Creator of Huge Lips, Skinny Hips Lip Gloss (coming very soon to Space NK!), Karen Robinovitz takes us through the trials and tribulations of creating a beauty brand from scratch.

So where did we leave off last week? Oh yah, we were at testing, remember? So imagine that you have a formula. Here's what your lab would do next...

1. R.I.P.T. test (repeat insult panel test, which is basically putting product on a panel of skin/body part the product is for repeatedly to make sure it does not irritate). That one is a few thousand dollars (forgot the exact amount right now).

2. Making Claims. If you want to make claims - say the product does something by a certain percent – you have to do clinicals, which are essentially scientific studies that prove the claims you're making. They can be costly. Very costly. Too costly for Purple Lab's blood at this time.

3. Stability. This tests how stable the formula is – and it involves using heat and simulating time so you can see if and how the formula would hold up over months, years, etc.

4. Compatibility. You have to make sure the formula works with the component it goes in (a component is the beauty biz term for whatever holds the formula – a squeezie tube, a jar, a container, etc.).

To do compatibility, you have to know what you're putting the gloss in – as in, a lip gloss container. On my list of things to do: find something!

What? Where? How? No clue!

I knew that I wanted it to convey luxury and feel special in your hand. I didn't know that there was a world of millions of components to choose from – there are consultants whose sole job is to find components for beauty products for people!

And while it would be great to have someone else doing my dirty work, I didn't have the budget to put one on retainer. I needed to fly solo.

More frantic phone calls ensued.

I found out is that components are typically sent by boat, which takes 12 weeks (12 weeks!). There are two kinds: stock componentry is what manufacturers have existing molds for and tons or brands use; custom componentry requires building a unique mold, which can get costly. In a case like mine – new, small business on a tight financial diet – custom was out of the question.

I was given the name of one of the largest manufacturers in the business through one of the component consultants I met who was nice enough to share her source. They sent me a handful of components to look at. I didn't really like most of them – they all looked kind of cheap. (This part is free, FYI.)

The company sent me another set of components, these more upscale. The one that spoke to me the most was similar to others I've seen out there in the luxury market – Lip Fusion comes to mind. It felt heavy, sturdy in the hand, like you're actually getting something significant.

Meanwhile, the lab had sent me the sample and it only took three back and forths to nail it. By the time it was done, I was in love with the formula. I had a few in little jars that I wore religiously, as did my mom and two friends who swiped them from my bag!

I sent the lab the sample component to do their battery of tests, which typically run for about three months. Well, three months later, we passed all tests and I was ready to order the components.

Enter "minimums," which are minimum orders. It costs the factories tons of dough to run their machinery so they won't even turn them on unless you're buying at least 5,000 of each color. Minimums are usually 5,000 per color. I wanted six colors. So I suddenly found myself ordering 30,000 pieces – and writing a check for over $20,000.

Where is that trust fund when you need it?

The scary thing is, I'm not actually there to oversee the process. So I'm paying for these things and can't approve them as they come off the factory line. The companies assure me they have serious quality control to make sure the components are filled right, and look like they should.

Meaning, they also decorate the component.

OMG!

I didn't even think of that part yet. I had to have a design on them, the brand. Hold everything – we'll get to that next week.

Mwah!

Karen
Purple Lab Creatrix