If you were to call our customer care line and ask “What’s the most popular product you carry?”, You might be surprised that it’s not an easy answer. It doesn’t take a marketing maven to know that what sells well for a baby brand might not be the best product to choose for a men’s shaving line. Essential has such a wide selection that we have seen our customers have success with all of the products we offer. The following questions may help you narrow down the 800+ products into one stunningly cohesive product line for your business.
Who is your customer and what makes your brand different from the rest? This is the most important question and our favorite to ask. It gives us insight as to who you are, and what passions have brought you to the start of this new venture. Really think about the woman, man, child, or college student that is going to be using your products. Create a unique user experience that makes your customers look forward to that moment of pampering they are immersed in when using your products. Tip: Find brands that are excelling in the niche that you want to be selling in and see what they are doing right and areas that you think you can improve. Research is fun and will immerse you in this new world of beauty!
What area of cosmetics are you interested in selling initially?
Most start-ups looking to build a brand will focus on their passion – skincare, haircare, or even essential oils. While a marketing entrepreneur might just want a product with the shortest production time and highest return on investment.
Insider Tip: Butter Crèmes are going to be thick and rich, with crèmes and lotions to follow in descending viscosity. The Hair Masque is great for all hair types but will not add body to hair that is very thin or lacks volume, for that we suggest the just as luxurious Moisturizing Conditioner. Looking for a cleanser that all skin types will be happy with? Try samples of Customer Care’s favorites; Multi-Tea Cleanser, Paramount Facial Cleanser, and super foaming Vital Skin Face & Body Cleanser. Facial Serums such as Vitamin C Facial Serum and Supreme Facial Serum are hot ticket items and will most likely draw those Amazon searches right to your shop.
What is your price point for selling? Essential has a vast selectin of products across a wide scale of price points. A premium ingredient, higher priced, bulk base will need a higher retail price to yield a return on investment. You might find these products sold at stores like Nordstrom’s or Anthropologie. If your business goals are to sell on weekends while soaking up the sun and atmosphere at a farmer’s market, then you might want something that shows how much hands-on effort and love you put into your product line, with ingredients like lavender or goats milk that are sure to be a crowd favorite.
Why doesn’t EWL offer free shipping?
The free shipping trend has popped up everywhere from little Etsy shops to Amazon, and quite frankly it isn’t as cut and dry as it may look. Let’s be real. There is no such thing as free shipping. Just like your business, couriers need to be paid for their services. The most common way around this is to raise product prices. We respect you and your business, and in turn, we strive always to be transparent, honest, and fair to our customers. We let you know exactly where your expenses are when purchasing. If you ever notice a shipping cost that you know is lower from experience, then please give our customer service line a call. We can advise you on options such as using USPS for samples, scheduling a courier for your international order, or you can even stop by our facility to pick up your order at will call if you are local to the Portland area.
Do I need to register for a wholesale account, or provide my tax ID to purchase from EWL?
Essential offers the opportunity for our customers to get a jump-start selling in the cosmetics industry with our low minimums. We make this simple by listing everything on our website at wholesale rates and sizes. To make an order, simply create a customer account, and checkout. Once you receive the product, you can then fill it into your packaging, and label to FDA compliance. (Check out our compliance blogs for help with rules and regulations) This is the fastest and most economical way to get to market.
Do you have Samples to try before I invest in larger sizes?
Yes! We highly suggest sampling any products you are interested in, as you are the only one who will know what products are right for you. Essential is an FDA compliant facility so we cannot accept returns on opened packaging. You can find our finished product samples here. There is more than one page, so use the page navigation at the top to go from category to category. Ingredients will all have samples located on the sample page as the product description itself. It will be the first choice in the list of prices and sizes. Products will come in 15 ml sizes, while ingredients will come in sizes less than ½ an ounce.
