Launching a new Cosmetic Brand: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide for 2025

Written By Jordon Sandland

Introduction

The UK and EU cosmetics industry is booming, driven by a rise in conscious consumerism, innovation, and an increasing demand for clean, safe, and ethically produced beauty products. If you're planning to launch a cosmetic brand, it's an exciting time—but it's also a highly regulated space that demands strategic planning and strict compliance. From defining your brand identity to fulfilling regulatory requirements, product development, and beyond, every step must be executed with precision.

In this comprehensive guide, we walk you through all eight essential pillars of launching a compliant cosmetic brand in the UK—from crafting your brand's DNA to navigating the complex web of requirements, product development, marketing, and growth strategies.

1. Brand Strategy & Identity: Laying the Foundation

Before formulating your first product or designing your packaging, your brand needs a solid foundation.

Define Your Niche

The cosmetics industry is vast, so carving out a clear niche is essential. Are you focused on:

  • Skincare solutions for sensitive skin?

  • High-performance makeup for professional use?

  • Organic, plant-based haircare?

  • Wellness beauty hybrids?

  • Biotech-focused ingredients?

Choosing a niche helps refine your product offerings and clarify your value proposition. It also ensures your marketing is targeted and efficient.

Understand Your Target Audience

Understanding your ideal customer goes beyond demographics. Consider their lifestyle, shopping behaviour, values, ethics, education, and pain points. Are they:

  • Eco-conscious millennials seeking sustainable products?

  • Professional white collar workers looking for convenient, multi-functional makeup?

  • Teenagers interested in cruelty-free, budget-friendly skincare suitable for younger skin?

Conduct market research, create buyer personas, and use tools like surveys or social listening to tailor your brand voice and product offerings.

Craft a Memorable Brand Identity

Your brand identity is more than just a logo. It includes:

  • Name: Memorable, unique, and relevant.

  • Logo: Professional, scalable, and reflective of your brand's tone.

  • Visual style: Colour palette, typography, and imagery that set the mood.

  • Tone of voice: Friendly, clinical, empowering, luxurious—choose one that resonates with your audience.

This consistency across platforms fosters trust and makes your brand instantly recognisable.

Define Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Why should customers choose you over others? Your USP might be:

  • Dermatologist-formulated skincare

  • Packaging-free solid beauty bars

  • Vegan makeup made with UK-sourced botanicals

  • A brand championing underrepresented communities

A clear USP differentiates your brand and becomes the core of your messaging.

2. Product Development: From Concept to Creation

Product development is both a creative and scientific process. It requires careful collaboration with experts to ensure your offerings are effective, safe, and compliant.

Work with Cosmetic Chemists or Labs

Unless you're qualified in cosmetic science, partner with a certified cosmetic chemist or a third-party cosmetic laboratory. They can help with:

  • Custom formulation

  • Stability and compatibility testing

  • Ingredient selection

  • Manufacturing at scale

Choose partners familiar with UK/EU cosmetic regulations. If you need recommendations for cosmetic chemists and formulation scientists contact us.

Source High-Quality, Compliant Ingredients

Select ingredients based on efficacy, safety, and regulatory status. Avoid:

  • Banned or restricted substances (e.g., certain preservatives or colourants)

  • Non-compliant raw materials (e.g., CBD extracts with too much THC)

  • Raw materials that are unstable for your product format

Prioritise suppliers who offer ingredient documentation, safety data sheets, and traceability.

Conduct Necessary Testing

Every cosmetic product must undergo rigorous testing before it can be sold. It’s important to make sure you understand which tests are suitable and are required as well as factor these into your launch timelines.

  • Stability testing: Confirms shelf life, performance, and resistance to environmental changes.

  • Safety assessment: Required under the UK Cosmetics Regulation. Must be completed by a qualified safety assessor.

  • Patch testing: Highly recommended, especially for skincare products, to identify potential irritation or allergic reactions.

These tests contribute to your Product Information File (PIF) and protect the health of your consumers and your brand from legal and financial risk.

