47 Tips For Starting A Successful Skin Care Product Line (2024)

Updated: January 19th, 2023
Start A Skin Care Product Line

Want to start your own skin care product line? Here are some tips you should know:

Learn more about starting a skin care product line:

Where to start?

-> How to start a skin care product line?
-> How much does it cost to start a skin care product line?
-> Pros and cons of a skin care product line

Need inspiration?

-> Other skin care product line success stories
-> Examples of established skin care product line
-> Marketing ideas for a skin care product line
-> Skin care product line slogans
-> Skin care product line names
-> Skin care product line Instagram bios
-> Skin care product line Instagram captions

Other resources

-> Profitability of a skin care product line
-> Blog post ideas for a skin care product line

We've interviewed thousands of successful founders at Starter Story and asked what advice they would give to entrepreneurs who are just getting started.

Here's the best advice we discovered for starting a skin care product line:

#1: Cassy Burnvoth, founder of FATCO:

We chatted with with Cassy, founder of FATCO ($40K/month). In our interview, Cassy says:

Surround yourself with people who believe in you and believe in what you are doing. If the people in your life don't believe in what you're doing as much as you do, it will eventually become toxic and stifling to your success.

Additionally:

I wish I had asked for more help early on. I learned a lot of things on my own, and it stunted my growth in the beginning. There are TONS of people out there who want to help you and see you be successful...take advantage of that!

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#2: Kayla Houlihan, founder of Tribe Skincare:

We chatted with with Kayla, founder of Tribe Skincare ($130K/month). In our interview, Kayla says:

Find your true point of difference and put 100% focus into it.

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#3: Leslie Eisen, founder of AlmondClear:

We chatted with with Leslie, founder of AlmondClear ($15K/month). In our interview, Leslie says:

For the rest of that school year, I woke up at 5:00 a.m. to work on my business plan, and once the school year was over I resigned from my teaching position.

Additionally:

I know that some people would advise me to get investments or use more of my loan in order to grow the business more quickly, but I’ve chosen to pursue a more lean, build-as-you-go model for now.

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#4: Kismet Andrews, founder of LoLo Body Care:

We chatted with with Kismet, founder of LoLo Body Care ($92K/month). In our interview, Kismet says:

Read business books, take classes, sign up for Score or Small Business Administration. Take one idea per month and test it out.

Additionally:

Each practice, process, or product has to be sustainable, then it has to increase efficiency, reduce expenses, or increase revenue. If it doesn’t, we go back to the drawing board.

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#5: Carole Rains, founder of Emu Joy:

We chatted with with Carole, founder of Emu Joy ($33K/month). In our interview, Carole says:

While the most common gender and age for entrepreneurs seem to be males in their 30s, I started my business as a woman in her 50s.

Additionally:

I’ve learned that the key to a successful business is relationships. Whether it’s with my suppliers, customers, freelancers or fellow ecommerce entrepreneurs, developing a mutually beneficial relationship makes everything go more smoothly and efficiently, and makes going to work each day a pleasure.

Further:

It doesn’t matter what age you are when you start as long as you go in with an open mind and entrepreneurial spirit.

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#6: Natalie Thorogood, founder of Soak Society:

We chatted with with Natalie, founder of Soak Society ($18K/month). In our interview, Natalie says:

Some good decisions have been to focus on my own physical, mental and emotional health by making sure I am eating well, sleeping and exercising. If I’m not in good shape then my business definitely isn’t. This includes lots of baths, of course!

Additionally:

I like living close to the beach and working on my own schedule. I’m not looking for investment, I’m keen to keep bootstrapping and to own my business 100%.

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#7: Keegan Pafford, founder of w.o.d.welder:

We chatted with with Keegan, founder of w.o.d.welder ($35K/month). In our interview, Keegan says:

I can’t stress enough, if you’re going to do anything, make sure it is of the highest quality and value to your customers - the dividends will come back to you.

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#8: Andy Hnilo, founder of Alitura Naturals:

We chatted with with Andy, founder of Alitura Naturals ($150K/month). In our interview, Andy says:

I never had the intention to start a business. But the rising interest of people in something that I truly created with my own hands, out of necessity, lit a fire inside me to keep pursuing more.

