Private label hand cream, made with Korea’s manufacturers

Hand cream is one of the most approachable products to launch, and one of the easiest to get wrong on price. The cream itself is often a modest share of the cost. The tube, its printing, the cap, the box and the fragrance can each change what you pay and how many you have to order. Here’s how the pieces fit together.

Formula: start from a base or develop your own

Most Korean cosmetics manufacturers that develop products for brands (ODMs) keep a library of tested formulas. For hand cream there are usually two ways to start:

• An existing base, adjusted. You pick a base close to what you want, then adjust the texture, key ingredients and fragrance. This is usually the fastest route, with fewer sample rounds and lower development cost.
• A custom formula. The lab develops a formula from your brief. It takes longer and usually needs more sample rounds, and it makes sense when the texture or an ingredient story is the point of the product.

Either way, agree early on who owns the formula. With ODM development it often stays with the manufacturer unless you agree otherwise, which matters if you ever want to move production.

Texture is the main decision: a light, fast-absorbing gel cream, a classic cream or a rich balm each start from a different base. Decide too whether you’ll make claims, such as for very dry skin, because claims need support and can affect your labels.

Fragrance

Fragrance is often what customers remember about a hand cream. Manufacturers can offer fragrances through their own suppliers, or you can work with a fragrance house yourself. Each scent is usually its own variant with its own minimum, so a launch with four scents is closer to four products than one. Some markets, including the EU, require certain fragrance allergens to be listed on the label above set levels.

Tube, cap and box

• Size. Hand creams commonly come in tubes of around 30, 50 or 75 ml.
• Tube material. Plastic (PE) tubes are common and affordable. Laminated tubes, with an aluminum or plastic barrier layer, protect the formula better and hold their shape differently when squeezed.
• Cap. Flip-top and screw caps are the usual choices, and decorative caps cost more.
• Decoration. Offset printing puts full-color designs on the tube, silk screen suits simpler designs in fewer colors, and hot stamping adds metallic details. A stock tube with a simple print is usually the cheapest way to start.
• Box. A carton adds cost and another supplier, but protects the tube and gives you room for information and design. Gift sets need their own packaging.

Tube printing often has its own minimum order, set by the tube supplier, and it can be higher than the manufacturer’s minimum for filling.

Reading a hand cream quote

Two quotes for the same hand cream can look far apart and cover different things. Before you compare unit prices, check:

• Is the tube included, and is it printed?
• Are the cap and the carton included?
• Is the minimum per scent or for the whole order, and what sets it: filling, tubes or cartons?
• Are samples and stability testing included, or charged separately?
• Does the lead time start when you order or when the materials arrive?
• How long is the price valid, and what isn’t confirmed yet?

The lowest unit price often leaves the tube and box out, which can leave you managing two or three more suppliers. See an example of a side-by-side quote comparison on our home page, and our guide to reading a hand cream quote.

Timeline

With an existing base and a stock tube, a first hand cream can often be ready in a few months. A custom formula, custom tube decoration or extra sample rounds add time. Stability testing of the cream in its tube is part of the process, because some formulas and tubes don’t work well together. Our timeline guide covers each step.

How Andle helps

Andle isn’t a factory, and we don’t make the cream ourselves. We find Korean manufacturers and tube and box suppliers that fit your brief and volume, ask them to quote the same spec, and show you what each quote includes and leaves out. Then we coordinate samples, fragrance, packaging, testing and production with you and every partner.

You see every manufacturer and supplier by name from the first quote, and you sign and pay each one directly. Read more about how to tell who is really making your product.