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Launch a skincare brand without a chemistry degree.
Most first-time skincare founders lose months to an active ingredient percentage that turns out unstable, a CDSCO licensing step nobody warned them about, and a landed cost that only becomes clear after the lab has already run the batch. This is built to close all three before they cost you a launch date.
What it actually does
Here is what that actually looks like, piece by piece.
Formulation
It formulates the actives with you, not for a template
Describe the skin concern you are solving, barrier repair, brightening, oil control, and it proposes an actual formula: active percentages, emulsifier system, preservative, texture. It checks stability and compatibility as you build it, not after a lab runs a batch that separates in a month.
Suppliers
Real labs, at their real minimum
You get matched to verified certified manufacturing labs and active ingredient suppliers around Baddi and Ahmedabad, with real MOQs and CDSCO-compliant facilities. No agent adding a markup between you and the lab that actually fills your jars.
Plan Mode
Tell it your budget, it builds the plan
Say what you actually have to spend, and Plan Mode lays out where it should go: formulation and stability testing, packaging, CDSCO paperwork, your first production run. You see the reasoning behind every rupee, not just a total.
Economics
You know your margin before you commit
Actives, base, packaging, testing and freight are all modeled before you place an order. Founders on the network typically land 82 to 90 percent gross margin, and they know that number on paper before the first batch ships, not after.
From idea to shelf
Here is what actually happens, in order, from a skin concern to a jar you can sell.
Formulate
You start with a skin concern, not a formula: barrier repair, brightening, whatever it is. It turns that into an actual active percentage and base, and flags anything unstable before you fall in love with a formula that will separate on the shelf.
Source
Once the formula is close to final, you get matched to certified labs and active suppliers around Baddi and Ahmedabad who can actually produce it, with real MOQs and lead times attached.
Plan
Tell it what you can spend. Plan Mode turns that into a real launch budget split across formulation, testing, packaging and your first production run, so you are not guessing where the money goes.
Launch
Order samples, run a stability check, and move into your first production run with a lab that already has your formula and CDSCO paperwork on file.
What a first order actually costs
Say you are launching a 10 percent niacinamide serum in a 30ml bottle. A first run of around 250 units, actives, base, bottle, dropper and box included, typically lands somewhere between ₹95 and ₹180 in landed cost per unit, depending on the active concentration and packaging choice. Founders on the network typically price that same serum between ₹599 and ₹999, which is where the 82 to 90 percent gross margin actually comes from.
Plan Mode runs this math for your specific formula before you spend on inventory.
Ask it anything, really
These are real questions founders ask before their first batch, not a demo script.
“How to formulate a stable 10% Niacinamide + 1% Zinc PCA hydrating serum?”
“What emulsifiers and lipid ratios are best for a ceramide barrier repair cream?”
“What are the CDSCO cosmetic manufacturing licensing requirements in India?”
“How to source UV filters for a lightweight, non-comedogenic SPF 50 sunscreen fluid?”
Frequently Asked Questions
Formulation is the starting point. It also matches you to verified CDSCO-compliant labs and active suppliers, builds a full launch plan around your budget in Plan Mode, and models your landed cost and margin before you spend on inventory.
That is exactly what Plan Mode is for. Tell it what you have to spend, and it builds a launch plan across formulation, testing, packaging and your first production run, so you know where every rupee goes before you spend any of it.
Most first runs on the verified network start around 250 units. Some labs will do a smaller pilot batch for stability testing before committing to full production, worth asking for if you are still finalizing a formula.
Around 4 to 6 weeks once a formula is locked and stability testing is complete. Formulation and stability checks happen first, then bulk manufacturing, filling and packaging run through the lab.
Cosmetic manufacturing in India requires a valid manufacturing license under the Cosmetics Rules, held either by you or by the contract manufacturer producing on your behalf. Labs in the verified network are CDSCO-licensed and regularly handle this paperwork for the brands they produce for.
Yes. The supplier network includes active ingredient and raw material suppliers alongside the manufacturing labs, so the formula is built around actives that are actually available at the concentration and grade you need, not a best guess.
Founders on the verified network typically land 82 to 90 percent gross margin at D2C pricing, once actives, base, packaging, testing and freight are all accounted for. The unit economics tool models this for your specific formula before you order.
Any specific efficacy claim on packaging or marketing should be backed by testing appropriate to that claim. Labs in the verified network can advise on what testing is realistic for a first launch versus what can wait for a later batch.
Come with a skin concern, or just a budget
Either way, you will leave with a real formula, a certified lab, and a margin you can trust.