OEM / ODM development
Custom Cosmetic Packaging Designed Around Your Brand
Custom does not have to mean a private mould. It can be a stock bottle in your Pantone with a foil-stamped logo, or a fully tooled silhouette with bespoke components. What matters is matching the level of customisation to your volume, budget and launch date — and being told honestly which one you are ready for.
Below is how a project actually runs: nine stages, each with a deliverable and an approval point.
Development process
From brief to delivered goods in nine stages
Timelines assume approvals come back within a few days. Where a stage depends on you — artwork, colour approval, formula samples — we flag it in advance.
- 01
Share Your Requirements
Product type, formula, capacity, target quantity, market and launch date. A reference image or sketch is welcome but not required.
- 02
Product Recommendation
We shortlist stock and custom options with honest trade-offs on cost, lead time and minimum quantity for each route.
- 03
Packaging Design
Structural review, 3D or die-line drawings, and decoration planning across container, closure and carton.
- 04
Sampling
Standard or decorated samples for physical evaluation, plus compatibility testing where the formula is demanding.
- 05
Mould Development
Where a custom shape is confirmed: tooling, trial run and a first-article dimensional report before production cavities.
- 06
Decoration
Coating, printing, foil and embossing applied in the correct sequence against an approved standard sample.
- 07
Mass Production
Scheduled production with in-process checks at defined intervals and a retained reference sample.
- 08
Quality Inspection
Dimensional, appearance, colour, decoration and function checks with a sampling plan agreed in advance.
- 09
Global Delivery
Consolidated packing, export documentation and shipment by sea, air or courier on agreed Incoterms.
Typical timeline: a decorated stock pack runs 10–16 weeks from brief to delivered goods. A pack requiring a new mould realistically needs 5–7 months.
Where projects slip: artwork preparation, delayed sample approval and compatibility testing started too late. Manufacturing is rarely the bottleneck.
Customisation services
Twelve services, one accountable sequence
Decoration order matters — coating before printing, foil last. Keeping the sequence with one supplier avoids rework and gives you a single approved standard.
Surface & Colour
Printing & Marking
- Hot StampingMetallic foil transferred under heat and pressure.
- Silk Screen PrintingDurable, opaque ink laid directly on the container.
- UV PrintingDigital direct printing for photographic detail and short runs.
- Label ApplicationPressure-sensitive labels applied and inspected in line.
- Custom Decoration ProgrammesMulti-technique decoration planned as one sequence.
Direct answers
Custom packaging, answered plainly
What is the MOQ for custom skincare packaging?
There is no single MOQ across all packaging. Containers and decoration follow their own set-up economics, and custom paper boxes have a standard minimum order of 5,000 pieces per design. Selected paper box projects may start from a few hundred pieces, subject to evaluation of the structure, material, printing method and finishing.
A quoted MOQ is the highest of four separate minimums: the container production run, the decoration set-up, the component supplier's minimum and the resin or board batch size. Identifying which one dominates your quotation tells you exactly what to change in the specification to bring it down. For paper boxes the standard quantity is 5,000 pieces per design, and lower quantities are confirmed project by project rather than offered as a standing range.
How much does custom skincare packaging cost?
Unit cost is driven by fixed set-up (tooling, plates, screens, colour changeover) spread across your order quantity, plus variable material, component and decoration costs.
At launch volumes the fixed costs dominate, which is why the same specification can quote very differently at 3,000 and 50,000 units. Brands with small first orders usually get the best result by choosing low-set-up decoration — digital carton printing, UV printing, labels — and deferring custom moulds and masterbatch colour to a later run.
How long does custom packaging take?
A decorated stock pack usually takes 10–16 weeks from brief to delivered goods. A pack requiring a custom mould realistically needs 5–7 months.
Typical stages: quotation 3–7 days, samples 7–14 days, artwork and proofing 1–2 weeks, production 25–40 days, sea freight 25–45 days. Tooling adds 25–50 days plus trial sampling. Most delays occur in artwork preparation and approval rather than manufacturing.
Can you provide custom moulds?
Yes — private moulds for glass bottles and jars, and injection or blow tooling for plastic containers and closures, with ownership terms agreed before tooling begins.
The programme runs from feasibility review through 3D modelling, tooling, trial samples and a first-article dimensional report before production cavities are cut. Custom moulds require a committed production volume; the figure depends on cavity count and complexity and is stated in the tooling quotation.
Start your custom project
Send the brief. We will come back with routes, costs and a realistic schedule.
Include the formula type, capacity, target quantity and launch date. If you have a sketch, a reference image or a technical drawing, attach it — but a written description is enough to start.
Custom packaging FAQ
With the formula, the target price and the channel. Those three inputs decide material, dispensing system and how much of the budget can go into decoration. A reference image helps but is not required.
Yes, through masterbatch resin colour, spray coating on glass or plastic, or printed colour on cartons. Coating gives full Pantone freedom at a lower minimum; masterbatch is more durable but needs a larger volume.
Yes — silk screen printing, UV printing, hot stamping, embossing and labelling. We will advise which method suits your artwork, substrate and quantity, including minimum legible sizes.
Yes, for glass and plastic. The programme covers feasibility review, tooling, trial samples and a dimensional report. Ownership and storage terms are agreed in writing before tooling starts.
Yes — pumps, droppers, sprayers, caps, collars, liners, spatulas and applicators, specified and compatibility-tested with the container rather than sold as separate items.
Yes. Mixed orders across glass, plastic and paper are normal for us and are consolidated into one shipment with one document set.
Next step
Tell us what you are packing. We will send a specification and a price.
Share the product type, capacity, quantity and any decoration you have in mind. Qualified RFQs are answered within one business day.