Six Tips to Help You Decide
Should you buy cosmetic bases or should you make every product from scratch? It is a complicated question, and both options offer distinct advantages. Here are six tips to help you decide if you are really all about that base or you are a from-scratch kind of maker.
- The first question to ask yourself is, how do you feel about it? Some makers feel very strongly that they must make from scratch each and every product they sell, give or use. Their identity and satisfaction comes from creating the product. If this describes you, and the very thought of purchasing a base that you put finishing touches on and package, it is easy to see that a base is not for you.
- How much time, storage and work space do you have? Creating from scratch takes time and the ingredients to make them require space. Finding space to manufacture the product is a real consideration, as well. Do you have the time and space? How much will it cost to get the space you need? This alone could nudge you toward considering a base or more.
- Can you live with the base’s ingredients? If you study the ingredient list of various bases and your nose wrinkles in disgust, the answer is easy. You cannot sell products created from those bases. Now, do take time to learn about ingredients rather than dismissing them out of hand. The “If I can’t say it, I don’t want it” mentality is too simplistic to make it a guiding premise for your business or life. At least take the time to find out from credible sources why you do not wish to use certain ingredients.
- Are you a hobbyist or a business? As a hobbyist, making soap and cosmetics from scratch is the attraction and will probably always be the focus. Nevertheless, choosing bases to round out a product line or gift is sometimes just the ticket. You avoid purchasing loads of ingredients, the leftovers from which take up storage space long after the project is a dim memory, or they help you speed up the process for gifts. A couple of bases easily personalized and packaged to round out fifty gift baskets for the holidays saves stress! Businesses often realize that bases just make economic sense. The costs involved with ordering ingredients, storage and manufacturing are sometimes higher than the potential profit, so bases are the smartest way to make it all work.
- Can you safely manufacture the desired product? Bases are a sensible choice when it comes to a product you do not know how to make from scratch or one that is difficult to make safely. Lotions and creams are among the products that most enjoy, but are difficult to make or to make safely, and the safety testing is often expensive enough to wipe out profit, so a base makes sense to ensure a clean, safe product.
- Where do you sell? If you sell at arts and craft shows, where the show organizers require the artisan to create all or the majority of product for sale, the answer is clear. If you sell wholesale to boutiques, on the other hand, it is less likely a concern. If you own your store, whether online or brick-and- mortar, you call the shots. Selling products created from bases can be a boon to business and fun to try as a hobbyist. Making products from scratch is enjoyable and satisfying. Each person’s individual situation and goals means you are either all about that base or all about from scratch!