Building a cosmetics brand with a Thai factory

From an idea to stock you can sell. This page sets out the whole sequence, what each stage actually requires from you, where first-time brands lose money, and what a starting budget of around 30,000 THB realistically covers.

The sequence

Roughly in this order. The stages overlap in practice, but the dependencies are real — skipping ahead is how projects get expensive.

1. Decide the product and the market

What you are making and which country it will be sold in. The market determines ingredient rules, labelling and registration, so this comes before everything else.

2. Choose the formula route

Private label, a modified stock formula, or full development. This sets your budget and your timeline more than any other single choice.

3. Sample and adjust

Test properly, in real use. Several rounds is normal. Do not approve a formula from a description.

4. Packaging and artwork

Often the longest lead time and the largest cost in the whole project. Start it early, in parallel with sampling.

5. Documents and registration

Thai FDA notification for the Thai market, or your destination market's process. Not optional, and not instant.

6. Production

About 7–14 days for a stock formula, counted from the day formula, packaging, documents and payment are all confirmed.

7. Selling it

The part nobody outsources. Have your channel ready before the stock arrives, not after.

The budget question

What around 30,000 THB actually gets you

It is a realistic starting budget for launching a brand with us, and it applies across product types — creams, skincare, lotions, serums and sachets. What it will not do is buy you a specific number of units, because that depends on decisions you have not made yet.

The product you choose — a facial serum in a 30 ml dropper and a 400 ml body lotion are entirely different cost structures.
The formula and its actives — a stock base costs less than development; premium actives cost in proportion to how much you actually use.
The packaging — frequently the single largest cost in a finished unit, and it brings its own minimum order quantities.
The printing — the printer sets its own minimum, which on a small run is often what really determines your order size.
Documents and extras — registration support, design work and similar services are separate costs. Ask any factory to itemise these before you start, ours included.

Tell us what you want to make and we will calculate the actual numbers for your specification, free of charge.

Full pricing breakdown

A range of finished cosmetic products manufactured for brands at VAYO OEM

Where first-time brands lose money

These are the mistakes we watch people make, and the ones worth spending five minutes avoiding.

Ordering too much of the first batch

Unit cost falls with quantity, which tempts everyone into a bigger first run. But unsold stock is worse than a slightly higher unit cost, and cosmetics have a shelf life. Order enough to test the market, then restock — a stock formula reproduces in about 7–14 days.

Committing to packaging too early

Expensive custom packaging ordered before you know the product sells is the most common way a first launch runs out of money. Start with a standard format and upgrade once sales justify it.

Leaving registration to the end

Documentation takes time and cannot be rushed at the last minute. Start it in parallel with sampling, not after production.

Building a range before proving one product

Five products means five formulas, five packaging lines, five sets of artwork and five registrations. Prove one, then extend.

No plan for actually selling it

Manufacturing is the part with a clear process and a clear price. Distribution is the hard part, and stock sitting in a room is not a business.

Claims that cannot be supported

What a cosmetic label and its advertising may say is limited by law, and the limits differ by market. Getting this wrong after printing is expensive; getting it wrong publicly is worse.

What we do and what we do not

Worth being explicit, so nobody is surprised halfway through.

We do

Formula development and adaptation, sampling, packaging sourcing, filling, quality control with a retained sample from every batch, and guidance on Thai FDA notification and on what your label may legally claim.

We help with

Working out what is realistic inside your budget, choosing between formats, and flagging problems in your plan before they cost you money. This part is free and there is no obligation attached to it.

We do not

Sell your product for you, run your marketing, or act as your regulatory consultant in a market we do not know. We also will not print a claim we believe is not permitted, however much you would like us to.

Brand building questions

I have an idea but no experience. Is that a problem?

No — it is most of who we talk to. Tell us the product, the customer and the budget in plain language and we will explain the options and what is realistic. The free assessment exists precisely for this.

How long from first message to stock in hand?

The manufacturing step is about 7–14 days for a stock formula, but that is the last stage. Sampling, packaging lead times and registration all come first, and together they usually dominate the schedule. Tell us your target launch date early so we can tell you honestly whether it is achievable.

Can I start with one product and add more later?

Yes, and we would generally recommend it. Prove one product, learn what your customers actually respond to, then extend the range with that knowledge instead of guessing five times at once.

Do you design packaging and artwork?

Tell us what you need and we will tell you what we can provide and what would be better handled by a designer you choose. Whoever produces the artwork, it has to carry the mandatory information your destination market requires — we will tell you what that is for Thailand.

I am overseas. Can we do this remotely?

Much of it, yes — LINE and email for day-to-day, samples shipped for testing. But if you can visit the factory once, do. A day walking the line tells you more about a supplier than months of messages, and you are welcome any working day with an appointment.

Start with the free assessment

Tell us the product, the market and the budget. We will come back with a realistic route and real numbers.

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