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White label, private label or your own formula: which route to your own cosmetics fits you?

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 13 October 2026 · Reading time: 9 min

In short

At Novogenia, there are three routes to your own cosmetics line. When you resell BeautyMe, you offer Novogenia’s personalized skincare – with no lab, no production and no startup costs. With white label, a proven base formulation is filled under your brand, with your logo, your label and your packaging; Novogenia does not appear as a brand. This is the fastest route to your own brand. With your own formula, a product is developed from your idea; development takes 3 to 5 months. All routes lead to a day serum, a night serum and a body lotion. The terms white label and private label are not used consistently in the industry – what counts is what the contract says.

A manufacturer by law, without ever touching a mixing vessel

One fact surprises many people: anyone who has a cosmetic product made and markets it under their own name or trademark counts as the manufacturer under the EU Cosmetics Regulation (Art. 2). You never have to touch a mixing vessel yourself. And as the manufacturer, you are initially also the responsible person for your product (Art. 4) – the one who makes sure the safety assessment, product information file, notification and label are in order.

If, on the other hand, you resell a finished product under someone else’s brand, you are usually a distributor. So your choice of route decides not only how much of the product is yours, but also which role you play in legal terms.

The good news: a manufacturer can designate another person in the EU as the responsible person by written mandate, and that person accepts in writing (Art. 4). Think of it like building a house: you are the client, and the house carries your name. A professional takes care of the structural engineering and the final inspection. At Novogenia, we take on the role of the responsible person.

The terms: white label, private label, your own formula

Three terms have become established in the industry:

White label: an existing, proven product from the manufacturer is sold under your brand. You mainly design the name, packaging and presentation.
Private label: a product is also adapted for you and made exclusively under your name.
Your own formula: the product is newly developed to your specifications.

A word of caution: these terms are not used consistently; some providers mean the same thing by white label and private label. At Novogenia, white label is already a true own-brand product: with your logo, your label and your packaging. With any manufacturer, ask specifically what is adapted, what is exclusive and who owns the formula – and get it confirmed in writing.

Route 1: Resell BeautyMe

The most direct way in: you offer BeautyMe, Novogenia’s personalized skincare. After the genetic analysis, the skincare is formulated for your client and delivered ready to use. You need no lab and no production, and there are no startup costs.

Here is how it works in practice: in the studio, you take the saliva sample on site, send it in and later hand over the finished, personalized products. Or your clients order the analysis directly from your shop; Novogenia ships the sample kit, runs the analysis and delivers the products. So your team can explain the results with confidence, there is the free NOVO Academy, including a course on the genetics of skin – optional, but good preparation for the consultation.

Strengths: a ready-made offer that is easy to explain, with no development phase; your advice takes center stage.
Limits: the product carries the BeautyMe brand, not yours.

Route 2: White label under your brand

With white label, you build on a proven base formulation that is filled under your brand – with your logo, your label and your packaging. Novogenia does not appear as a brand. This is the fastest route to your own brand, because formula and manufacturing are already established.

White label can be personalized too. In that case, the result of the genetic analysis changes which ingredients go into the formula and at what dosage – under your name. On request, you get a small trial batch first and check texture, scent and look.

Strengths: your own brand in a short time, a proven formula, predictable quality.
Limits: you stand out mainly through brand, presentation and advice, less through a completely unique formula.

Route 3: Your own formula

Do you have a clear idea of which active ingredients belong in your serum or body lotion? Then bring your idea, and we develop an individual formula from it, implemented correctly in terms of galenics and regulation. Development takes 3 to 5 months. The format remains one of the three: day serum, night serum or body lotion.

Your own formula is the strongest story for your marketing. But it also comes with a duty: the more special the promise, the more important the evidence. Where justified by the nature or effect of the product, the product information file contains proof of the claimed effect (Art. 11). So plan your product claims during development – more in Advertising cosmetics.

Strengths: a product of your own, maximum control, a strong brand story.
Limits: the longest route to launch and more coordination.

The comparison at a glance

Criterion	Resell BeautyMe	White label	Your own formula
Brand on the product	BeautyMe	your brand	your brand
Formula	by Novogenia, personalized	proven base, personalized on request	individual, based on your idea
Development	no development phase	fastest route to your own brand	3 to 5 months
Your focus	advice and sales	brand, design and sales	concept, coordination, brand and sales
How you stand out	through analysis and advice	through brand and presentation	through a product of your own
Role under the Cosmetics Regulation	usually distributor	manufacturer; responsible person by mandate: Novogenia	manufacturer; responsible person by mandate: Novogenia
Fits	studios, spas, hotels and pharmacies focused on advice	studios, retailers and brands that want their own line quickly	brands with their own concept and expertise

Combining routes

The three routes are not mutually exclusive. Many brands start quickly with a white label solution, gain experience with their target group and develop their own signature formula as a flagship in parallel. That way, your line is already on the market while your own product matures.

