How to launch a makeup brand in the UK

Beauty is more profitable than ever, with the UK market expected to reach a value of around £13.5 billion this year. Makeup, in particular, sees high demand across demographics, making it one of the most lucrative areas to break into. From clean girl beauty to lip liners, there’s plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurship. 

But there’s no denying that this is also a competitive industry, and starting a makeup business isn’t for the faint-hearted. If you’ve got your hopes set on creating a beauty brand, make sure you’re ready to take on the market with this guide.

Look For a Unique Selling Point (USP)

Beauty shops aren’t struggling to fill their shelves with excellent makeup brands. From established household names, like Maybelline and Lancôme, to celebrity-led startups, like Rare Beauty and Rhode, there’s already a lot of choice out there. So, what makes your makeup business different?

This is where a USP is essential. You need to offer your audience something truly unique to carve out a space for your brand in the wider makeup market.

Rare Beauty, for instance, designs accessible products for people who struggle with motor skills and dexterity - a clear USP that’s helped them achieve great success (that and Selena Gomez’s name on the label).

When developing your business plan, explore ways you can separate yourself from competitors. This could be through:

• Price: Taking an existing concept but placing it at a lower or higher price point can appeal to a different demographic. Adjust the product formula and concept to suit your pricing.
• Product range: Think of how Fenty Beauty disrupted the entire makeup industry with a more inclusive foundation shade range. This is all about giving consumers choices that weren’t previously available.
• Undercatered markets: Is there a certain demographic that’s still not as well catered to as others? Find gaps in the market and adjust your products accordingly.
• A new concept: An entirely new makeup product is a USP in itself. Just be sure there’s demand for your idea before going to market.

Competitor research and target audience surveys are excellent for finding inspiration and testing your USP. Learn more about what’s already out there, where there are gaps in the market, and what consumers really want from a new makeup brand.

Explore Sales Channels

When it comes to how to start a cosmetic business, you need to explore ways of reaching your target audience. The good news is that there are plenty of sales channels to pick from. Let’s take a closer look:

Face-to-face sales

You can sell directly to your customers through a variety of sales channels, including:

• In your own shop
• At pop-up events
• At local markets

Pop-ups and markets are particularly good for new makeup brands, helping you learn more about your consumers, generate brand awareness, and make sales without the expenses of opening a shop.

For successful face-to-face sales, make sure you’re prepared and professional. Start by investing in a reliable POS system to take contactless payments securely. You’ll also need high-quality packaging, clear branding, and testers or samples of your products to help secure those early sales.

Third-Party Stockists

As a beauty entrepreneur, securing stockists can transform your business's success. This is such a brilliant way to put your brand in front of an existing audience and reduce the costs associated with making sales.

To find stockists, take your products directly to local shops that align with your brand. Be sure to have a business card and samples to leave if the manager isn’t around, and clarify how your USP fits their current product range and target audience.

You can also reach out to brands online. Try networking with businesses on social media or contacting them directly to ask if they’d like to stock your makeup range.

Selling online

One of the most popular ways to start a makeup business is online. You can keep costs low, reach a massive audience, and scale your operations easily as your business grows.

This is a saturated market, though, so standing out is key. Be sure to invest in a well-designed website that reflects your brand image and builds trust with your audience. You can pay a developer or marketing agency to handle this for you, or build your own using a drag-and-drop website builder, like Wix or Squarespace.

You’ll then need a very strong digital marketing strategy, which we’ll discuss next.

Create a Marketing Strategy

Starting a skincare or makeup brand requires a strong marketing campaign. This ensures your target customers are actually seeing your products and learning about your business, both of which are essential for making those all-important sales.

Strategies to explore for your marketing plan include:

• Branding (both traditional and digital)
• Social media marketing
• Search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Paid advertising
• Influencer marketing
• User-generated content (UCG)
• Content marketing
• Reviews and testimonials

To keep costs low, you can carry out your own marketing. This requires a lot of research to ensure you know what you’re doing, but gives you full control over the look, feel, and messaging of your brand.

If you’re not clued up on marketing strategies and don’t want to risk getting it wrong, outsource to a digital marketing agency.

Write a Business Plan

A business plan breaks down the building blocks of your makeup brand into a single, easy-to-understand document. As the founder, it’s a useful way to compile all essential information in one place and clarify your next steps. A business plan is crucial for funding and loans, too, making it smart to have by your side.

Keep your business plan simple and concise, but clear. You’ll need to include:

• An overview of your business
• Details of your makeup products
• Who your target audience is
• Target audience and competitor research
• Sales channels
• Marketing strategy
• Costs and pricing

Essentially everything that we’ve mentioned in this guide should be in your business plan. You want anyone who reads it to be able to understand what your brand is, how you’ll make sales, and the steps you’re taking to achieve success.

Develop Your Makeup Products

You’ve got a good idea of how to start your business; now it’s time to turn your makeup into real products that are ready for the market.

There are two options for this. You can either make your products yourself or outsource them to a third-party manufacturer.

• Making the products yourself: This gives you complete control over formulas and can be cheaper for a cosmetic brand startup. You’ll need the right equipment, though, and must prove your compliance with cosmetic safety regulations (including any product testing).
• Outsourcing to a manufacturer: This is a brilliant option if you have a makeup idea but need someone with experience to turn it into a product. Work alongside your manufacturer to develop formulas and packaging and carry out essential compliance. It can be expensive, but it takes a lot of stress out of starting your business.

Final Thoughts

Getting ready to launch a beauty brand should never be rushed. While it’s normal to be itching for your first sale, building solid foundations for your branding, product development, and marketing will be far better for your long-term success. Take your time to get it right, and you’ll thank yourself later.

Our final tip? Make sure you’re an industry expert by keeping up with the latest beauty news on TheIndustry.beauty.