Selected Mature Formula vs Fully Custom Hair Care: What a 100-Piece Order Can Change
Compare ready-to-brand, semi-custom and fully custom hair care, including what can realistically change in a 100-piece private-label order.
Small brands often ask for a “custom” shampoo, mask or serum at 100 pieces, but the word can describe very different projects. Current beauty-packaging development is moving toward closer coordination between formula, applicator and user experience. That makes the sourcing route more important: a change that looks minor on a mood board can affect stability, compatibility, testing, lead time and MOQ.
Direct answer
At 100 pieces per SKU, the realistic route is usually a selected stable formula filled into a compatible in-stock bottle with a pressure-sensitive label or other available decoration. A buyer may be able to select among approved formula, fragrance, color or packaging options, subject to current stock and compatibility. Changing active levels, preservative systems, viscosity, surfactants, fragrance beyond approved limits, custom printed bottles or molds turns the project into semi-custom or fully custom development and normally raises the MOQ.
Three sourcing routes
Ready-to-brand mature formula
The manufacturer offers an existing stable formula with established processing parameters and a group of compatible packs. The brand selects the closest fit, confirms the destination market and develops its label. This is the fastest, lowest-risk route for a small commercial test.
“Mature” does not mean generic or poor quality. It means the formula already has a history of production and a defined specification. The brand still needs to confirm INCI, claims, fragrance, pack, artwork and regulatory suitability.
Semi-custom adaptation
A semi-custom project changes a controlled variable within an existing base—for example, an approved fragrance option, viscosity target, color direction or compatible active addition. Even a limited change may require bench work, stability checks and new compatibility review. Feasibility depends on the formula, not on the buyer’s preferred label for the project.
Fully custom development
A fully custom formula begins with a new brief and may change the cleansing system, conditioning technology, active combination, sensory profile, preservation, appearance and package. It requires development rounds, specifications, validation and scale-up. It is appropriate when the brand has a defensible product gap, budget and forecast—not simply because “custom” sounds more premium.
What can usually change in a 100-piece pilot
For selected formulas and available components, a small batch may support:
- Brand artwork on a pressure-sensitive label.
- Selection from available stock bottles, closures and applicators.
- Choice among approved formulas suited to the target use.
- Certain pre-approved fragrance or color variants, where offered.
- Carton or kit configuration using available materials, subject to MOQ.
Every item is conditional on live inventory, current production scheduling and compatibility. A sample bottle seen last month is not proof that 100 identical units are reserved today.
Changes that commonly trigger a higher MOQ
- A new formula or meaningful ingredient-level change.
- A new fragrance at a concentration not previously validated.
- A different preservative, pH, viscosity or surfactant system.
- A custom bottle color, silk-screen print, hot stamp or molded component.
- A special pump, treatment comb or non-standard applicator.
- Professional or backbar sizes that are not regularly stocked.
These changes affect raw-material purchasing, equipment setup, component manufacturing and quality control. The higher quantity is not an arbitrary penalty; it reflects a different supply chain.
Compare the routes by business objective
Choose a mature formula when the goal is to test audience, price, message and channel. Choose semi-custom development when one controlled sensory or positioning change creates a meaningful advantage. Choose full custom when the brand can define a technical gap, fund validation and support the eventual production quantity.
A founder launching a first scalp serum may learn more from 100 finished units than from spending months selecting fashionable actives. An established distributor with forecast volume, testing requirements and a clear competitive benchmark may benefit from custom development.
Documents and testing still matter
Low MOQ does not mean “no quality file.” Ask which formula documents, stability data, microbiological tests, specifications, batch records and packaging compatibility information apply to the exact product. Confirm whether the fragrance, color and pack are already covered or create new work.
The destination market determines label and claim needs. A cosmetic can support appearance, feel, cleansing or conditioning; drug-like hair-growth, dandruff-treatment or disease claims require a different regulatory pathway in many markets.
A better RFQ for a 100-piece project
- Product type and primary consumer problem.
- Target texture, finish and fragrance direction.
- Destination country and sales channel.
- Desired retail price and fill volume.
- Preferred stock package and backup option.
- First order and 6–12 month forecast.
- Claims that must be supported.
- Launch deadline and artwork status.
This lets the supplier identify an existing formula honestly instead of forcing a “custom” promise that the order cannot support.
FAQ
Is a mature formula the same as a stock product?
Not exactly. The formula may be established, but it is filled and labeled for the buyer’s order using agreed packaging and artwork.
Can I add one trendy active at 100 pieces?
Possibly, but any active can affect pH, preservation, color, odor, viscosity and claims. It needs a feasibility decision and may move the project outside the 100-piece route.
Can I print directly on 100 bottles?
Direct printing often has a component or decoration MOQ above 100. A label on a compatible stock bottle is usually more practical.
When is full customization worth it?
When the brand has a specific unmet need, a reliable volume forecast, budget for development and testing, and a reason consumers will notice the difference.
OEM/ODM Project Planning
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