Inside a Cosmetics Factory: From Lab to Loading Dock
A lot goes on inside a makeup factory. Here's a walk through every step at our Farmingdale, New York facility, from the first idea in the lab to the box on the loading dock, plus a look at how different products actually get filled.
The lab
Most ideas start in the lab. Our chemists work on site, developing formulas for clients and for our own stock line.
Regulatory
Once a formula is approved, it moves to regulatory. This is where testing happens and the final ingredient list (INCI) is completed.
Production: compounding and powders
After testing is approved, the formula goes to production. Depending on the product, it goes to our compounding room or our powder room, where the bulk is made in batches.
Micro testing and quarantine
Every finished batch of bulk goes out for microbial testing to make sure nothing was contaminated during manufacturing. Bulk stays in quarantine until we get the all-clear.
Filling
Next, the bulk goes to our liquids filling area or our powder pressing area. Products are filled, crimped, capped, shrink-wrapped, labeled, and whatever else the bill of materials calls for.
Pick, pack, and ship
Private label products go upstairs into inventory on our shelves. When an order comes in, our picking and packing team pulls it, packs it, and sends it to shipping. Custom formulation orders go straight to shipping when they're complete, then out to the client's fulfillment center or final destination. Our shipping department has multiple loading docks and areas for staging, palletizing, and smaller ground shipments.
Everything else
We're a normal business too, with offices, accounting, and a sales team. We also have a label room, where labels are printed onto rolls before going to packing, and a retain room, where we keep samples (retains) from every batch.
How different products are filled
Just because a facility manufactures cosmetics doesn't mean it has the equipment to fill every type of package. Here's how the most common formats work:
- Lip gloss: top fill. The wiper comes out, and product is filled from the machine straight into the bottle.
- Pressed powders: the loose powder is made first, then pressed into pans.
- Loose powders: filled into jars, then a sifter is popped in.
- Creams: filled into jars, or into tubes that are top-filled and then crimped at the end.
- Sticks and lipsticks: molded first, then popped into the component. Some are bottom-filled, where product fills down into a cap to create the dome shape. Each stick size needs its own molds and matching components.
- Hot pour: product is heated and poured directly into a pan. Great for cream blush, cream bronzer, and cream concealer.
- Bottles and airless pumps: filled, then assembled with their stems, pumps, and caps.
What we don't do: aerosols, baked products, or SPF (which must be made at an OTC facility).
Want to see it for yourself? Book a showroom appointment or virtual walkthrough.