How To Start a Skincare Business in 10 Steps (2025)

Enrico Frezza wasn’t trying to launch a skincare empire. He just wanted to fix his breakouts.

What he discovered in his search was hydrocolloid dressing—a medical-grade wound treatment that would become the foundation of Peace Out Skincare, a brand targeting acne, fine lines, and dark spots.

Getting there wasn’t simple. Enrico contacted 75 manufacturers worldwide, poured countless hours into R&D, and hunted down a patent to improve adhesion for his first product: the Acne Dot.

The hustle paid off. Sephora picked up Peace Out immediately, starting with a 20,000-unit production run before expanding to the brand’s own website.

But here’s the truth: You don’t need Sephora’s blessing to build a successful skincare brand. Start scrappy. Fund it yourself. Build it nights and weekends. The founders we feature prove there’s no single path to creating products people love—just a willingness to solve real problems.

Read on to learn how to start a skincare business, with tips from successful founders in the industry.

Ready to start your business? Create your website today or learn more about Shopify’s tools for selling online and in person.

Get started with your skincare business

There’s more than one way to enter the skincare market. You can create your own skincare line from scratch by finding your niche, developing formulations, and building trust with your customers.

You can also launch an ecommerce store and sell curated beauty products from other brands. Shopify Collective can connect you with skincare brands to feature on your Shopify storefront. Once a customer places an order, your partner will handle fulfillment.

Dropshipping is another option for starting a skincare or makeup brand with minimal upfront investment. The dropshipping supplier handles inventory and shipping, and you only pay for items after your customer places an order.

How to start a skincare line in 10 steps

1. Just get started (even if you don’t feel ready)
2. Do your research
3. Find your skincare niche
4. Invest in your skincare brand
5. Use the resources you’ve got
6. Get hands-on with skincare product formulation and manufacturing
7. Put your skincare formulations through rigorous testing
8. Understand safety and labeling laws in the skincare business
9. Build trust with your customers through transparency and content
10. Lean into what makes you unique

The global skincare industry is expected to reach $194.05 billion by 2032. Much of the growth in the past few years can be attributed to independent brands. Legacy brands are responding by snatching up smaller companies to maintain market share.

Elliot Isaac launched Medik8, a science-driven beauty line focused on reducing signs of skin aging, in 2009. In 2025, it was acquired by L’Oréal Groupe for $1.1 billion.

Learn how to start a skincare line from scratch, with lessons from successful beauty founders.

Follow the steps below and download this skincare business checklist to track your progress (click link to download):

1. Just get started (even if you don’t feel ready)

It can take months to develop a skincare product. However, most skincare lines require months or even years for research and development, testing, and launch preparations. Skincare products also require comprehensive testing, which takes time.

With skincare trends evolving rapidly, it’s better to jump on a great idea now than wait until everything’s perfect. Connecting with a larger mission—like sustainability or serving a market with limited options—can provide the motivation you need to get started.

After being a founding team member at makeup brand Charlotte Tilbury and working at a wellness spa, Danielle Close knew she wanted to start her own beauty brand, but she felt the industry was too saturated.

“I hemmed and hawed for about three years because we just don’t need another brand. I couldn’t justify launching a brand for the sake of it,” Danielle says on an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast. “Then I went to a packaging show in Paris and literally saw how unsustainable the industry still was in 2020. That was what made me be like, ‘If no one’s doing anything, I have to do something to prove that it can be done.’” This realization inspired her to launch her eco-friendly brand My Skin Feels.

2. Do your research

If you haven’t decided on a niche, research can help you find inspiration. If you already have one, you can use research to validate your idea.

Market research is especially important in beauty—the industry is saturated and trends move fast. But the constantly evolving landscape means there are still opportunities for newcomers to break in. Pay attention to beauty publications and influencers to keep up with changes in the industry, and use a tool like Google Trends to validate your ideas.

Your research should include competitive analysis, market research, and keyword research. This is also the stage when you’ll want to crunch the numbers: How much will it cost to start a business, and how will you fund it?

3. Find your skincare niche

New skincare founders can succeed by identifying underserved audiences. For example, Glow Oasis tapped into the growing demand for cruelty-free and vegan products. Black Girl Sunscreen formulated SPF that doesn’t leave a white cast.

Spotting industry trends as they emerge is important, but beware of fleeting trends and ensure you have a sustainable plan. Although the product development life cycle has sped up in recent years, it still struggles to keep up with flash-in-the-pan trends. If you focus only on trends, by the time your product hits shelves, it could be old news.

Innovation, rather than a bandwagon approach, is how indie skincare brands can avoid these pitfalls. While legacy brands cast a wide net, independent brands have the ability to deeply engage with a niche market or tackle a specific problem—and problems change less frequently than trends.

If you prefer to go wide or stick to basics with your formulation or product type, you can lean on a strong philosophy and brand story to connect with your audience.

4. Invest in your skincare brand

Before you even consider product development, decide what you stand for. You can build your skincare brand and grow an audience well before you manufacture products or launch an online store. This period will let you get to know your audience, gather feedback, and build trust. Use this time to hone your brand story and generate hype around your upcoming launch.

