Private Label Cosmetics Companies Compared
Finding the right private label skincare partner isn’t a one-size-fits-all decision. There’s no single answer that will fit absolutely everyone because every supplier has their strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, we’ll cut through the fluff with a straightforward, no-BS comparison to help you compare the different manufacturers out there and settle on the one that best suits the needs of your beauty brand.
Key factors to consider
The success of your business could depend on choosing the right private label partner. So it's crucial to first determine your exact needs.
Think of it just like hiring a new colleague on your team. You need clarity about their role and responsibilities before finding the right fit. The same applies to a private label partner. They shouldn’t be just a supplier, but rather a reliable business partner you can count on.
We’ve talked with countless companies that have worked with a lot of private label manufacturers. And while their experiences are as different as their needs, they have something in common – the key areas they focus on when evaluating potential and existing partners.
Entry level
First thing’s first. When starting or expanding a business, you need to understand what kind of financial commitment you’re prepared to make. Without a clear grasp of the costs involved, launching your brand can become an uphill battle before it even begins.
The best private label partners keep the barrier of entry low, making it easy for brands to start or expand without major upfront costs. High minimum order quantities (MOQs) and large initial spend requirements can lock out smaller brands or those wanting to test the market with new products.
Expertise
Cosmetics is a complex, regulated industry, so you can’t afford to deal with a clueless partner. Whether you’re just starting out or have been in the game for years, working with a manufacturer that truly understands the beauty space is essential.
Look for a partner with deep industry expertise. Ideally, someone who knows more than you do. A knowledgeable partner won’t just fulfill your orders. They’ll offer insights and guide your decisions, helping your brand grow stronger. After all – they succeed only if you succeed.
Reviews
We also suggest taking a step back and seeing what real customers are saying. Check any reviews you can find online, let’s say on the company’s own page or, even better, Truspilot – they can give you valuable insights into what it’s like to work with that particular partner.
That said, don’t expect (or trust) a spotless 5-star record. A company with only glowing reviews might be curating them too carefully. Any business that’s been around long enough will have at least a few critical reviews, and that’s just normal.
Your task is to look beyond the star rating and focus on the actual content of the reviews. Are there recurring issues, such as slow production times or poor communication? Or do the negative reviews seem like isolated incidents that don’t reflect the overall experience?
Minimum order quantities
Minimum order quantities (MOQs) determine the smallest number of products you can order. Some manufacturers require thousands of units to reach the MOQ, while others offer small batch production for easier entry.
Higher MOQs mean lower per-unit costs and more customization, but they require more upfront investment and storage. Lower MOQs give brands flexibility and lower risk, making them ideal for testing and smaller launches.
The best private label model offers balanced MOQs that let brands start small and scale easily. Choosing a partner with the right MOQ ensures you grow at your own pace without unnecessary costs.
Product catalog
Now for the fun part – the products. But before getting carried away with hundreds of products in your catalog, you should start with a single question: who are you building this brand for?
Are you catering to women 55+ looking for anti-aging solutions? Teens struggling with acne? Or eco-conscious consumers seeking organic, natural ingredients? The clearer your target audience, the easier it is to curate a product line that actually resonates (and, as a result – sells well).
Just remember that it’s not about the biggest selection. Rather it’s about the right selection for your brand. A broad catalog can be useful for future expansion, but the key is finding a partner whose products align with your specific needs.
Pay close attention to product standards. Clean, natural, and organic ingredients are no longer a niche. They’re expected. Consumers all over the world are looking for eco-friendly skincare products, so you should be too. After all, the clean beauty industry globally is anticipated to reach $14.90 billion in 2025.
Bonus tip – don’t overlook value-added offerings like product bundles and gift boxes. These formats are strong sellers in the beauty world, especially around holidays or special launches. So they’ll give your brand a polished, ready-for-retail edge.
Packaging customization
Customization is what sets your brand apart. It turns a potentially generic product into something uniquely yours that customers want.
In the world of private label skincare, packaging is almost as important as the formula inside. It’s the first thing customers see, the first thing they touch, and a huge part of what makes a brand stand out.
That’s why packaging flexibility is one of the most important factors when choosing a private label partner.
The best manufacturers offer a range of customization options, from fully branded labels to custom boxes. This will allow you to build a premium-looking product line that truly reflects your brand identity. Steer clear of partners that limit you to basic, off-the-shelf designs.
It’s also crucial to check whether your partner can provide high-quality mockups of the products. If you’re selling online, this is non-negotiable. When customers can’t test the products, compelling visuals drive conversions.
