How do you get your own beauty or skin care line?

[Alyssa marie]

When I open up a salon I really want to have my own beauty or skin care line. Im just not sure how you get this.

[boy_out_of_hell]

Congratulations on such a brave initiative! However, it will take a lot of work and unfortunately you won't be able to do it on your own. You'll need help from various people, because it requires knowledge from various fields of expertise. Please allow me to describe the steps you need to take.

1) First of all, you need to decide the span and coverage of your cosmetic line. Will it be for hair only? Will it be for skin care only? Or will you design two different lines, one for hair and one for skin care?
2) You'll have to decide what problems you want your products to solve, such as dandruff, acne, dryness and so on and so forth.
3) Then you'll have to come up with the formula/s of the products. You'll need the help of a specialist with deep knowledge about cosmetic chemistry. You can build the formula/s inspiring yourself from existing beauty products, but remember! It has to be ORIGINAL!
4) After you've come up with the formula/s, you need an approval for it from the health/cosmetic authority in your country. They will give you a some sort of license which will allow you to use your products and charge money for it. This step can take some time, as health and cosmetic authorities don't usually rush approving anything.
5) After you get the approval, you can start the packaging design phase. Here you'll basically need two people: a marketing specialist who will analyze the market and tell you which will be the best packaging type for your products and a graphic designer, which will draw and render the final packaging according to the marketing specialist's insights.
6) Using the graphic designer's final sketches, you'll bring the formula/s and the packaging together in the production phase. First, an industrial factory will create the packaging which will be later on filled with the formula/s.
7) What comes next is the pricing phase. You'll need the help of the marketing specialist again, who will run another analysis on the marketing to establish a competitive price for your products.
8) You have to decide next how will the people know about your new beauty line. If you only want people who come to your salon to see and find out about your products, you just have to exhibit the products in your salon and have your employees talk to your clients about them. If you want a wider coverage, skip to step 9.
9) If you decide upon it, the advertising phase will help you raise awareness among people who don't usually come to your salon to see the products. It requires the help of an advertising agency, which will come with the strategy to promote your products outside your salon through various media channels (TV commercial, print, online, social media etc.)
10) The final step is the most rewarding one of all. You sit back, earn money and enjoy your fame!

Again, congratulations for this bold initiative and best of luck to you!