Are you planning to launch your own custom skincare brand? But have you ever wondered how long it really takes to bring a custom skincare product to life?
It’s not as quick as mixing a few oils and just slapping a unique label on, but it’s not impossible either.
Whether you’re a skincare enthusiast, a startup founder, or just curious about what goes on behind the scenes, here we’ll break down the full journey and timeline of developing a custom skincare product.
Phase 1: Research and Ideation (1-2 Months)
The first phase in developing a custom skincare product is all about researching and planning.
Market Research
This means identifying the target audience and their common skin concerns and preferences, understanding competitors, analysing market trends, researching the regulatory requirements in your region, and spotting gaps in the industry.
Concept Development
After collecting market data, you need to define:
- The type of product (e.g., cleanser, moisturizer, serum)
- The skin concerns it addresses (e.g., acne, aging, sensitivity)
- The desired texture, scent, packaging, and price point
This phase will help you lay out the strategic foundation for product development.
Phase 2: Formulation Development (2-4 Months)
Once you know what you want to create, it’s time to turn ideas into a natural skincare formulation, which usually takes 2 to 4 months.
1. Choosing Active Ingredients: Since personalised skincare tends to thrive on precision and personalisation, a chemist will select trending natural ingredients in skincare based on efficacy for targeted concerns, safety for different skin types, compatibility between ingredients, and stability over time.
2. Prototype Creation: Next, the chemist will create several prototypes with varying concentrations and combinations of ingredients for skincare products. In this step, the brand and lab need to collaborate to test different samples and provide feedback on texture, absorption, scent, and efficacy.
3. Stability and Compatibility Testing (Initial Rounds): Even in the early stages, labs need stability tests to see how formulas hold up under different temperatures and lighting conditions. This ensures the product won’t separate, degrade, or become unsafe during its shelf life.
Phase 3: Safety and Regulatory Testing (1-3 Months)
You cannot legally sell a skincare product until it has passed certain safety and regulatory checks. So, you would need to go through regulatory tests, which generally take 1 to 3 months. Here are some of the tests that brands go through!
1. Microbiological Testing: This determines whether the product can resist microbial growth over time. It’s crucial for products with water content, which can be breeding grounds for bacteria and mould.
2. Patch Testing: Also known as HRIPT (Human Repeat Insult Patch Test), this checks for irritation or allergic reactions in real human subjects.
3. Stability Testing (Ongoing): Advanced stability tests simulate months or years of ageing within a few weeks, allowing you to assess the product’s shelf life.
4. Claims Substantiation: If you’re claiming “reduces redness” or “hydration for 24 hours”, those claims must be supported by clinical testing or literature, depending on regional laws.
Phase 4: Branding and Packaging (2-3 Months)
The next phase is branding and marketing, where you work on the look and feel of your custom skincare product. It includes:
- Packaging Selection: Choosing packaging isn’t just aesthetic; it must protect the formula from light and air, align with sustainability goals, and be easy for consumers to use.
- Label Design and Compliance: Your labels must include ingredient lists (INCI format), usage instructions, expiry date or PAO (Period After Opening), and legal disclaimers and warnings.
Phase 5: Manufacturing (1-2 Months)
Now that everything’s in place, it’s time to manufacture, which might take 1 or 2 months. This phase includes:
- Pilot Batch Production: Before full-scale manufacturing, run a pilot batch to ensure the product performs the same outside the lab. It will help you check how the formula behaves during mixing, filling, and packaging processes.
- Full Production Run: Once the pilot batch is approved, you need to start full-scale manufacturing. If you want to outsource, seek help from custom private label skin care. This step can take a few weeks to a month.
Phase 6: Quality Control and Final Testing (1 Month)
Before products ship out, you need to make sure they undergo a final round of quality control (QC). It will make sure each batch meets the same standards as the original approved formula. This includes:
- Visual inspection
- pH testing
- Viscosity checks
- Microbiological screening
Even if you have a perfect formula, you can’t ignore this step. It protects your brand from recalls, complaints, and legal trouble.
Phase 7: Launch Preparation and Distribution (1-2 Months)
The last step in developing a customized skincare products in India is to launch preparation and distribution of the products.
For the logistics and inventory, make sure your product is stored in climate-controlled warehouses, distributed to retailers, or prepared for DTC (direct-to-consumer) fulfilment.
Apart from that, you should also launch marketing campaigns across social media, email newsletters, influencer partnerships, etc.
So, What’s the Total Time?
Adding all the phases, here’s a typical timeline:
| Phase | Time Estimate |
| Research and Ideation | 1–2 months |
| Formulation Development | 2–4 months |
| Safety & Regulatory Testing | 1–3 months (overlapping) |
| Branding & Packaging | 2–3 months |
| Manufacturing | 1–2 months |
| Quality Control & Final Testing | 1 month |
| Launch Prep & Distribution | 1–2 months |
| Total Time | 8–14 months |
The entire process can take anywhere from 8 to 14 months, depending on product complexity, regulatory hurdles, and supplier coordination. For ultra-customised products, development might extend to 18 months or more.
It can be done faster, but only with trade-offs, such as:
- White-label or private-label solutions
- Smaller batches
- Digital tools and AI
However, cutting corners on testing, formulation, or compliance risks long-term brand damage.
Final Thoughts
Developing a custom skincare product is a time-taking process and might take 8 to 14 months or 18 months at most. While it’s tempting to rush to market, true success in skincare, especially in the personalised category, comes from doing it right, not fast.
If you’re considering launching your unique skincare line and want to outsource development and manufacturing, contact our private label manufacturers at Naturo & Orgo to get samples!
FAQs
Q. What is the average time to develop a custom skincare product from start to finish?
Ans. Most custom skincare products take 8 to 14 months to go from concept to launch. This timeline includes formulation, testing, branding, manufacturing, and distribution. For more complex or personalised formulas, it can take up to 18 months.
Q. Can I speed up the development process?
Ans. Yes, but with limitations. Using private-label or white-label manufacturers can shorten the timeline to as little as 3–6 months since the base formula already exists.
Q. Do I need clinical testing for custom skincare products?
Ans. Not always. If your claims are general (like “moisturizes skin”), you might not need clinical trials. But for specific claims (like “reduces wrinkles in 7 days”), you’ll need clinical or consumer testing to back it up, which can add time and cost.