How to use this checklist
Use the checklist in order. Shortlist three manufacturers whose minimums you can sell through, then compare them on the same brief: MOQ (minimum order quantity) per SKU (product variant), stock versus custom, lead time, samples, MoCRA duties, packaging, and fulfillment. Ask every question in writing, evaluate a sample kit before you commit, and score the answers — the checklist below is the brief to send.
The order matters. Shortlist first, on the minimum: if you cannot sell through a manufacturer’s minimum in three to six months, nothing else about that manufacturer matters for a first line. Our US manufacturers list compares twelve of them on published minimums and specialties, and the published-MOQ table lists eighteen manufacturers’ published minimums with sources and dates. Then send the same brief to your three, and judge the replies side by side.
The brief to send every manufacturer
Send the same brief to all three candidates, so the replies are comparable. Include: the products on your shortlist (with the job each one does in the treatment room or on the shelf), the quantities you expect to sell per product per month, whether you want stock formulas or custom formulation, your packaging preference (stock or custom), your target launch date, and your location for freight. Ask for an itemized quote — fill, packaging, labels, testing, setup, and freight as separate lines — not a single per-unit price. Before you send it, run it through our brief scorer — a brief that scores well gets itemized, comparable quotes back.
One brief, three manufacturers, one scorecard. A manufacturer that will not quote against your brief in writing is not a manufacturer you can compare — and a manufacturer you cannot compare is a manufacturer you cannot choose, only guess at.
Questions to ask, by topic
Minimums
- What is the minimum per SKU — and how do you define a SKU (formula, size, fragrance, shade)?
- Can minimums be combined across products, fragrances, or sizes?
- Do reorder minimums match first-order minimums?
- What changes the minimum — fewer SKUs, stock packaging, a higher per-unit price?
For scale: published minimums we checked on manufacturers’ own sites range from 6 units per SKU to 5,000 — the full list, with sources, is in the published-MOQ table.
Stock versus custom
- Which of my products can be stock formulas, and which need custom or semi-custom work?
- Who owns the formula if it is custom — and what happens to it if I stop ordering?
- What does the development process look like, and how many sample rounds are included?
- What testing is included in the quote, and what is billed separately?
Lead times
- What is the realistic lead time from approved samples to shipped goods — and what does that timeline assume?
- What happens if a raw material or component is delayed — do I get notice, and what are my options?
- What is the reorder lead time, and does it differ from the first order?
Samples
- Can I get a sample kit before I commit — and what does it include?
- Are samples the production formula, or a lab approximation of it?
- How many sample rounds are included before extra charges apply?
Compliance and MoCRA
- Who is the responsible person for MoCRA purposes — me, or the manufacturer?
- Is the facility registered, and are the products listed?
- What safety substantiation exists for each formula, and how are adverse events recorded and reported?
- What documentation comes with the order (certificates of analysis, INCI labeling, stability data)?
Packaging and fulfillment
- What packaging is stock, and what carries its own minimum or lead time?
- Can I supply my own packaging — and what does that change?
- Do you fill, label, and ship, or does fulfillment sit with me?
- What happens if a formula is discontinued — do I get notice, and can I buy a final run?
Red flags
Any one of these is a reason to slow down. Two together is a reason to walk away.
- No written minimum. A manufacturer that will quote a minimum on the phone but not in writing is not quoting a minimum.
- No testing documentation. If certificates of analysis, stability data, or safety substantiation are “available later” with no date, treat them as unavailable.
- No named responsible person for MoCRA. The duties sit with the brand on the label. A manufacturer that will not say who handles them is leaving them with you by default.
- Pressure to order before samples. Samples exist to protect both sides. A manufacturer that skips them is optimizing for the order, not the relationship.
- No reorder terms. A first order you cannot reorder is a line that dies the day it sells out.
- No answer on formula ownership. If a manufacturer will not say who owns a custom formula, assume it is not you.
- A per-unit price with no itemization. Fill, packaging, labels, testing, setup, and freight are separate costs. A single number hides which of them will grow later.
How to evaluate a sample kit
Evaluate the kit the way your clients will, and the way your treatment room will. Use each product in a real service, not just on the back of your hand: texture under massage, absorption time, scent strength in a small room, and how the skin looks an hour later. Check the packaging the way a client will — does the pump work on the first press, does the label survive a damp shelf, does the cap stay on in a retail bag? Read the paperwork that comes with it: INCI labeling, batch information, and any test documentation. And note how the manufacturer handles the sample process itself — speed, clarity, and whether questions get answered are the best preview of how the first order will go.
Do not order on the strength of one sample. Try the kit, compare it against one other manufacturer’s kit on the same products, and only then commit to a first run. A sample kit is cheap; a first run is not.
Scoring the replies
Score the three replies on the same criteria, and weight the criteria by what matters to a first launch: the minimum you can sell through, the total commitment (units times all-in cost), lead time, testing and documentation, and responsiveness. Our guide on how to choose a skincare manufacturer includes a weighted scorecard for exactly this — use it, so the decision is a comparison and not a feeling. The lowest per-unit price should never win on its own: the quote with the lower per-unit price usually carries the higher minimum, and the total commitment is what your budget has to cover.
Short on time? Start with the five questions to ask before you commit — the five questions that separate a complete quote from a partial one — then work through this checklist with the replies in hand.