How to Start a Skincare Brand in Australia: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

To start a skincare brand in Australia you need a product, a compliant label, a registered business, a way to sell, and a manufacturer that can give you the safety documents for every product. The fastest route is white label: you put your brand on a tested formula and can order as few as 10 units per product, made within days. A custom (private label) formula usually starts at around 1,000 units and takes months. This guide walks through each step in order.

Step 1: Decide what you're selling, and to whom

Start with the customer, not the product. A clear niche makes every later decision easier: which formulas, which packaging, what price, and where you sell. Brands that do well with small first orders usually have a defined audience they can already reach, for example:

• a salon, clinic or spa selling a take-home range to existing clients;
• a lash, brow or tattoo studio adding aftercare under its own name;
• a creator or online store with an engaged audience;
• a retailer or gift business adding a house brand.

Write down three things before you look at formulas: who buys it, what problem it solves for them in cosmetic terms (dry skin, dull-looking skin, makeup removal), and roughly what they'll pay. That price point decides your packaging and how much room you have for margin.

Step 2: Choose white label, private label or contract manufacturing

There are three ways to get a product made. The right one depends on your budget, timeline and how unique the formula needs to be.

	White label	Private label (custom formula)	Contract manufacturing
Formula	The manufacturer's tested formula, your brand	Developed for you from a brief or a benchmark	Your existing formula, made at scale
Minimum order (with us)	10 units per product	Typically 1,000 units	Quoted per batch
Time to market	Days to weeks	Months	Weeks to months
Upfront cost	Low: you pay per order	Higher: development, testing, first run	Depends on batch size and components
Best for	Start-ups, salons, clinics, testing a range	A signature product once demand is proven	Established brands with their own formula

Most new brands start with white label, prove which products sell, then develop a custom formula for their best seller. Our How it works page compares the paths step by step, and our white label service page explains what's included. Comparing suppliers? Use our 12 questions to ask a skincare manufacturer.

Step 3: Order samples and test them properly

Never launch a product you haven't used. Order full-size samples of every product you're considering and test them for at least two weeks: texture, scent, how they layer together, and how they look in the packaging you want. Give samples to a few people in your target audience and ask what they'd pay.

Our samples are full size and carry our label, so you're judging the formula itself. You can order any product as a sample from Products & Samples; there's no minimum.

Step 4: Make sure your product is a cosmetic, not a therapeutic good

This is the step new brands most often get wrong. In Australia a product for the skin can be either a cosmetic or a therapeutic good, and the difference mostly comes down to what you claim.

• Cosmetic claims are about appearance, cleansing, moisturising, fragrance or protecting the skin: "hydrates and smooths", "helps skin look more even", "cleanses without stripping".
• Therapeutic claims are about preventing, treating or curing a condition, or changing how the body works: "treats acne", "heals eczema", "stimulates collagen production", "promotes hair growth", "antibacterial".

Make a therapeutic claim and your product becomes a therapeutic good, which must be on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) before it can be sold or advertised. That rule covers your label and your website, social posts, ads and the images you use. Read our guide to cosmetic vs therapeutic claims before you write any product copy.

One more thing: don't describe a cosmetic as "TGA approved" or "TGA compliant". The TGA doesn't approve cosmetics, so the phrase is misleading.

Step 5: Set up the business side

You can do most of this in a week, and it's worth doing before you order stock.

1. ABN. Apply for an Australian Business Number through the Australian Business Register.
2. Business name. If you trade under anything other than your own name, register the business name with ASIC.
3. Brand name and trade mark. Search IP Australia's trade mark database and the domain and social handles before you design anything. Rebranding after launch is expensive.
4. GST. You must register for GST once your turnover reaches $75,000 a year. You can register earlier, which lets you claim GST credits on your stock.
5. Insurance. Product liability and public liability cover protect you if a customer has a reaction. See our article on liability insurance for skincare brands.
6. AICIS. The Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme regulates cosmetic ingredients. If you import cosmetics or ingredients from overseas for commercial use, you must register with AICIS. If you only buy finished products made in Australia, you aren't importing or manufacturing chemicals, so you generally don't need to register. Our AICIS registration guide explains who needs to register and what it costs.

Step 6: Design a compliant label

Your label is a legal document as well as a marketing one. In Australia the Consumer Goods (Cosmetics) Information Standard 2020 requires a full ingredient list on the container, in descending order (or ingredients at 1% or more in descending order, then the rest in any order, then colours). Trade measurement law requires the net quantity and the packer's name and address.

On top of the legal minimum, every label we apply must include:

• net volume in mL and fl oz;
• our standard precautionary statement, word for word;
• directions for use;
• the ingredient list exactly as on the product page;
• "Made in Australia" and a "Distributed by" line with your business name and Australian street address (not a PO box);
• the 12M PAO (period after opening) symbol.

We print the batch code on the base of every bottle, so you don't need to. Our Label guide has the full requirements for Australia, New Zealand, the EU, UK and US, the label size for every bottle and jar, and free Canva templates preset to the right dimensions. For a quick printable list, see our cosmetic labelling checklist.