Additionally:

It may seem like obvious advice, but for the first 2 years, I would actually hand-write thank you notes and to-and-from slips, and wait in line at the local post office every single day to get the piles of orders out.

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#9: Michael Koh, founder of Tree To Tub:

We chatted with with Michael, founder of Tree To Tub ($500K/month). In our interview, Michael says:

Know the what, why, who, where, how about your customers. You need to toss away whatever assumptions you have about your products and customers.

Additionally:

For example, a friend once told me “I want to open a restaurant”. I asked him why. He said “I love cooking!” Is opening a restaurant a smart move for someone that loves cooking? Hell no!

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#10: Roberta Perry, founder of ScrubzBody Skin Care Products:

We chatted with with Roberta, founder of ScrubzBody Skin Care Products ($16.3K/month). In our interview, Roberta says:

It takes patience. And time. And more patience. It’s the best job in the world being an entrepreneur, however, it also can drag you down and be very lonely and frustrating.

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#11: Kevin Gianni , founder of Annmarie:

We chatted with with Kevin, founder of Annmarie ($1M/month). In our interview, Kevin says:

The most learned is from the direct response from people.

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#12: Kiri Yanchenko, founder of AMPERNA:

We chatted with with Kiri, founder of AMPERNA ($50K/month). In our interview, Kiri says:

Having an authentic brand voice is worth its weight in gold, as is being honest and transparent.

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#13: Jonathan Plotzker-Kelly, founder of Heliotrope San Francisco:

We chatted with with Jonathan, founder of Heliotrope San Francisco ($30K/month). In our interview, Jonathan says:

I had a small table selling stuff at every event that would have me. The more people I could meet in person, the greater the name recognition.

Additionally:

Stay true to your vision. Do business with only those folks you actually want to do business with.

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#14: Danna Norek, founder of Aura Sensory:

We chatted with with Danna, founder of Aura Sensory ($2K/month). In our interview, Danna says:

If you passionately believe in your product or products and business idea, it makes it a lot easier to tough it out through the hard times.

Additionally:

Having a generous spirit and knowing that without your customers, you wouldn’t have a business, is invaluable. It not only builds goodwill, but pays off in spades when it comes to how loyal your customers will be, and how many will be willing to spend their precious time to provide a rave review.

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#15: Bonnie Giangrande, founder of The Laughing Tree Organics:

We chatted with with Bonnie, founder of The Laughing Tree Organics ($5.4K/month). In our interview, Bonnie says:

You can't be everything to everybody. I have passed up a few opportunities because someone requested a synthetic fragrance or additional packaging that I felt was unnecessary. You have to stand by what you believe and be true to that mission.

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#16: Danna Norek, founder of Aura Sensory:

We chatted with with Danna, founder of Aura Sensory ($2K/month). In our interview, Danna says:

Write a lot. If this means blogging, then great. If you write a lot about the subject matter even vaguely related to your business or product, it keeps the creative juices flowing.

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#17: Roberta Perry, founder of ScrubzBody Skin Care Products:

We chatted with with Roberta, founder of ScrubzBody Skin Care Products ($16.3K/month). In our interview, Roberta says:

Starting this business changed my life. It opened doors. It introduced me not only to some of the best people in the world through my customers and business groups but I learned so much about myself, too.

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#18: Michael Koh, founder of Tree To Tub:

We chatted with with Michael, founder of Tree To Tub ($500K/month). In our interview, Michael says:

Do solid research from the beginning and continue to improve your hypothesis so you don’t end up wasting time and resources.

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#19: Dena Gottlieb, founder of TerraCure:

We chatted with with Dena, founder of TerraCure ($1K/month). In our interview, Dena says:

I wouldn’t recommend outsourcing your ad campaigns. You are better off doing it yourself with outside help, in my opinion.

Additionally:

Forget about perfect. Don’t wait until your website is perfect to go live and start generating income.

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#20: Gloria Lu, founder of Chemist Confessions:

We chatted with with Gloria, founder of Chemist Confessions ($/month). In our interview, Gloria says:

Entrepreneurship can be incredibly exhausting mentally. It’s important to carve out time to step away from it all.

