FormologyLabStart a project
What we makeCatalogueOTCHow it worksQualityAboutGuides

How it works

Three steps to an order. Three paths to a shelf.

Most factories make you get on a call to learn how any of this works. Here is the whole shape of it: what you send us, how a formula gets priced, and how long each of the three routes actually takes. Our minimum is ten thousand units per SKU and it is on this page too.

Getting started

It is three steps, and the first one is easy.

  1. 01

    Choose a formula, or send us yours

    Start from something already on our shelf and adjust it to your brief, or bring a formula you own and we will qualify it against our line. Both are a normal first move, and the second one is not the imposition brands seem to expect it to be.

  2. 02

    Get a quote on that formula

    Priced per formula, in writing. The formulation, the fill size and the components are what move the number, which is why there is no rate card on this site, there is no honest one to publish.

  3. 03

    Place the order

    Ten thousand units per SKU. From there you are on one of the three paths below, with real dates set against your formula and your component lead times.

How long it takes

Three paths, and what makes each one longer.

Which one you are on depends on a single question: is any SKU a drug? SPF, anti-dandruff, acne and anti-perspirant are, and that decides the testing, the labeling and the timeline.

A cosmetic product

8–12 weeks

Serum, cream, cleanser, essence, mask. No drug claim and no monograph, so the path is the short one.

  1. Brief and feasibilityWeek 0
  2. Bench work and revisionsWeeks 1–3
  3. Stability, 40°C and freeze-thawWeeks 3–8
  4. Scale-up batch on the production lineWeeks 7–10
  5. Production, release testing, fillWeeks 8–12

An OTC drug product

12–17 weeks

SPF, anti-dandruff, acne, anti-perspirant. Formulated to a monograph and made under our FDA drug establishment registration.

  1. Brief and monograph reviewWeeks 0–1
  2. Bench work, to the monographWeeks 1–4
  3. Stability, including photostabilityWeeks 4–10
  4. Efficacy testing: in-vitro screen, then in-vivoWeeks 6–13
  5. Scale-up and process validationWeeks 10–14
  6. Production, release testing, fillWeeks 13–17

A market-ready OTC product

16–22 weeks

Everything in the OTC path, plus the filings, the artwork and the documentation that let you actually put it on a shelf.

  1. The full OTC path aboveWeeks 0–17
  2. Drug listing and NDC assignmentin parallel
  3. Drug-facts artwork and claim reviewWeeks 12–18
  4. Retailer documentation packWeeks 16–20
  5. Release and shipWeeks 18–22

Indicative windows from an approved brief, not a quote. Component lead times are the most common reason a real schedule differs from this one, which is why we set dates against your actual pack rather than against an average.

Minimum order

10,000 units

per SKU

Applies to
first runs and repeat runs alike
Counted per
one formula, one fill size
Price
quoted per formula, in writing

The number does not move, so you can plan against it without a call.

Cosmetic

Serums, creams

cleansers, masks, essences

Bring us
a brief, or a formula you already own
We run
bench work through to production
You get
our chemists, our line, our batch records

Skincare, haircare and body care. Skincare is what the lab was built around.

OTC drug

SPF, acne

anti-dandruff, anti-perspirant

Made under
an FDA drug establishment registration
Adds
stability, efficacy testing, drug-facts labeling
Timeline
its own schedule, on top of the cosmetic one

Anything the FDA treats as a drug rather than a cosmetic.

Price depends on the formula, the fill size and the components. We quote it in writing before any work starts.

Straight answers

How long does it take to make a cosmetic product?

Indicatively eight to twelve weeks from an approved brief: bench work and revisions, stability, a scale-up batch on the production line, then production and fill. Real dates depend on the formula and on component lead times.

How long does an OTC drug product take?

Indicatively twelve to seventeen weeks. The extra time over a cosmetic run is monograph formulation, photostability and efficacy testing (in-vitro screening first, then in-vivo) plus process validation and drug-facts labeling.

What is Formology Lab’s minimum order quantity?

Ten thousand units per SKU. The same minimum applies to a first run and to a repeat run.

Can I bring my own formula?

Yes. Send it and we will qualify it against our line, tell you what would have to change to run it here, and flag anything that will not clear regulatory in the markets you are selling into. You can also start from a formula on our shelf and adjust it.

Do you publish prices?

No, and not as a tactic. Cost depends on the formulation, the fill size and the components, so any published figure would be wrong for most briefs. We quote per formula, in writing, before any work starts.

Tell us which path you are on.

Start a project

In good company