Today, private labeling is the single greatest way to sell products online, and it can launch your own business into huge success. It is not without risks, but these are small in comparison to the benefits, assuming you do your research first and pick the right products to sell. I’ve written articles explaining all about private labeling and how to launch your own private label brand, so I’ll only go over rapidly here some of the main points regarding choosing the right product, before listing 10 of the hottest personal care and cosmetics products that a private labeler should choose from to start out with (assuming you’re interested in launching your line in these categories).

Whether you choose to sell private label cosmetics or homemade cosmetics I always recommend selling via Amazon, and selecting the right niche or market is one of the most important things that will determine your venture’s success. If you choose a niche that isn’t profitable, doesn’t have high demand and doesn’t meet the right criteria – then you can be in for a real up-hill battle. I’ve often seen people fail because they don’t do the proper research during this critical phase of selling on Amazon.

So you have Chosen Personal Care and Cosmetics, Now What?

Even if you have chosen to focus on these categories, there are literally thousands and thousands of products out there to choose from. Well there are currently two main trends that should dictate your choice:

Natural and Organic Products– People are finally internalizing that what goes on to their skin eventually goes in to their body. Putting artificial chemical-filled soaps, lotions, and cosmetics all over the skin allows the body to absorb toxins. That’s why organic beauty products are gaining in popularity. Organic beauty products include those that are free of phthalates, parabens, and petroleum waxes, to name a few.

Anti-aging products– The search for the fountain of youth has never ceased, and this property continues to talk to adults of all ages and sexes. Stand out products in the anti-aging category highlight the latest advancements in anti-aging products. Those products that target wrinkled or sagging skin, and boost elasticity are extremely popular.

Top 10 Private Label Personal Care and Cosmetics Products to Sell

Pure Essential Oils

As people move towards healthier, less artificial products, they also seek products that have multiple uses and benefits. Pure and essential oils are ultra-hot right now and are often on the top of recommended product lists. These 100% natural oils are chock-full of vitamins and other nutrients which encourage and promote various bodily functions and processes. Some can be used for cooking, as massage oil, a lip balm, moisturizer, shaving cream, deep treatment conditioner, makeup remover, body scrub, bug bites… the list goes on. Each essential oil has areas of specialty they excel at, and you can harness their popularity to make your products stand out. They are popular on their own or as part of other personal care and cosmetics as you’ll see listed in the following products below.
I’ll give some examples of popular Pure and Essential Oils just to give you an idea of some of the amazing properties and health benefits they have-

Pure Coconut Oil– 100% natural, fractionated, and therapeutic grade Coconut Oil contains medium chain triglyceride as well as micronutrients vitamin E, vitamin K, iron, and choline. Rich in fatty acids, Coconut Oil works well for a variety of uses, from massages, to skin and hair care as well as cooking.

Argan Oil– Also known as ‘Morrocan Oil’ and one of the rarest oils in the world, argan, which absorbs easily, helps supply shine and a healthy look to hair with its abundance of essential fatty acids, vitamin E, and carotene, though it is most commonly used as a moisturizer to hydrate and soften skin, giving it a natural boost. This boost gives the skin a youthful glow and reduces the visibility of wrinkles.

Apricot Seed Oil– is recommended for mature or sensitive skin, and can be used to improve hair growth, hydration, and natural sheen. It’s also one of the best carrier and massage oils for sensitive skin and blends easily with other essential oils. This oil is well suited for skin care products because it is a mild, moisturizing oil, and is readily absorbed into the skin without leaving any residue behind. As an emollient, Apricot Seed Oil is great for use in face and body creams, lotions, balms, lip care, hair care and soaps. Apricot Seed Oil contains vitamins A, B, C, and E, as well as antioxidants and Omega 6 fatty acids.

Jojoba-Closely resembling sebum which is naturally produced by the scalp, jojoba has become one of the skincare industry’s most favored ingredients and has a host of therapeutic properties. Jojoba Oil conditions, softens, and moisturizes the skin and hair. It can be used as a cleanser, moisturizer, or prep treatment, or even to reduce frizz while improving hair manageability and shine for all hair types. Removes excess sebum and buildup from hair follicles, thereby allowing new hairs to enter the growth cycle much faster. Antimicrobial properties reduce acne breakouts and bacterial contamination. Furthermore, the small amount of iodine helps reduce harmful bacteria that can cause acne.

Avocado Oil– derived from the avocado fruit, boasts some unusual and uniquely healthy properties. Avocado oil is high in vitamin E, A, B1, B2, and D, and unsaturated fats. It contains more protein than any other fruit and more potassium than a banana.
Avocado Oil is a highly potent moisturizer for skin and hair. It protects against and eliminates harmful free-radicals that damage the skin. Avocado oil deeply penetrates the outer layers of skin to deliver moisture deep within the dermis – all without leaving a heavy oil residue behind. It improves dry skin and scalp, and increases skin elasticity.

