Cosmetics Starting Point¶

Loupe Factory starts cosmetics businesses with starter catalogs and workflow labels for beauty products, packaging, external production milestones, operational inventory, kits, samples, fulfillment, and finance handoffs. The starter catalog covers skincare, body care, hair and scalp care, color cosmetics, nail care, fragrance, beauty tools, refills, gift sets, and home fragrance.

This starting point is especially useful for beauty brands that coordinate contract manufacturers while their own product, procurement, operations, warehouse, sales, and finance teams need one shared view of progress and stock.

Starter Snapshot¶

Admins can change these values and catalogs after setup.

Common abbreviations in the starter labels include CMO for contract manufacturing organization, MOQ for minimum order quantity, PO for purchase order, CoA for certificate of analysis, RTV for return to vendor, 3PL for third-party logistics, QA for quality assurance, QC for quality control, and WIP for work in progress. Other labels use R&D for research and development, SPF for sun protection factor, PPE for personal protective equipment, and PR for public relations.

Typical Operational Flow¶

flowchart TB
    subgraph PLAN["Plan & approve"]
        BRIEF["Product Brief & Target Cost"] --> SAMPLE["Development Sample"]
        SAMPLE --> APPROVE["Approved Formula / Pack Standard"]
        ART["Artwork, Label & Regulatory Approval"] --> HANDOFF["Contract Manufacturing PO & Handoff"]
        APPROVE --> HANDOFF
    end

    subgraph MAKE["Coordinate manufacturing"]
        HANDOFF --> READY["Packaging Supply & CMO Readiness"]
        READY --> INPUT["Incoming Material & Packaging QC"]
        INPUT --> DISPENSE["Dispensing & Weighing"]
        DISPENSE --> BULK["Compounding, Mixing & Homogenization"]
        BULK --> BQC{"In-Process QC & Bulk Release"}
        BQC -->|Continue| FILL["Filling & Sealing"]
        FILL --> PACK["Coding, Labeling & Cartoning"]
    end

    subgraph RELEASE["Review & receive"]
        PACK --> FG{"Finished-Goods QA & Batch Release"}
        FG -->|Accept| ACCEPT["Brand Batch Acceptance & Release"]
        ACCEPT --> RECEIVE["CMO Dispatch & Brand Receipt"]
        RECEIVE --> FINISHED["Finished"]
        RECEIVE --> KIT["Bundle / Kit"]
        RECEIVE --> TESTER["Tester / Sample"]
    end

    BQC -->|Hold| HOLD["Need Rework / On Hold"]
    FG -->|Hold| HOLD
    HOLD --> DISPOSITION["Rejected / Disposal"]

This diagram is a simplified orientation for internal coordination. Your real sequence may differ, especially when a contract manufacturer owns the manufacturing and quality records outside Loupe Factory.

If you outsource manufacturing, start with handoff, manufacturer readiness, document review, brand receipt, and stock-status milestones. Keep compounding, filling, and in-process quality stages only when your team needs to track those supplier activities.

Inventory Types¶

These labels help teams separate development work, production milestones, saleable stock, and stock that must remain unavailable.

Finished Inventory Types¶

Starter product names include facial cleansers, mists, serums, oils, moisturizers, sunscreens, exfoliants, lip care, body care, hair care, makeup, fragrance, tools, kits, refills, samples, and candles.

Materials & Supplies Categories¶

Production Stages¶

Size and Package-Form Defaults¶

Size Groups¶

Package and Product Forms¶

Default Item Attributes¶

Every cosmetics inventory item starts with these item attribute keys as empty rows, so batch and shelf-life details are captured at intake rather than reconstructed during a recall or an audit. Teams can fill in what applies and add any other key they need.

To compare these values across several items, use Show attributes in an inventory table. Search also finds values such as B23A104 or Sensitive while the columns are closed.

Default Cost Components¶

Cosmetics businesses start with these cost component types, so a unit cost separates formula, packaging, testing, and outside manufacturing instead of arriving as one number from a contract manufacturer's invoice.

Typical Starter Teams¶

Customize This Starting Point¶

Use Product Settings to adjust product types, size groups, package forms, and the default weight unit. Use Inventory Settings to adapt inventory labels, and use Production Settings to reorder, rename, add, or deactivate operational stages. Use Organization Settings to adapt departments and designations.

Next Steps¶

• Compare all industry starting points
• Review shared definitions
• Continue with the Quick Start Guide