And if you’re not a designer (or don’t plan to hire one), look for partners who make the process easier with ready-made design templates or in-house design support. The right partner should make it simple to bring your vision to life.
Product compliance
Do you know where your core market is going to be?
It might seem like an inconsequential question since the best brands in the world tend to be global. But cosmetics is a regulated industry, so you need to be aware which countries you want to sell the products in to check whether your chosen partner can operate in that region.
Just like with your fulfillment model, try to think long-term. Even if your focus is on the US now, choosing a partner with a presence in Europe keeps the door open for future expansion. Ecommerce knows no borders, and if your product gains traction in a new market, you’ll want a partner that can support that growth seamlessly.
Order models
Broadly speaking, there are two main models:
Wholesale
Dropshipping
Wholesale or bulk ordering means making large orders, receiving all products delivered at your storage location, and then handling the distribution yourself. For some it might be showcasing the products in physical stores, for others – fulfilling their own ecommerce orders as they come in.
Pros:
Bulk discounts from most partners
Full control over the process
More customization options
Cons:
Potentially large upfront investment
Requires storage space
Needs resources to handle fulfillment and shipping
Dropshipping means that you connect your online store directly with your private label manufacturer. Then, as an order comes in, your partner fulfills it and ships it directly to your customer.
Pros:
No upfront investments
No need to store inventory
No hassle with fulfillment or shipping
Cons:
Limited customization options
Typically higher cost per unit
If dropshipping is your choice, you’ll also need to figure out how to integrate your beauty provider catalog with your online store. Luckily, most of the private label companies that offer dropshipping work with the world’s leading ecommerce platforms, such as Shopify and WooCommerce.
In our experience, working with a partner that offers a self-service platform makes the entire process smoother. It allows you to place orders, access mockups, update designs, and manage your product line on your own schedule, without having to rely on sales reps or wait on email replies.
Especially for fast-moving brands or solo founders, that kind of flexibility can be a game-changer.
Time to market
Businesses need to move quickly to react to trends and market demands. After all, speed is a competitive advantage.
That’s why time to market is a crucial factor when choosing a private label skincare partner. The longer it takes to get a product from concept to launch, the higher the risk of missing key opportunities and sales.
A strong private label model ensures that brands can move quickly without sacrificing quality. Quite often it’s better to use a ready-to-go product with customized packaging, rather than develop a custom formula that might be out-of-style before you get it to the market.
Enterprise solutions
We’re almost there, but there’s still one thing to be considered, and that’s scalability. Can this partner support your growth as your brand expands?
Some manufacturers work well for small batches but struggle with large-scale production. Others offer bulk discounts and faster turnaround times as you scale. A flexible partner should be able to grow with you, ensuring you don’t need to switch just as your business gains momentum.
The ideal partner should be flexible, with scalable MOQs, dependable production timelines, and multiple fulfillment options. As you grow, look for added-value services like screen printing, UV coatings, varnishes, and custom formulations and packaging. When your brand reaches the point where you want to invest more in product development, these upgrades are what will set you apart in a crowded market.
Choosing wisely now means fewer headaches later when demand increases, allowing you to focus on building your brand.
Key players
Now that you’ve armored yourself with a full list of demands, it’s time to dive into the research and find the best match! The good news is that there are plenty of options out there.
Choosing the right manufacturer is a long-term decision, and once your business is up and running, switching partners can be difficult and disruptive. That’s why it’s worth taking the time now to evaluate your options thoroughly. This way you won’t end up locked into a partnership that doesn’t truly serve your brand’s needs.
To speed up the process, here are some of the most notable players in the private label skincare industry. While each has its strengths and weaknesses, this list will give you a solid starting point for comparing your options and making an informed decision.
Selfnamed
Location: US, Latvia
Website: www.selfnamed.com
Selfnamed is THE name in the private label and dropshipping cosmetics industry, thanks to their capability of catering to both small businesses just starting out and larger enterprises that need custom solutions.
With 19 years of skincare experience, they have the most extensive clean beauty product catalog in the industry. It covers face care, body hair, hair care, and even makeup. What’s more, there are no on-demand companies out there with better customization options for their ready-made products since you can customize everything from labels to boxes.
Selfnamed lives in the intersection of beauty and tech. Every solution they have is tailor-built for the beauty industry, so you get access to advanced customization options through a seamless platform.
If you’re looking for extra special care and need custom products and/or packaging, that’s also possible with their private label enterprise services.
Blanka
Location: Canada
Website: blankabrand.com
Blanka is a private-label platform based in Vancouver that allows businesses to create their own beauty and wellness brands. Launched in 2021, it provides product sourcing, customization, and fulfillment services.