Eucalyptus Oil– is a wonderful natural moisturizer for the hair and skin. The health benefits of eucalyptus oil are well-known and wide ranging. Using this oil regularly keeps the skin soft and prevents premature signs of aging. The high levels of vitamins A and E will also keep the hair smooth and healthy. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant which aids in protecting the skin from UV ray damage, free-radicals, and premature aging. Vitamin A (retinol) works to further fight free-radical damage, and can also increase the skin’s collagen production. Due to its light viscosity and non-greasiness, this oil can easily be absorbed into the skin and will reduce dryness. Eucalyptus oil can be combined with other essential or carrier oils to enhance your massage experience.

Essential Oil Shampoo and Conditioners

Besides for selling oils in their base form, you can also sell them as part of other products. These shampoos take hair and scalp care to the next level. Their advanced balanced formulation nourishes the scalp and some even help to reduce dandruff. These products contain unique combinations of the highest quality natural ingredients and essential oils, carefully selected to ensure maximum effectiveness. These therapeutic-grade essential oil formulas combine with gentle, effective natural conditioning agents to treat scalp and hair alike, resulting in a clear, healthy scalp with silky and easy-to-manage hair. The products nearly sell themselves.

As with all the following products, make sure you pick for your brand hypoallergenic products that contain no silicone or sulfate ingredients (in this regard, it is so that they can be utilized for color treated hair). And they should be Paraben free and contain no artificial colors or toxic ingredients.

Solid and Liquid Soaps

This is a product that is not only used every day, but multiple times a day, so consumers go through a lot of it, and if they like your product, they’ll keep coming back for more. As with all of the products on the list here, you want to find the soaps that are as natural & organic as possible and infused with Essential Oils if possible. You might want to start with solid soaps as they have low manufacturing costs and a short production time, but liquid soaps are certainly something you’ll want to add soon after you’ve launched and established your brand.

Bath Salts

Natural & organic bath salts are huge now. They are relatively easy to make, so many entrepreneurs who create their own homemade line include them among their first products. Ask yourself, what is better than a warm bath? The answer- a warm bath with soothing, mineral rich, all-natural aromatherapy bath salts.

Organic salt baths help balance skin oils, improve circulation, ease muscular pain and joint stiffness and soothe irritated skin conditions. Throughout history people have immersed themselves in baths to cleanse, relax, refresh, rejuvenate, and heal. Adding a medley of soothing mineral rich salts, some blended with pure organic essential oils, enhances the natural healing and soothing effects of these baths, turning it into a spa-like experience in your own home. You want to look for those made with the purest ingredients of the highest quality.

Bubble Bath

Not just enjoyed by children, bubble baths enhance any bath with an abundance of bubbles and moisturizing qualities. Finding 100% pure formulas enrich the bath’s aroma while contributing natural skin benefits to deliver everything one can expect from a therapeutic bubble bath. Most brands will benefit from having something like this which consumers view as relaxing and even a bit more playful.

Facial Cleanser

Most women use facial cleansers daily to gently remove dirt, oil, dead skin cells, and makeup for a fresh and healthy face. Many men use it as well. It helps to nourish skin and clear the complexion for all skin types, including oily, dry, acne prone skin, and combination skin. You want to look for a product that is formulated specifically with sensitive skin in mind, without any pore-clogging ingredients or irritating chemicals and suitable for everyday use. That will expand your possible consumer base and allow for greater sale volume.

Hand/Face/Eye/Foot/Shaving Cream

These are also products that are often used daily. There are a wide range of creams to choose from for different purposes such as for the hands, face, under the eyes, feet and shaving to name a few. For the most part you want to look for those products that are soothing for dry and cracked skin, and provide moisture to ease signs of aging and wrinkles, creams that can alleviate long-term damage caused by dirt, grease, grime, heavy detergents and pollutants. The creams you choose should always have a mild formulation that is suitable for sensitive skin. For eye creams in particular this is important as the area directly under the eye is the most sensitive area of skin on the body. It is vital that any external product applied in the area be mild and not overwhelming. Shaving cream in particular is a product that most use daily and can be utilized by men and women alike. Only pick a shaving cream that can be used by those with sensitive skin, and does not contain harsh lathering agents or irritating chemicals so it can be used by all skin types; a natural formula that will nourish and moisturize the skin from application to removal.