Interviews with its target audience changed how Bushbalm—a body skincare brand targeting ingrown hairs, dark spots, and razor burns—marketed its products.

“Probably the best thing we ever did that almost anyone could do is we did an Etsy show, but it could be your local market,” says David Gaylord, CEO of Bushbalm, on an episode of Shopify Masters. “We just talked to a bunch of people. We’d say, ‘We’re public oil.’ And people would go, ‘I don’t know. That’s a pass,’ and they move on. Over the weekend, we talked more and more and came up with new words. By the end of the weekend, we said ‘bikini line skincare,’ and people said, ‘OK, I know exactly what that is.’”

When building a brand, it’s critical to establish a few key elements early on. Maintaining a consistent brand voice and presence can increase recognition in the market and build trust.

Visual brand identity is also extremely important in the skincare industry. Compelling packaging that speaks to your target audience’s aesthetic gives your brand a professional edge. Be sure to develop clear brand guidelines to ensure that wherever your brand shows up, it’s adhering to a set of rules.

For Danielle of My Skin Feels, branding was one of her top priorities. Many sustainable brands use minimalist packaging and earth tones. My Skin Feels opted for colorful shapes and a retro font.

Danielle knew she didn’t want it to feel like other natural brands. “I wanted it to look interesting and different and stand out on the shelf and kind of prove that natural isn’t boring and organic isn’t boring,” she adds. “We’re actually really fun. And the more fun you have with your brand, even if it’s a serious message, it still captures the audience because it’s fun.”

5. Use the resources you’ve got

Amy Liu built Tower28, a beauty brand that helps with sensitive skin (particularly eczema), through fundraising. At the time, the 40-year-old mother of three had just bought her first home and wasn’t in a position to take out a loan. So she turned to family and friends—as well as connections from her 20-plus years in the industry—and raised $500,000.

After the brand launched, Amy and her team scoured YouTube to find creators. They sent simple product packages with a sincere handwritten letter from Amy herself.

When starting your own skincare line, find creative ways to stretch your dollar, whether by starting your business from home, trying organic marketing ideas, or bootstrapping your growth.

*Shopify Capital loans must be paid in full within a maximum of 18 months, and two minimum payments apply within the first two six-month periods. The actual duration may be less than 18 months based on sales."

6. Get hands-on with skincare product formulation and manufacturing

There are several methods for formulating products:

• Making them by hand at home

• Renting a dedicated manufacturing space like a mobile clean room (essentially pop-up tents) to make them yourself

• Taking a private label or white label approach with a beauty manufacturer

• Tweaking ingredients in existing formulas to create something new (bench sample)

• Working with a lab to create custom products

• Hiring a cosmetic chemist to create a formula and then instructing a contract manufacturer to make it (tech transfer)

Creating a skincare line at home

You can make simple formulations like facial oils at home. However, to manufacture cosmetics in the US, you’ll need to follow FDA guidelines for ventilation, air control, and surfaces. If your home isn’t properly set up to handle formulating products safely, try mobile clean rooms, which are designed for this purpose and ideal for small businesses.

Many successful beauty founders, like Jessica Kernochan of Lalicious, started their lines in their own kitchens but moved to a manufacturing facility as they scaled.

Experimenting with formulations yourself will help you understand the properties you’re looking for in a formulation—consistency, appearance, scent—positioning you for informed conversations with your manufacturer.

Working with a manufacturer

For Enrico of Peace Out, one challenge was infusing hydrocolloid dressings with active ingredients. He reached out to 75 manufacturers over six months before finding a patent owner who could help. “I said, ’Well, if they were able to mix that, then maybe they can mix the active ingredients that I would like to put into the patch,’” Enrico says.

The patent owners also owned a manufacturing facility. “I set up a meeting, and that was it,” he adds. “After seven R&D batches and test and trial, we were able to achieve the final results, which is the Acne Dot.”

White label or private label skincare lines

White labeling involves applying your own branding and minimal customizations to an existing product. This is a beneficial method for those looking to monetize a personal brand (and prefer to avoid extensive product development). Popular creators and influencers often use this method to monetize their large audiences.

Private label skincare lines work in a similar way but offer more customization to specifications. They are generally developed in partnership with a private label lab. With either of these models, you can start your own skincare line even if you have zero experience.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dieux ™ (@dieuxskin)

7. Put your skincare formulations through rigorous testing

If you want to make claims about your skincare product—for example, that your moisturizer keeps skin hydrated for 24 hours or that your vitamin C serum reduces the appearance of dark spots—you’ll need to back those claims up with testing. There are two main types you can use: consumer perception surveys and clinical testing.

With consumer perception surveys, users try a product for a set amount of time and then report on how their skin looks and feels. For example, in one consumer perception survey, 30 participants used Dr. Loretta’s Anti Aging Repair Serum twice a day for eight weeks. Afterward, 100% of participants agreed their skin looks smoother, 90% agreed their skin looks firmer, and 90% agreed their skin looks brighter.

