Offer a low-risk starter set with clear wholesale pricing, then pitch boutiques, salons and spas whose customers match your brand. Samples and a short education sheet for staff do more than a long catalog, because staff recommendations drive sales in these stores.
A starter kit is a preselected opening assortment, often with testers and a small display, priced so a new store can try the line without choosing every SKU. It lowers the decision burden for the buyer and gives you a predictable first order.
Most do for products customers want to try, such as skincare and cosmetics. Decide up front how many testers come free with an order and under what minimum, and add the cost to your margin math.
Many brands keep a professional price list for licensed salon and spa accounts and a separate retail list. The difference is the account type and how it sells, such as backbar use versus shelf sales. Verify each salon's license before giving professional pricing.
Expect questions on ingredient lists, claims, certifications such as cruelty-free if you use that label, period-after-opening and batch dates. Keep a one page ingredient and shelf life sheet for each product.
Limit sales to verified accounts, put a distribution agreement and MAP policy in place, and monitor marketplaces for your products. Batch coding helps trace where diverted product came from.
In the United States, what a product claims to do helps decide whether it is treated as a cosmetic or a drug, and drugs face stricter rules. A product that says it treats acne or protects from the sun is making a drug claim. Review your wording with a regulatory advisor before it reaches a line sheet.
Professional accounts buy differently from retail stores. They want back-bar sizes, training material and pricing that supports both treatment use and retail sale. Build a separate pro tier with its own pack sizes, verify each account's license and give new accounts product education they can use with clients.
A compact countertop or shelf display often helps a first order, because a store with no space for your line may skip it. Price the display into the opening order or offer it as a free add-on at a set order size, and make sure it ships ready to set up.
Price each from its own costs. A mini has nearly the same packaging and labor as a full size, so its margin can be thin. Sets and gift packs usually sell well in the fourth quarter. Quote them as separate SKUs with their own case packs, so buyers can order them without breaking up your standard items.
Compliance answers are general information, not legal advice, and rules vary by product and state.
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