A fourth way in suits companies that already hold genetic data, such as genetic testing providers. Where the raw data are usable, we interpret them directly and move straight to the formula. You keep the data and the customer relationship (Personalized cosmetics from genetic data).

And if you want to offer nutrients from the inside alongside skincare from the outside, you get personalized cosmetics and personalized supplements from one source, both also as white label. How they fit together is shown in Combining cosmetics and supplements.

How to make the decision

Four questions quickly lead you to the right route:

Whose brand should be on the product? If your advice is the focus and a ready-made brand helps you, BeautyMe fits. If your name should be on the bottle, you need white label or your own formula.
How quickly do you want to start? If you want to get going soon, white label is the realistic route to your own brand. For your own formula, plan 3 to 5 months of development.
How will you stand out? If your strength is reach, advice or sales, white label is often enough. If the product itself should make the difference, choose your own formula.
What do you bring? Your own formula needs clear ideas about the content. If you already hold genetic data, consider the data-partner route.

What happens next is described in How to get cosmetics manufactured; quantities and timeline are planned in Small batches, quantities and timeline.

What to look for in the agreement

Whichever route you choose, put the key points in writing. Then each side knows who does what – and there are no surprises later.

Exclusivity: what is exclusive to you – the formula, the design or both?
Formula: who owns your own formula, and what happens to it if the collaboration changes?
Responsible person: who takes on the role? Has the mandate been given in writing and accepted in writing?
Label and advertising copy: who checks mandatory information and claims before anything goes to print?
Quantities and lead time: which volume tiers and lead times apply, and how does a reorder work?
Data: for personalized cosmetics – who processes the genetic data, and how is your clients’ consent handled? More in Genetic data and the GDPR.

What stays the same on every route

Three products: day serum, night serum and body lotion.
One production: on our own lines in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria, to ISO 22716 (certified by Quality Austria), from small batches, made in Austria.
The same rules: cosmetics are for care, not for healing. Every claim must be true and backed by evidence.
Honest personalization: genes are one factor among many. The formula we derive from the genetic profile is a logical conclusion – not a promise of cure.

How we do it at Novogenia

How we implement the three routes at Novogenia:

Resell BeautyMe: personalized skincare after the genetic analysis, delivered ready for your client; no lab, no production, no startup costs.
White label: a proven base formulation, filled under your brand with your logo, label and packaging; personalized on request after a genetic analysis.
Your own formula: your idea or your active-ingredient wishes, implemented correctly in terms of galenics and regulation; development takes 3 to 5 months.
Data partners: if you already hold genetic data, we interpret them and deliver the matching follow-up product; you keep the data and the customer relationship.
Responsible person: Novogenia takes on this role under the EU Cosmetics Regulation.
One source: personalized cosmetics and personalized supplements, both also available as white label under your brand.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between white label and private label?

With white label, you sell a proven product from the manufacturer under your brand. With private label, a product is usually also adapted for you and made exclusively under your name. In practice, the terms blur. So always ask what is adapted, what is exclusive and who owns the formula.

Will my clients see that Novogenia makes the product?

With white label and your own formula, your clients see your brand: logo, label and packaging carry your design. Novogenia does not appear as a brand. Which additional information the law requires on the label, such as the name and address of the responsible person, is clarified in the project.

How long does it take to develop my own formula?

At Novogenia, 3 to 5 months. White label is faster, because the base formulation is already proven. The exact lead time is part of the quote.

Are personalized cosmetics available as white label?

Yes. Novogenia also makes personalized cosmetics based on genetic data as white label under your brand. The genetic result changes which ingredients go into the formula and at what dosage.

Can I start with white label and develop my own formula later?

Yes, and many brands combine exactly that: they start quickly with a white label solution and develop their own signature formula as a flagship in parallel.

Planning your own cosmetics line?

Tell us about your brand, studio or practice – we will show you which route fits.

Request a project →Discover BeautyMe

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace legal advice. BeautyMe products are cosmetic products; statements in this guide are not promises of cure. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations for skincare and formulation derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.