Clinical testing involves objective measurement. For example, you can measure skin hydration using a device called a VapoMeter—that’s how Dieux supports claims its Air Angel Gel Cream increases hydration by 77 times.

Consumer perception studies and clinical testing can be expensive, and they’re not necessary for every brand or product. But they can help build credibility.

If your product targets a specific skin condition like rosacea or eczema, you might consider applying for a seal of approval from the National Rosacea Society or the National Eczema Association.

8. Understand safety and labeling laws in the skincare business

Like starting a food business, launching in the skincare industry carries risk—you are making products that could potentially harm people. It’s important to educate yourself on preservatives, shelf life, allergens, and proper storage and handling of skincare products. You should also research labs carefully to ensure you’re working with a partner knowledgeable in these areas.

Product shelf life

Customers often expect products labeled “natural” or “organic” to exclude chemical preservatives. However, omitting preservatives can greatly impact stability. If you choose to formulate without preservatives, manufacturing in smaller batches can help ensure your products don’t spoil before you can sell them.

Labeling laws

Legal requirements can be daunting for those starting a skincare line from scratch—and each country or region has its own rules:

• Cosmetics Labeling Regulations (US)

• Industry Guide for the Labelling of Cosmetics (Canada)

• Understanding the Label (EU)

A reputable lab can help ensure your packaging meets standards and products are properly labeled, but ultimately, the responsibility is yours. Consider consulting a lawyer for additional guidance.

Skincare product stability and safety

While it’s possible to dabble in skincare at your own home, there are limitations. Reputable labs put ingredients and formulations through rigorous tests to ensure they’re free from yeast, mold, bacteria, and fungus during a product’s shelf life and use.

After finding a manufacturer, it took Enrico about a year to make his first product for Peace Out, partly because of stability testing. “Since it’s an OTC product, we needed to make sure that the salicylic acid, which is what we infuse the hydrocolloid dressing with to treat acne, was stable across X number of months under different temperature conditions and humidity,” Enrico says.

Business licenses for skincare brands

You don’t need a federally recognized license to sell homemade cosmetics and skincare in the US. However, the FDA carefully regulates this industry and requires you to have approval for certain ingredients. Laws differ depending on the country in which you manufacture or sell your products. Be sure to do your homework or seek the advice of a lawyer.

9. Build trust with your customers through transparency and content

The beauty customer, faced with conflicting information and overwhelming choices, tends to be discerning and naturally skeptical. Building trust with your audience is key to forming long-term relationships and securing repeat business.

Content marketing and customer education

Content marketing doesn’t just help increase organic traffic, it also builds authority for your brand. Dieux focuses on social media content marketing, sharing short, educational videos on Instagram and TikTok, like this one about how little sunscreen—a product Dieux is currently working on—has changed in the United States for decades:

“We call ourselves a ‘too much information’ brand,” Dieux cofounder and chief brand officer Charlotte Palermino says on an episode of Shopify Masters. Charlotte’s personal brand also focuses heavily on consumer education. On her newsletter and social media platforms, Charlotte discusses the science behind topics like sunscreen and pregnancy-safe skincare.

Other brands are succeeding using similar marketing strategies, creating YouTube videos, newsletters, and blog posts that offer value to their audience and product pages rich in information that increase purchase confidence.

Reviews

Positive reviews are another signal to potential customers that your product delivers what it promises. The abundance of options on the market, unpronounceable ingredients, and smoke-and-mirrors marketing copy drive skincare consumers to online reviews before buying. You can connect your Shopify store to a review app to collect and showcase customer feedback.

10. Lean into what makes you unique

Marketing is one of the biggest challenges for many new founders. Because it’s competitive and constantly evolving, skincare is an industry that requires consistent attention.

It’s not enough to have a great product—to succeed in the skincare industry, beauty entrepreneurs need to invest significant effort in defining their audience and understanding their customers’ unique needs.

As the traditional model of selling cosmetics wanes, the time is now for niche brands to shine. Consumers are looking to connect with a brand on a deeper, more personal level.

Whether or not you decide to tie your personal brand to your business, brand storytelling can help make your business feel human. Engage in comments and conversations, feature real people like your customers or relevant influencers in your content, and stay open to feedback.

Charlotte Cho, founder of Then I Met You, infuses her family history and her Korean heritage into her product formulations and brand. Before launching Then I Met You, Charlotte cofounded Soko Glam, an online store that brought Korean beauty products to the US. She even wrote a book to share the philosophy behind the brand. Charlotte’s customers purchase her products because of her story as much as for the skincare benefits.

Uniqueness can be achieved through product differentiation, brand story, branding design, or marketing.

Starting your own skincare business is as easy as finding the right product-market fit, telling a compelling story, and determining the best way to bring your vision to life. Whether you’re curating skincare products for a niche skin concern or developing your own unique formulation, it’s a great time to roll up your sleeves and get selling.

Feature illustration by Islenia Mil