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#21: Kayla Houlihan, founder of Tribe Skincare:

We chatted with with Kayla, founder of Tribe Skincare ($130K/month). In our interview, Kayla says:

Any brand with a consumable product or repeat purchases really need to ensure they are utilizing email marketing.

Additionally:

Identify the parts of your journey that you dislike or get stressed over and then see if you can outsource them.

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#22: Carole Rains, founder of Emu Joy:

We chatted with with Carole, founder of Emu Joy ($33K/month). In our interview, Carole says:

My net profit was sufficient to afford outside help so I decided to take the plunge into letting outside experts handle my PPC and content creation.

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#23: Roberta Perry, founder of ScrubzBody Skin Care Products:

We chatted with with Roberta, founder of ScrubzBody Skin Care Products ($16.3K/month). In our interview, Roberta says:

Doing the hard work can feel like a grind when all you want to do is “create”, but that is the miracle maker in action.

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#24: Leslie Eisen, founder of AlmondClear:

We chatted with with Leslie, founder of AlmondClear ($15K/month). In our interview, Leslie says:

If I’m not a strong leader, then no one will be inspired by my mission. So I believe that we have to work on ourselves alongside the business.

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#25: Shawn Bo and Leon Eugene, founder of Natural Skin Science:

We chatted with with Shawn, founder of Natural Skin Science ($7.5K/month). In our interview, Shawn says:

Don’t compare yourself or your progress to other people.

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#26: Michael Koh, founder of Tree To Tub:

We chatted with with Michael, founder of Tree To Tub ($500K/month). In our interview, Michael says:

Remember the end goal. It’s rarely about business success. It’s about success in life.

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#27: Linda Trenkner, founder of Volcanic Earth:

We chatted with with Linda, founder of Volcanic Earth ($42K/month). In our interview, Linda says:

Pick a platform that already has a huge number of consumers whose sole purpose is to purchase.

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#28: Dylan Jawahir, founder of Battle Balm:

We chatted with with Dylan, founder of Battle Balm ($10K/month). In our interview, Dylan says:

Entrepreneurs should possess all the qualities of the dreamer and all the qualities of the doer. Because in the beginning, you will probably be a one-person operation.

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#29: Roberta Perry, founder of ScrubzBody Skin Care Products:

We chatted with with Roberta, founder of ScrubzBody Skin Care Products ($16.3K/month). In our interview, Roberta says:

Keep building the blocks of your brand the right way which means ditching what doesn’t work and massaging what does.

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#30: Michael Vahey, founder of Beach Gladiator:

We chatted with with Michael, founder of Beach Gladiator ($8.5K/month). In our interview, Michael says:

The coolest thing about beach Gladiator is that it was started by just the 2 of us and we still have control over what we want the brand to be. The greatest influence on the product was and continues to be our kids, who were our first customers.

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#31: Michael Vahey, founder of Beach Gladiator:

We chatted with with Michael, founder of Beach Gladiator ($8.5K/month). In our interview, Michael says:

You will spend most of your waking hours working on this, so choose wisely. Try to have fun whenever you can.

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#32: Linda Trenkner, founder of Volcanic Earth:

We chatted with with Linda, founder of Volcanic Earth ($42K/month). In our interview, Linda says:

There are a lot of companies and individuals selling on Amazon but unless it is done right, you can be at the mercy of Amazon who can change the rules any time they like.

Additionally:

You can have the greatest product or service but unless you have a marketing plan to reach potential customers, the venture is likely to fail.

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#33: Jonathan Plotzker-Kelly, founder of Heliotrope San Francisco:

We chatted with with Jonathan, founder of Heliotrope San Francisco ($30K/month). In our interview, Jonathan says:

Create good relationships with people you trust. Choose to work with people you enjoy working with.

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#34: Kayla Houlihan, founder of Tribe Skincare:

We chatted with with Kayla, founder of Tribe Skincare ($130K/month). In our interview, Kayla says:

Figure out exactly who your ideal customer is, what they need from you and how you are helping them.

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