It can be challenging for businesses in the cosmetics or beauty industry to find the best fulfillment company to partner with, as there are specific factors to consider before making a commitment.
Fulfillment companies may not always be equipped to meet the specific storage and shipping needs of cosmetic products. However, partnering with a fulfillment company can offer significant advantages to cosmetic companies, enabling them to concentrate on their core competencies.
When searching for a cosmetic fulfillment company, there are several factors that beauty brands need to consider. You’re not just looking for retail warehousing, or fulfillment, but rather a partner that can help you strategically grow and take your business to the next level. The specific products that require logistics assistance should influence the decision-making process. Keep these considerations in mind to select the best partner for your business and receive a seamless and dependable service.
Climate And Storage Control For Cosmetics Warehousing
When selecting a cosmetic fulfillment company, it’s crucial to consider the climate conditions that your products need. We’ve discussed this topic in depth: Climate Controlled Storage – Some cosmetics can be damaged if stored in extreme temperatures or humidity. Therefore, choose a company that has the ability to store and ship your products in optimal climate conditions. This is important in ensuring that your customers receive the best version of your product.
To protect the quality and maximize the shelf life of your cosmetics, it’s important to store them in cool, dark locations. A 3PL with cosmetic warehousing experience will know these. Heat and light exposure can damage the product’s ingredients, leading to changes in texture, color, and fragrance. Additionally, fluctuations in temperature can make cosmetics less appealing or unsafe to use. Exposure to sunlight can also speed up the degradation process, causing active ingredients to break down quickly and lose effectiveness. Therefore, it’s best to keep your cosmetics in cool, dark storage.
Maintaining appropriate humidity levels is important to prevent damage and decrease the shelf life of products. For example, if the environment is too humid, creams and lotions may get contaminated with bacteria, leading to faster spoilage. Using proper humidity controls can help cosmetics stay fresh and stable for extended periods while also preventing microbial growth.
Time Is Always Of The Most Importance With Cosmetics
The length of time cosmetics remain usable depends on the type, ingredients, and storage conditions. Unopened makeup typically lasts for two to three years, while products like lipstick, liquid eyeliner, and mascara may only last for about six months due to frequent use. Skincare products can last anywhere from one to three years, but exposure to air or direct sunlight can shorten their shelf life.
Choosing a beauty 3PL company with appropriate temperature and humidity controls is crucial for your cosmetics products. Many of these providers maintain strict conditions in specific areas of their warehouse to ensure acceptable temperature ranges and humidity levels for their clients.
It’s important to consider the climate of the warehouse location when calculating logistics, as the products will be temporarily stored and transported in areas that may be exposed to environmental factors and conditions. It is crucial to consider the influence of regions like the deep south on your product, particularly if your product is susceptible to environmental factors. For this reason, it is recommended that all beauty fulfillment services be situated in an optimal location.
With that being said, let’s look at the most important facts your health/cosmetics company needs to know prior to working with a 3PL beauty and health fulfillment center.
1. Your Heath And Beauty Fulfillment Services Company Needs Cosmetics Industry Experience
When selecting a fulfillment company, it’s important to consider their experience in the cosmetics industry. Have they worked with other companies who ship or store cosmetic products? Can they handle the same volume of products as your company requires? Asking these questions will help ensure that the ecommerce fulfillment company you’re partnering with is capable of completing all the steps in order fulfillment, warehousing, and supply chain management.
Here at Thill Inc., we’ve worked with some of the biggest cosmetic companies in the world, helping them move millions of beauty and health products.
2. Carefully Planned Fulfillment Services For Beauty Products
Cosmetic products have specific safety and handling requirements, the inventory receiving is an important step. Certain products, such as fragrances, need special storage to prevent hazardous conditions. It is also important to avoid contact with products that may cause allergic reactions among warehouse staff. To maintain safety and prevent such risks, working with a fulfillment company to store, handle and ship products is vital.
3. Warehousing For Cosmetics From A Certified 3PL Provider
To use our fulfillment company for your products, please note that they need to have standard warehousing licenses. In addition, they may need to accept cosmetic products as well. Depending on the products you plan to offer, there may be specific rules and regulations from OSHA, FDA, and the Department of Transportation that need to be followed. For handling the products, the employees must have required certifications.
4. Forecasting Cosmetics Demand With State-Of-The-Art Technology And Tools
To effectively manage and predict demand for cosmetics, it’s important to have a deep understanding of market trends and customer preferences. This industry is heavily focused on trends, so collecting data such as past sales figures, customer feedback, and competitor analysis is crucial to determining the seasonal demand for certain products. This is why real-time analytics is so important. By using a variety of information sources, including industry publications that highlight upcoming popular products, you can predict changes in demand and factors that may impact sales.
5. Shipping For Beauty Products
When shipping your cosmetic products, it’s essential to maintain the proper climate. The same storage requirements apply during shipping as they do in storage. Make sure you work with a company that understands your product’s shipping requirements, and communicate these needs clearly before committing to their services.
6. Special Cosmetics Categories Need Special Attention
The FDA may classify certain cosmetic items as drugs if they make medical claims or affect the body in a particular way. For instance, sunscreen can be viewed as a drug because it claims to safeguard against skin cancer and other sun-related harm. To maintain the effectiveness of these products, they must be stored in a closely-monitored, controlled environment that regulates factors like temperature and humidity until they are ready to be sold.
7. A Supply Chain Built For Cosmetics Warehousing
Supply chain management efficiency is invaluable for a health and beauty company. Both consumers and manufacturers are acknowledging the contribution of the cosmetics industry towards plastic waste. To promote sustainability in supply chain practices, they aim to use biodegradable packaging materials, lessen carbon footprint through renewable energy sources, and reduce waste through recycling and repurposing.
Transportation logistics have an impact on sustainability in warehousing. Companies can improve efficiency by working with suppliers who are nearby and switching from road to rail transport. This reduces fuel consumption and helps to reduce the environmental impact. Sustainable supply chain practices can help companies to meet the increasing demand for environmentally-friendly products.
8. Cosmetics Returns
It can be difficult to handle returns for cosmetics because they have a short shelf life and must be stored and handled carefully. Retailers must act quickly to resell returned cosmetics before they expire or become unsellable. Cosmetics are also subject to health regulations that limit their resale potential because they come into direct contact with customers’ skin as personal care items.
Managing returns can become more expensive as they increase, including costs for restocking and disposal. This can reduce profits if not handled correctly. To minimize lost revenue and prevent waste, successful return management demands meticulous planning and execution.
If you own a cosmetics business and are looking for a fulfillment and logistics partner who has experience working with other companies in your industry and the necessary certifications, you can fill out a quote request or contact us to schedule a consultation with our fulfillment experts. They will guide you through the on-boarding process and create a plan to help your business succeed.
9. A Cosmetic Fulfillment 3PL That Onboards Effortlessly
Some of you may have questions about moving your ecommerce websites over to 3PL software, that’s a valid worry to have. You need something that can integrate with your ecommerce provider effortlessly.
Here at Thill Inc., we make it simple and easy to get you integrated. We work with many companies that use Shopify, but that’s not the only order fulfillment platform we service. We actually work with more than 50 providers, including but not limited to Magento, Ebay, Amazon, Walmart, Big Commerce, and many more.
These integrations need to be easy and every Beauty/Health 3PL Fulfillment Center is different as it pertains to the technology they have.