Design Functional & Compliant Packaging

Packaging is critical for consumer appeal—but it also needs to be functional, compliant, and (ideally) sustainable. Consider:

  • Leak-proof and tamper-evident designs

  • Packaging suitable for the product's pH and ingredient profile

  • Eco-friendly options like recycled plastics or refillable formats

Ensure that your packaging is labelled in accordance with UK laws, which we’ll cover in Section 3.

3. Legal & Regulatory Compliance (UK-Focused)

Regulatory compliance is not optional—it is the legal framework that ensures product safety, protects consumer rights, and maintains public trust.

Business Setup

Before you launch, establish your business legally in the UK:

  • Consider registering a limited company with Companies House: Limited companies provide financial protections for owners, helping to protect their personal assets from business risk.

  • Trademark your name & logo: Protect your intellectual property through the UK Intellectual Property Office.

  • Secure product liability Insurance: Essential in case of product-related incidents or consumer claims.

Cosmetic Product Compliance

UK regulations require all cosmetic products sold in the UK to adhere to specific legal and safety criteria. It’s important to remember that compliance is not optional. The cost of non-compliance can be ruinously expensive for a small buisness.

Appoint a Responsible Person (RP)

Every cosmetic product sold to UK consumers must have a UK-based Responsible Person (RP). The RP is the individual or company that is legally responsible for ensuring the product’s compliance.

The RP ensures:

  • The product is safe for human health.

  • Labelling is accurate.

  • The PIF is up to date and accessible to authorities.

  • And much more!

You can act as your own RP or appoint a third-party regulatory expert. COSMESURE® offers both UK and EU RP services helping to take the pressure off founders while reducing business risk and protecting the health of consumers.

There are strict requirements and rules for everything from the size of text on labels to the order of ingredients in an ingredients list.

Advertising Standards

Under the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), you must:

  • Avoid misleading or exaggerated claims

  • Substantiate efficacy claims with evidence

  • Refrain from making medical claims (e.g., “treats eczema”)

  • And more!

It’s important to ensure that all your online content is compliant. Non-compliant brands can be reported to the ASA by members of the public and competitors. Ruilings are publicly published, and the ASA even has the power to ban brands from advertising on platforms like Google and Meta.

4. Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Choosing how and where to manufacture your products affects your quality, lead times, and cost structure.

In-House vs. Contract Manufacturing

  • In-House: Greater control, ideal for small batches, but costly in terms of equipment and expertise. However, this can come with significant risk if you don’t have a professional setting to carry this out.

  • Contract Manufacturing: Outsource production to certified labs with GMP facilities. Ideal for scaling.

Quality Assurance & Supplier Vetting

Implement quality checks, including:

  • Supplier qualification & vetting

  • Supplier audits

  • Batch release

  • Goods in inspections

This minimises defects, maintains consistency, and protects your brand reputation. All suppliers of finished goods must comply with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for cosmetics, and this is true if you manufacture cosmetic products yourself.

  • Request certifications (ISO 22716)

  • Conduct audits if feasible

  • Ensure traceability and availability of raw material technical documents such as COAs (Certificates of Analysis) and SDSs (Safety Data Sheets)

Understand MOQs and Lead Times

MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) and lead times can make or break your cash flow. Negotiate these carefully and maintain good communication with suppliers.

5. Financial Planning: Budgeting for Success

Even the best ideas fail without sound financial planning.

Set a Budget

Account for all startup and operational expenses, including:

  • R&D and formulation

  • Packaging design and materials

  • Legal and regulatory fees

  • Website development

  • Marketing and advertising

  • Insurance

  • logistics, warehousing and fulfillment

Pricing Strategy

Determine product pricing based on:

  • Cost of goods sold (COGS)

  • Desired profit margins

  • Market positioning

  • Competitor pricing

A robust pricing strategy ensures you remain competitive while staying profitable.

Explore Funding Options

Options include:

  • Bootstrapping: Use your own savings to retain full control.

  • Grants: Explore innovation or sustainability grants for beauty brands.