The platform offers a selection of over 300 Canadian-made vegan and cruelty-free products, covering categories like skincare, cosmetics, and haircare. It is designed to simplify the private-label process by handling logistics and supply chain management.
The biggest drawback with Blanka is their limited customization options since they don’t offer full labels or boxes.
viaGlamour
Location: Canada
Website: viaglamour.com
ViaGlamour, established in 2017, is a Toronto-based platform that assists entrepreneurs in launching their own makeup and beauty product lines. The company offers a range of products, including makeup, skincare, brushes, and men’s skincare items, all developed with high-quality, cruelty-free ingredients sourced from North America. 
The platform provides services such as product sourcing, customization, and fulfillment, allowing users to create personalized product lines. One of their biggest selling points is that they’re sourcing all their ingredients from Canada. So if you’re running a Canadian brand, viaGlamour might just be the right choice for you.
The way they operate is closer to old-school private label companies, which means longer ordering processes, lack of natural and organic products and limited customization options.
Supliful
Location: USA
Website: supliful.com
Supliful is a platform that allows businesses to create and sell private-label consumer packaged goods (CPG) without managing inventory. Launched in 2020, it offers products like supplements, skincare, coffee, and pet care, which users can customize with their branding. The platform handles product sourcing, packaging, and fulfillment, streamlining the process for entrepreneurs.
Headquartered in Golden, Colorado, Supliful operates a fulfillment center in Denver to manage order processing and shipping. Supliful’s goal is to support businesses looking to enter the CPG market with a simple fulfillment model.
Supliful has a decent platform and dropshipping options. However, if you’re starting a beauty company, remember that it’s not their main focus. Just like their name suggests, Supliful is primarily focused on supplements.
Printify
Location: 141 partner fulfillment centers
Website: printify.com
Printify is a print-on-demand platform that connects e-commerce store owners with a global network of print providers, facilitating the creation and sale of custom products without the need for inventory management.
Printify offers a diverse catalog of over 1,300 products, including apparel, accessories, and home decor items. The platform integrates with major e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Etsy, and Amazon, streamlining the process for merchants to design, list, and sell customized merchandise.
When it comes to Printify, you need to remember that beauty is not their main focus. They have a huge catalog, but only 10+ of those are related to cosmetics. So Printify might be the best choice if you want to do skincare among such categories as apparel or wall art. But our experience shows that simply throwing in skincare products in your catalog rarely works.
MANA Private Label
Location: USA
Website: manaprivatelabel.com
MANA Private Label, founded in 1975, is a cosmetics manufacturer based in Long Island City, New York. It specializes in private-label and contract manufacturing, offering makeup, skincare, and personal care products.
The company operates US-based manufacturing facilities and partners with suppliers in Asia. MANA focuses on innovation and quality, providing turnkey solutions for beauty brands.
MANA is a wholesale supplier and doesn’t offer dropshipping which means that if you’re just starting out and don’t want to do major investments, they might not be the right choice. You also need to register and be approved by their team in order to see make any purchases.
All in all, MANA is more of a classic private label supplier, which means that their processes are more manual and old-school with higher MOQs and bigger upfront investments.
ONOXA
Location: USA
Website: onoxa.com
ONOXA is a business-to-business platform offering white-label beauty products for skincare, haircare, and body care. With over 50 years of experience in R&D and Quality Assurance, it provides low-minimum, custom-label solutions to help brands launch or expand their product lines efficiently.
Based in Largo, Florida, ONOXA operates from an ISO 22716:2007 and cGMP-certified facility. Its in-house chemists develop formulations using a mix of domestic and imported ingredients, ensuring quality and compliance with industry standards.
Just like with MANA, ONOXA is also a classic private label partner. That means higher MOQs, slower lead times and more upfront investments when you’re starting out.
Comparison of private label cosmetics companies
Now that you’ve gotten to know some of the key players in the private label cosmetics industry it’s time to line them up side by side. This is where your earlier checklist comes into play – bring out your list of priorities and must-haves and let’s see how each company measures up.
Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The best partner is the one that aligns with your current needs and your future plans. Take your time, weigh the trade-offs, and don’t rush the decision. This partnership will be one of the pillars of your brand.
Choose your partner wisely
We hope this comparison helps you get closer to finding the private label skincare partner that’s the right fit for your brand. Remember, this isn’t just about choosing a supplier. It’s about finding a true partner who can support your vision, move at your pace, and help you break into the beauty industry with confidence.
Take your time, ask the right questions, and trust your instincts. The right partner won’t just deliver products. They’ll help you build a brand that lasts.
