Good Manufacturing Practices in Cosmetic Product Development

The cosmetics industry is a multibillion-dollar industry, and according to Business Insider, the beauty business will continue to trend and become more and more lucrative. With increasing transparency in terms of ingredients and production systems and a growing interest in sustainability and DIY projects, we can expect the beauty business boom to continue. But with the influence of social media channels and the proliferation of DIY recipes and tutorials, are we doing enough to keep ourselves and our customers safe?

If you are an indie beauty entrepreneur or an indie beauty maker, how long has it been since you did a self-check and reviewed the guidelines for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in Cosmetics Product Development? These practices and protocols help ensure cosmetic brands gain a reputation for being consistently excellent and reduce any chance of harm to customers. These basic practices should also be implemented at home to ensure that your DIY beauty products are of the highest and healthiest quality.

DIY cosmetic products such as lip gloss and other cosmetics have become a popular trend on all social media channels. Have you joined the trend? If not, don’t get left behind! Create 17 unique ready-to-wear lip glosses with our Mini Make Your Own Lip Gloss Kit! Consumers are interested in making cosmetics, buying them from indie beauty brands, and even just watching them being created. Tutorials and how-to articles are abundantly available, and they clearly show that not all people are aware of the safety protocols around cosmetic production. 

Most indie beauty creators are already following safe practices, even if they don’t know about GMP. They demonstrate how clean they are by showing themselves sanitizing their work area, cleaning their supplies, and handling products with care. Most small business owners list their ingredients, especially vegan brands. But just because a product is handmade doesn’t mean it’s safe. Read on to learn more about making sure your indie beauty products follow the best manufacturing practices.

What Is Good Manufacturing Practice?

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) refers to a set of guidelines about the manufacturing process that is in place to ensure that the final product achieves the highest standards in safety, consistency, and quality. These guidelines affect the entire manufacturing process from start to finish and are in place to protect both the producer and the customer. 

Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines are just that—only guidelines suggested by the FDA to help ensure health and safety and quality products. There are also Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines for other industries that help achieve safety and consistency in those industries. 

These practices can be especially important when considering your home beauty-making space. Is your space in optimum condition for producing the best-quality cosmetics?

Why Is GMP Important for an Indie Beauty Cosmetic Brand?

No matter the size of your cosmetics business, understanding the basics of Good Manufacturing Practices can be immensely beneficial. The benefits go far beyond legal compliance. GMPs ensure that you consistently provide excellent-quality cosmetics that customers will love and be satisfied with. That consistency of quality increases sales, boosts your reputation, and drives brand loyalty.

Cosmetic GMP guidelines offer advice for cosmetic businesses to improve business procedures. GMPs are specifically concerned with the manufacturing or production processes that impact the safety, consistency, and quality of the end product. To be competitive in today’s beauty market and be a successful cosmetics producer, you need to establish a brand identity that corresponds with a healthy product that consistently provides high-quality results.

For indie beauty creators working from home, adapting the GMP guidelines for cosmetics guarantees that your beauty product is of the best quality and is as safe as possible for your family and friends. 

What Are Some of the Specific GMP Guidelines?

The complete list of GMP guidelines for cosmetics can be found on the FDA web page, but what follows is a summary of some of the key points covered by the GMP that help ensure the safety, consistency, and quality of our cosmetics. The FDA recommends doing a self-check if you are a DIYer or an indie beauty brand founder, and remember that these are minimum standards, so the goal is always to exceed them.

• Building and Facilities: The cosmetic production facility should be clean, with surfaces that are designed to be easy to decontaminate. Use a sanitizing agent for surfaces and make sure that the area you are using to make products is really suitable for that task.
• Equipment: All equipment used in the cosmetics creation process should be sterile, clean, and in good working order.
• Documentation and Records: Cosmetic companies are encouraged to keep documents about almost everything involved in each phase of product development and sales. Batch numbers, dates and times, inventory stats, and employee stats are all essential pieces of knowledge if anything goes wrong. A product recall is only possible if proper documentation exists. If you are working from home, recipes and ingredient lists are important. Designate a place to organize and store receipts and recipes.
• Personnel: In the cosmetics industry, all personnel must be authorized, adequately trained, and protected on the job. When you are working from home, take care of your own personal safety during the beauty-making process, and be sure to let anyone that is there with you know what the processes are. Have safety equipment available including such things as protective glasses and rubber gloves.
• Raw Materials: Raw materials for cosmetics should be as close to food-grade as possible. The colorant and the preservatives are especially important to review. Raw materials must be properly stored and processed in the most sanitary conditions.
• Production: In the beauty business, having a consistent system of production is essential to quality assurance. This applies at home as well. To be confident in your indie beauty products, follow recipes and instructions to be sure that you get what you expect each time you create a DIY cosmetic product.
• Laboratory Controls: Again, it is essential to maintain sanitary conditions, keep proper records, and allow only trained and authorized personnel on production sites in the cosmetic industry. Taking in-process samples and samples of final products and testing for quality is an important measure. We can take in-process and end result samples at home, too, and check for quality and consistency.
• Product Labeling: Product labels should not be misleading in any way. Every ingredient should be listed at least on the outside of the packaging. Keeping accurate ingredient lists are important as an indie beauty creator, especially if you are sharing your creations with others or selling them from home.

Have you been implementing any of these best practices at home? Whether you’re a small indie beauty brand or a beauty DIYer , please share your thoughts with us on social media so we can benefit from each other’s experiences.