Lip Balm

You don’t want to limit yourself by picking a lip balm to sell that is specifically aimed at only one target audience, at least not when you’re trying to first establish yourself. Find a lip balm that moisturizes and nourishes dry, chapped lips for men and women of all ages, and comes in a variety of appealing flavors. Beeswax lip balms help the product go on a little bit thicker, offering an additional level of protection, so they have become favorites in this category.

Sunscreen- SPF 30 and Above

Private label sunscreens are available in a wide range of SPF values. The Sun Protection Factor or SPF is utilized to measure a sunscreen products protection from UVB (Ultra Violet B) rays, the type that cause sunburn and contribute to skin cancer. SPF however does not measure how well a sunscreen will protect from UVA (Ultra Violet A) rays, which are also damaging and harmful.

What you will need to look for when you choose a sunscreen to sell is a product that has broad-spectrum protection. When people are out and about in the sunshine, they are exposed to two forms of dangerous UV radiation: UVA and UVB.
UVA rays penetrate deeply into the skin and are mainly responsible for the tanning (tanning beds use this) effect your skin undergoes. It also contributes to skin ageing, wrinkles and causes some skin cancers. UVA is present at fairly consistent levels during daylight hours all year-round. UVB radiation, which is even more dangerous, causes skin reddening and sunburn and is the major cause of skin cancer. It also contributes to tanning and skin ageing. Unlike UVA, UVB levels vary according to altitude, latitude, time of day and time of year.

A broad spectrum sunscreen acts to block both UVA and UVB rays, affording better all-around skin protection and that is what you want to offer to your clients. It should be moisturizing, sweat and water-resistant, with a scent that is not overpowering, and it should be fast absorbing without leaving a greasy residue behind. Those are the properties of sunscreens that are in demand.

Witch Hazel Toner

Many of the most popular uses for witch hazel are cosmetic. The skin-tightening and deep cleansing powers of witch hazel give it a wide variety of uses. Look for a witch hazel toner product that combines the most effective natural ingredients available to maximize toning and astringent capabilities and deliver the highest quality toner, with excellent benefits for the face, skin, hair, and scalp.

Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), a type of plant native to North America and parts of Asia, is a member of the Hamamelidaceae plant family, the leaves and bark of which are used to make a skin-healing astringent that’s capable of naturally reducing acne, insect bites, blisters, inflammation, poison ivy and much more. Witch hazel is mostly used on the skin, since its strong antioxidant and astringent properties are ideal for killing bacteria that lives within skin’s pores, preventing signs of aging, stopping cellular damage that can lead to skin cancer, and speeding up healing.

Wrapping Things Up

If your products have a broad base appeal, stand out among the competition, and are made with natural quality ingredients that are as safe for the human body as they are for the environment, you should do well. Remember to do proper research and start off small. Test your products with trusted friends and family to get honest feedback. Always use this, and customer, feedback to enhance and constantly improve your products. Don’t let setbacks keep you down and have patience. I wish you the very best of luck in your private label venture!

Quick Tips For Finding The Right Product

Products that are Evergreen– Meaning, that someone will buy this product over and over again throughout the year, rather than only at certain times. For private label selling, a product used daily like soap is great, a 4th of July tablecloth is not.

Simple, Lightweight and Relatively Small Items– you want to stay away from electronics and overly complicated products. You also need to factor in your product’s weight and size. There’s shipping involved in selling physical products, so you want to make sure it’s not too heavy or big, as that can cost you and the consumer more money.

Items That Are profitable and In High Demand– you need to ensure that after all your costs, the product you’re selling will still bring you a profit, and just because you might think your product idea is good, doesn’t mean that there is a market demand for it. That’s why you need to do the right research. You need to work out all your costs, identify what KEYWORDS people are typing in on Amazon, what they’re looking for, and then carefully assess the existing products in that market to be sure that they’re selling and profitable.

Check Out the Competition– you can find a hot market with lots of demand and potential, but if your competition is solidly established, with overwhelmingly satisfied clients, you might struggle. If the market is too competitive, then it’ll be very difficult for you to compete and get ranked at the top. Not to say that this is impossible, merely that some markets will be easier for you to be successful at than others. Remember, the important part is to first establish your brand in markets where you have the chance to do so, once you start to become recognized and have your own positive reviews flowing in, you can move to more competitive products. Competition with a couple of hundred reviews (or less) rather than a couple of thousand is something more realistic that you can compete with.

Think about Where You Want Your Brand Going– When private labeling, you want to always think about building a brand that can grow. You should aim to build something that will last; a brand that will be recognizable and that you’ll be able to sell even more products under.

You Should Be Passionate About Your Products– You don’t have to be passionate about your product – but it’s a plus. Some people are in it just to make money, which is fine, but I have found that if you have that passion, you’ll be able to better convey that to your clients, and because you love it so much, you’ll do whatever it takes to promote it and get it in the hands of others.