a custom launch are not the same project with different prices. One is a purchase order and the other is a development program.

Order terms that change the real cost

Four published terms move the money on a first order. Deposits: 50% up front is the norm at Pravada, RainShadow, Next Beauty Labs, Cosmetic Solutions and Nardo's, and several state it is non-refundable. Cosmetic Solutions charges 50% or the full deposit, whichever is greater, on cancellation. Quantity tolerance: Cosmetic Solutions says large orders may vary plus or minus 10%, Lady Burd bills customers for up to 10% overruns, Nardo's runs a 10% under or over policy and bills units shipped, and Formulated Solutions supplies no less than 90% and requires you to buy up to 110%. Budget for the 110%. Storage: finished goods left past the pickup window cost $100 per pallet a month at Cosmetic Solutions and RainShadow, $150 at Formulated Solutions and about $50 at Nardo's. Card fees: 3% at Cosmetic Solutions and RainShadow, 3.5% at Lady Burd.

One more check: where the product is actually made. A site that ranks for US private label skin care lists can belong to an overseas factory. Metro Private Label publishes a list of top US skincare manufacturers, and its own about page describes it as the international trading division of a Guangzhou cosmetics maker. Vitelle Labs, which also appears in US searches, is in Vancouver. Neither is a problem in itself, but made in USA claims, duty and shipping time all follow the filling plant, not the website.

What to send a cosmetic lab

A brief that gets comparable answers from several labs includes: the product type and texture, the claims you want to make (and whether any are SPF, acne or antiperspirant claims), stock base, semi-custom or custom, fill size and component (tube, jar, airless pump, dropper), the quantity per SKU for a first run and a reorder, whether you supply packaging, target retail price, and any certification you need such as COSMOS, Leaping Bunny or ISO 22716. Then ask every lab the same five questions: the minimum in filled units at your fill size, the development fee and what it covers, who owns the formula, when the lead time starts, and the over and under shipment percentage.

That is exactly the brief Suppliers sends for you. Describe the product once and the agent shortlists labs whose published minimums and capabilities fit, then sends the same request to each so the replies line up. Our RFQ software page shows how those replies are compared. For color cosmetics, see makeup manufacturers; for a first lip product, private label lip balm manufacturers.