Step 7: Choose packaging (and decide on boxes)

Packaging protects the formula as well as selling it. A few rules of thumb:

• Airless bottles suit light- and air-sensitive actives such as vitamin C, retinal and copper peptides.
• Amber or frosted glass droppers suit oils and serums and give a premium feel.
• Jars suit thick creams, masks and balms.
• Pump and spray bottles suit cleansers, toners and mists, and larger salon sizes.

Each product page lists the packaging that's tested with that formula; browse the full packaging range for sizes and label dimensions.

Printed boxes are optional. They add shelf presence and room for mandatory text, but they take 4 to 12 weeks to print. Our box partner already has our bottle dimensions, and we can assemble and pack boxes from $2 a unit. See Custom boxes. Many brands launch without boxes and add them to a later run.

Step 8: Work out your costs and retail price

Add up your cost per unit (product, label, box if any, shipping to you), then your launch costs (samples, design, photography, website, business setup), then set a retail price that leaves room for GST, payment fees, marketing and wholesale discounts if you'll sell through salons or stores.

As a guide, a three-product range (cleanser, serum and moisturiser) costs about $390 for 10 of each from us, and the per-unit price drops by up to 40% at 500 units. Our article on how much it costs to start a skincare line works through real numbers, and the bulk pricing page covers 1 to 20 L sizes if you fill your own packaging.

Step 9: Place your first order

Order a quantity you can sell within the product's shelf life. With us, finished products should be sold within 12 months of your order date, and your customers should use them within 12 months of opening. It's usually smarter to order 10 to 50 units of a few products and reorder than to tie up cash in 500 units of a product you haven't tested in market. Our guide to skincare minimum order quantities explains how to pick your first quantity.

To order white label, choose your product and packaging, select Custom Brand (MOQ 10), add at least 10 units and paste your Canva link at checkout. Orders of 1 to 50 units are typically made in 1 to 4 business days, and 50 to 200 units in 4 to 8 business days, plus shipping.

Step 10: Launch, sell and keep your records

• Where to sell: your own website (Shopify is the usual choice), in your salon or clinic, at markets, through stockists, or on marketplaces.
• Keep your claims cosmetic everywhere: the same rules apply to ads, social posts, influencer content and customer reviews you republish. Under the Australian Consumer Law every claim must also be true and able to be backed up.
• Keep your documents: we supply a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), Certificate of Analysis (CoA) and Product Information File (PIF) for each product. Stockists, marketplaces and overseas regulators often ask for them. Find them in our document library.
• Track what sells and reorder those products first.

Step 11: Scale up

Once a product is proven, you have options:

• larger runs at lower unit prices (volume pricing starts at 50 units);
• screen printing directly onto the packaging from 1,000 units;
• a fragrance-free version of a scented formula from 500 units;
• a custom formula through our formulation service;
• bulk sizes from 1 to 20 L if you fill your own packaging or supply clinics.

Launch checklist

• ☐ Customer and price point defined
• ☐ Route chosen: white label, private label or contract
• ☐ Samples tested for two weeks
• ☐ Product copy checked for therapeutic claims
• ☐ ABN, business name, trade mark search, insurance
• ☐ Label designed to our template, with every mandatory element
• ☐ Packaging chosen (boxes ordered early if you want them)
• ☐ Costs and retail price worked out
• ☐ First order placed; SDS, CoA and PIF saved

Frequently asked questions

Do I need TGA approval to sell skincare in Australia?

Not for cosmetics. Moisturisers, cleansers, serums and similar products are regulated as cosmetics as long as they make only cosmetic claims and don't contain therapeutic ingredients. Products that make therapeutic claims, and primary sunscreens, are therapeutic goods and must be on the ARTG.

What's the minimum order to start a skincare brand?

With our white label range, 10 units per product. Custom formulas usually start at around 1,000 units because development, stability and preservative testing are done for your formula alone.

How long does it take to launch?

With white label, most orders under 200 units are made within about 1 to 8 business days, so the timeline is mostly up to you: label design, photography and your website. A custom formula usually takes several months.

Can I start a skincare brand from home?

Yes. If a manufacturer makes, fills and labels your products, you don't need a lab or a licence to sell cosmetics. You do need an ABN, a compliant label and product liability cover. If you plan to mix products yourself, check AICIS's rules and the requirements for your premises first.

Who owns the formula with white label?

The manufacturer keeps the formula. You own your brand, label design and customer relationships. With a custom formula, ownership is set out in your quote and manufacturing agreement.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current rules with the TGA, ACCC and AICIS, or a regulatory adviser, for your specific product.

Sources: Therapeutic Goods Administration, Determining if your product is a cosmetic or therapeutic good (updated 3 July 2026); ACCC Product Safety, Cosmetics ingredients labelling mandatory standard; AICIS, Difference between blending and manufacturing chemicals; ATO, registering for GST.

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