Start with the production licence, not the price list
Any factory manufacturing cosmetics in China needs a cosmetics production licence. Ask for the licence number and read the permitted scope — a licence that covers skincare does not automatically cover every product category, and the categories are listed on the document.
Check three things on it: the legal entity name, the production address, and the category scope. If the address on the licence is not the address you are being invited to visit, that is worth a direct question. If the scope does not include your category, ask how the product would legally be produced.
- Licence number and the issuing authority
- Legal entity name — does it match the company you are contracting with?
- Production address — does it match the site you will visit or ship from?
- Category scope — does it cover your product type?
Ask what they actually make, not what they can make
Almost any factory will say it can produce shampoo. A more useful question is what percentage of their output is hair care, and which of their lines runs most often. A plant that fills shampoo daily has the pumps, the mixing vessels and the staff habits already tuned for it; a plant that fills shampoo occasionally is learning on your order.
Ask to see the filling line running. Photos of equipment are easy to obtain and tell you little. A short video of the line in operation during a working day tells you considerably more.
Understand how MOQ is calculated before asking for a number
MOQ is not one figure, and a factory that quotes a single number without asking you anything is either quoting from a template or quoting to make the conversation easy.
Three variables set the real floor: the minimum batch your formula can be produced in, the minimum order quantity of the packaging you choose, and the setup time on the filling line. Give the factory your category, packaging direction and target quantity, and ask which of the three is binding in your case. The answer tells you where the cost actually is.
Test the sampling process — it predicts the whole project
Sampling is where you find out how the factory works. Note how long the quote takes to arrive, whether they ask clarifying questions before starting, and whether the sample arrives with any documentation at all.
A factory that sends a sample with no specification sheet, no batch reference and no note on what was changed is telling you how the production order will be handled. Ask for the sample to be accompanied by its reference and revision notes; a factory that already does this will not find the request unusual.
Ask about stability testing and quality control
A formula that performs well on day one and separates in three months is a recall, not a product. Ask what stability testing is performed, at what temperature and humidity, and over what period.
Then ask who performs it. A factory with its own laboratory can show you the test records and the equipment. A factory that outsources everything will point you at a third-party report, which is acceptable — but you should know which of the two you are buying.
- Is there an in-house lab, and what does it test routinely?
- What stability protocol is used, and for how long?
- Are raw materials tested on arrival, or accepted on the supplier certificate?
- Who signs off a batch before it ships?
Confirm documentation support for your market
Requirements differ by destination: labelling language, restricted ingredients, and the paperwork your importer will ask for. Ask the factory to list what it can provide and what it cannot.
A factory that answers "we can supply the usual documents" has not answered. A factory that names the specific documents it issues, and tells you which ones you will need to arrange yourself, has done this before.
Visit if you can — otherwise ask for a walkthrough
A site visit resolves in an hour what a month of email cannot. If travel is not practical, ask for a video call walking through the workshop, the warehouse and the laboratory — unedited, during working hours.
Watch how raw materials are stored and how finished goods are separated from them. Storage discipline is one of the clearest signals of how a plant is run, and it is visible in seconds.
Red flags worth taking seriously
- A price given before any question about your formula, packaging or quantity
- Reluctance to share the licence number or the production address
- Samples that arrive with no reference, no specification and no explanation of changes
- No answer to "what happens if a batch fails testing?"
- Pressure to pay a deposit before a specification has been agreed in writing
The factory that answers these questions slowly and precisely is usually a better partner than the one that answers them instantly. Sourcing is a long relationship; the first exchange tells you most of what you need to know.