  • Investors: Angels or venture capital can accelerate growth.

  • Crowdfunding: Platforms like Kickstarter are popular for beauty startups.

Choose a model that aligns with your vision and business structure.

6. Branding & Marketing

A strong brand message coupled with effective marketing can build awareness, loyalty, and sales.

Build a Professional Website

Your website should:

  • Be visually consistent with your brand

  • Include e-commerce functionality

  • Feature mobile responsiveness

  • Contain legal pages (Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions, Returns Policy etc)

  • Comply with GDPR (or applicable data protection legislation)

Develop a Content Strategy

Content builds authority and improves SEO. Consider:

  • Blog posts on skin concerns and ingredient education

  • Behind-the-scenes videos

  • Tutorials and demos

  • Email newsletters with offers and updates

Use Social Media to Build Trust

Focus on 2–3 core platforms (e.g., Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn) where your audience spends time. Share:

  • Customer testimonials

  • User-generated content

  • Educational reels

  • Influencer collaborations

Partner with Influencers

Choose influencers who genuinely align with your brand. Micro-influencers (10k–100k followers) can offer higher engagement at lower costs.

Plan Your Launch Campaign

A well-orchestrated launch builds buzz. Include:

  • Teasers and countdowns

  • Pre-order campaigns

  • Limited edition bundles

  • PR outreach and media kits

7. Sales & Distribution

Once you’re ready to sell, how and where you sell becomes key to growth.

Choose Sales Channels

Popular options include:

  • Direct-to-Consumer (DTC): Through your website

  • Online Marketplaces: Amazon, Etsy, Not On The High Street, CultBeauty

  • Retail Partners: Boutiques, salons, department stores

  • Pop-ups or Fairs: Great for exposure and feedback

Each channel comes with different fees, terms, and logistics needs.

Set Up Logistics

Plan for:

  • Inventory management

  • Warehousing (in-house or third-party logistics)

  • Fulfilment and shipping providers

  • Easy, fair return policies

Your fulfilment process (and how quickly products are delivered) affects customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Consider International Expansion

If selling overseas, comply with:

  • Local cosmetic regulations (e.g., EU CPNP, US FDA)

  • Language and labelling laws

  • Import/export duties

  • Recycling schemes

8. Analytics & Growth

Once you’re live, it’s time to optimise, improve, and scale.

Track Key Metrics

Monitor:

  • Sales and revenue growth

  • Conversion rates

  • Customer acquisition cost (CAC)

  • Return on ad spend (ROAS)

  • Customer retention and lifetime value

Use tools like Google Analytics, Shopify dashboards, and CRM systems.

Act on Feedback

Encourage reviews and post-purchase surveys. Use the insights to:

  • Improve product formulations

  • Enhance packaging

  • Adjust marketing messaging

Iterate & Innovate

Be open to product pivots, new formats, or ingredient upgrades. Innovation keeps your brand fresh and competitive.

Plan for Scaling

Growth can come through:

  • Expanding your product range

  • Entering new markets

  • Partnering with larger retailers

  • Licensing or franchising

  • Finding distributors

Always ensure new products meet regulatory requirements before launch.

Final Thoughts

Launching a cosmetic brand in the UK is equal parts creative vision, strategic execution, and legal precision. While the process is complex, it is entirely achievable with the right partners, planning, and persistence. By following these eight foundational pillars, you can build not just a compliant cosmetic brand—but a trusted, lasting one that resonates with your audience.

Ready to enter the UK market? Let’s talk about how we can support your launch—from regulatory compliance to market strategy and beyond.

If you’re based outside of a market and you’d like to unlock it to reach new consumers, then you have options to explore. You can register a business in the appropriate territory and assume the obligations of the Responsible Person, or you can outsource the obligations to a trusted third-party specialist and use their in-market expertise to support you on your journey.

Reach out to COSMESURE® for a zero-obligation quotation and a free discovery call at info@cosmesure.uk.

Jordon Sandland
Next

Going for Growth: Opportunities in the UK Cosmetic Market (2025 and Beyond)