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Building your own online brand: partner shop, white label or your own formula

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 15 October 2026 · Reading time: 10 min

Renting, a prefab house or an architect-designed home?

Many online shops follow a similar path: they start with finished products, check whether their niche works and then invest their first revenue in a line of their own. That is not a detour but a smart sequence – and it can be planned well.

Think of Novogenia’s three routes as three ways to live:

The three routes are not mutually exclusive. You can start with the partner shop and build a white-label line in parallel. Which products exist in the first place, and which of them fit on a shelf, is shown in Personalized products in retail.

The fastest start: the partner shop

With the partner shop, you get a ready-to-use online shop. Your customers order their analysis there, Novogenia ships the kit, runs the analysis and delivers the products. You receive a commission per order under the partner terms; there are no setup fees, and you do not need to build a lab. You learn the specific commission rates in a personal conversation.

The limit is worth stating honestly: you do not build your own product brand this way, because the analysis and delivery recognizably come from Novogenia. According to Novogenia’s terms, your customers’ contract partner in the partner shop is Novogenia Marketing GmbH. For you, that is a relief: the purchase contract and the delivery are not your responsibility. More on the shop, commission and shipping in Partner shop and logistics.

White label: your brand on a proven formula

With white label, you receive the products under your logo, your label and your packaging – your customers see your brand. We handle development, production and filling; you receive a finished, ready-to-sell product for your shop and focus on your brand, your shop and your customers.

Two points are worth getting right from the start:

• Not exclusive: White label means your own brand, not exclusivity. Other brands can offer a comparable product. Exclusivity is more likely with private label or your own formula. The differences are explained in White label, private label or custom formula? and, for cosmetics, in White label, private label or your own formula?.
• Not completely invisible: Novogenia works in the background, with two legal exceptions. For cosmetics, the name and address of the responsible person appear on the pack (Art. 19(1)(a) Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009), and Novogenia takes on that role. In Switzerland, the written information about a lifestyle genetic analysis names the lab that performs it (Art. 32 GUMG).

Your own formula: when the product itself makes the difference

You bring your idea or your preferred composition, we advise on formulation and dosage form and turn it into your brand. For supplements, we prefer Microtransporters: plant-based microcapsules from 1.6 mm in diameter, in which each nutrient is encapsulated individually. Because 22 nutrients are already in stock as ready-made Microtransporters, development takes one week to three months in total. For cosmetics, we develop your own formula in 3 to 5 months, in one of the three formats: day serum, night serum or body lotion.

Plan for the limits from the outset: no liquid raw materials (exception: omega-3 as a vegan softgel), no ingredients containing allergens, no enzymes and no probiotics. The path from idea to formula is described in Supplement dosage forms compared and Small batches, quantities and timeline.

Starting small: supplements from one unit, cosmetics from small batches

For a long time, a brand of your own sounded like pallets, a full warehouse and a big risk. At Novogenia, the smallest run of a supplement is a single unit. The larger the quantity, the lower the price per box. Personalized projects typically start with a pilot of 200 to 500 customers; we produce cosmetics from small batches.

You can start small with packaging, too:

• White box with a sticker: the cheapest and fastest option – ideal for pilot projects.
• Dispenser box: with 30 or 90 daily portions, fully customizable in your design.
• Stick pack: white and brand-neutral, with a viewing window and two lines of text of up to 25 characters each – for example for your customer’s name, so that every stick is clearly assigned.
• Barcode: a barcode is planned in, in case you later also sell through retail or marketplaces.

Novogenia’s AI price calculator gives an instant, non-binding estimate of what your formula would cost for 500 to 3,000 boxes; our team calculates smaller quantities individually. More in Starting small without a minimum order quantity and Supplement packaging options.

Personalized under your brand

The strongest story for an online brand is a product that exists only once. That works under your name, too: if you already hold usable genetic data from your customers and they have consented, we can interpret the data directly. If a new analysis is needed, we supply saliva collection kits in your design. For both supplements and cosmetics, the formula, packaging and shipping carry your brand; we ship under your brand and support recurring subscriptions.

With personalized products, direct shipping is almost a must, because every box is produced for a specific person. Billing runs through Novogenia or through your own system, with us as your fulfillment partner. Details are on the page White label from genetic data and in Fulfillment, shipping and returns.

Your brand, your responsibility

You do not need your own lab for a brand of your own. But responsibility for what is on the label and in your shop lies with you:

• Label: The food business operator under whose name or business name a food is marketed is responsible for the food information (Art. 8(1) Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011). For your supplement, that is you.
• Online shop: For prepacked foods sold at a distance, the mandatory particulars – except the best-before or use-by date – must be available before the purchase is concluded, and all mandatory particulars at the time of delivery (Art. 14(1) of the same regulation). The information in your shop must therefore match the label.
• Notification in Germany: Anyone who intends to place a food supplement on the market as a manufacturer or importer must notify the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) at the latest when first placing it on the market, enclosing a sample of the label (Section 5(1) NemV). In most cases, Novogenia handles the notification or supports you with it.
• Cosmetics: A cosmetic product may only be placed on the market if a responsible person is designated within the EU (Art. 4(1) Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009); the name or business name and address appear on the pack (Art. 19(1)(a)). Novogenia takes on this role.
• Switzerland: The EU regulations do not apply there; instead, the Foodstuffs Act (LMG) and its ordinances govern both foods and cosmetic products (Art. 4 and 5 LMG). Anyone placing them on the market must ensure that the legal requirements are met (Art. 26(1) LMG).

For sales in your own shop, one more point applies: you sell under your own terms and conditions – have them checked. Who is your customers’ contract partner for the analysis and the product under white label is something you set out in your contract with Novogenia. The mandatory particulars are explained in detail in Food supplement labeling requirements, How to register a food supplement and Responsible person, safety assessment, notification; withdrawal and distance selling are covered in Distance selling and withdrawal.

From quote to launch in six steps

1. Inquiry: You tell us about your brand, your target group and your channels.
2. Range and quote: We put the range together and prepare a transparent quote with volume tiers and logistics options.
3. Branding and samples: Your logo, your label and your packaging go on the product – with samples for your product photos on request.
4. Production: in our building in Eugendorf near Salzburg.
5. Delivery: to your warehouse or, on request, directly to your customers.
6. Scaling and resupply: as your shop grows, the quantities grow with it.

Influencer and creator brands

At Novogenia, influencers are a partner group of their own: they bring their audience a science-based offer. Two routes suit a start. With the partner shop, you send your community to your own shop and receive a commission per order. With white label or your own formula, you add a product under your own name to your range.

One rule applies to both routes: give everyone who promotes your product – team, agency, influencers – a list of the wording they may use, and have posts approved before publication, including images and graphics. How to label advertising and which claims are allowed is shown in Marketing personalized products and Social media: what distributors may say.

Checklist: your online brand

• The route is chosen: partner shop, white label, your own formula – or a combination.
• You know that white label is not exclusive.
• The starting quantity is planned: from one unit or as a pilot, cosmetics from small batches.
• Packaging, barcode and statement of origin are decided; the samples are approved.
• The label and the mandatory particulars in your shop match.
• The notification is clarified, in Germany with the BVL; for Switzerland, the LMG is taken into account.
• Warehouse or direct shipping is decided, and so is billing.
• Your shop terms have been checked, and the contractual roles with Novogenia are clarified.
• Everyone who promotes your brand knows the permitted wording.

Frequently asked questions

Related: Offer for e-commerce and online shops · White label, private label or custom formula? · Sales channels for supplements

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