In a recent No Stupid Questions story, we checked in with 10 beauty consultants, including two who had opened and closed their own beauty and wellness brands, for estimates on what it costs for an indie brand to market an A-level beauty product launch. Most of their estimates were in the $100,000 to $750,000 range, but estimates went as high as $2.5 million-plus.
In response to the story, on Beauty Independent’s Instagram post about it, several brands criticized the estimates for being far too much. Good Flower Farm wrote, “Do indie beauty brands really spend this much? We have nowhere near that budget to launch, and I can name several fellow indie beauty brands that have a name in the industry that are in the same boat.”
We decided to explore more to understand better what indie beauty brands spend on marketing new products. So, for the latest edition of our ongoing series posing questions relevant to indie beauty, we asked 11 indie beauty brand founders—and another consultant—the following: How much does it cost you to market an A-level product launch? Have you seen costs go up over the last year or two? Are you spending more or less on marketing for a new product than before, and why? Have you changed your product launch strategy in light of the costs?
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NATALIE HARRIS Founder, Elea Jay Essentials When I see numbers like $75,000 to $100,000 or more estimated for an indie beauty launch, I understand where that number comes from, but I also know it’s not the reality for most of us. For many bootstrapped founders, especially early stage, something in the $10,000 to $20,000 range is a lot more attainable, and with the right strategy, it can be enough.
We’ve built our brand around stretching every dollar, focusing on what truly drives connection and conversion. For us, a successful A-level launch falls within that $12,000 to $18,000 range, with a strategy that prioritizes in-house creativity, performance-driven ads and community engagement.
In-house creative production: $4,000 to $5,000
Instead of heavily relying on influencer partnerships, we invest in our own content. We’ve built a small, but mighty in-house team that creates everything from branding to tutorials to campaign visuals—real people, real results and storytelling to connect.
Social media advertising: $5,000 to $6,000
Most of our budget goes into Meta ads. We test creative, messaging and audience targeting to make every dollar stretch. Strong content is key. It lets us show up well without spending big.
Customer and community engagement: $2,000 to $3,000
From surprise free gifts to early access and launch-day exclusives, we prioritize the people who’ve been with us since the beginning. It’s scrappy, but it creates loyalty, and word-of-mouth in a way that feels organic and true to us.
Influencer gifting (unpaid): $1,000 to $2,000
We still gift thoughtfully to creators who genuinely align with our brand. Authenticity beats scale for us every time.
Launch operations and logistics: $1,000 to $2,000
We’ve tabled big, curated brand moments and focused instead on delivering a great experience from the moment someone hits buy. It’s not flashy but it’s real, and it works.
Definitely costs have gone up, especially around paid media. CPMs are higher, and customers are more discerning, but instead of spending more, we’ve learned to work smarter, doubling down on storytelling, repurposing content creatively and focusing on conversion over vanity metrics.
The budget itself hasn’t grown much, but our ROI has. Every dollar is more intentional now. We’ve learned how to be both lean and effective without diluting the heart of what makes our brand resonate.
We’ve moved away from trying to mimic what larger brands are doing and instead focus on building honest, layered campaigns rooted in story, values and connection. We’re writing our own playbook, one that centers our community at every step.
- Laura Coblentz Founder and CEO, Caraline Skincare
By definition, an A-level beauty product launch means a top-tier, high-impact, high-sales volume debut. And since there is such a range of indie beauty brands, from startup to well-established, we probably need to specify what is meant by A-level product launch—i.e., sales reached in year year.
And then we have to come back to the term “indie beauty” and what that means. Large, well-funded and celebrity-endorsed beauty brands are not what most people think of as indie, based on the feedback to the Instagram post. By definition, indie beauty is:
- Generally smaller scale and nimble.
- Not associated with a large corporation, but founded by an individual with a personal connection to a product or mission.
- Values and mission-based.
- Marketing that relies on creative storytelling, a strong founder voice and builds communities around products or brands.
I would define A-level product launch as having $250,000-plus sales revenue in year one, but that would require significant investment from an established brand. Some people would consider $50,000 in year one sales to be a good start, which would clearly require much less investment.
If a founder and team are nimble, they can manage costs effectively to launch a new product:
- Photography IRL and AI: Need great images
- Organic social content: Hire someone or do it yourself with Canva. If this is a new product launch, then market to and engage heavily with your existing customer base. Founder likely has a strong community/social following that can be leveraged.
- Email: New product launches can be marketed effectively with email to existing customers and with fantastic ROI/ ROAS.
- Organic content for SEO: Write it with the help of AI tools.
- PR: Possible to identify and pitch writers yourself or hire a PR team to help.
- Paid advertising Google and Meta: After testing creative and audiences, cost could be as low as $10,000 or you could spend as much as $50,000. Because the brand likely already has built-out audiences, the algorithm can find people who might be interested in the product. Also, there are low-cost ways to drive awareness and trial, like paid ad giveaways among existing audiences.
- Influencers: If you can find good ones, great, but you have to be careful and selective. Many don’t have the engagement rates they say they do. And they can be expensive, but, if they have a good relationship with their audience, then it could be worth the investment.
Of course, you can spend $1 million launching a product, but you don’t have to, if you’re smart about it. Most indie beauty brands start small, building out with some local retail and DTC, maybe Etsy or Amazon. The final step is to go to retail distribution—slotting fees, promo fees, marketing programs and samples. And that’s before the cost to produce inventory for the channel.
Speed and ramping up quickly will require a significant upfront investment, which is fine if the brand is funded. Even then, VCs don’t like spending a lot of money (I know, I worked for a VC-funded company!). Most indie brands are likely looking at a slower growth ramp.
Here are some rough cost estimates:
Do it yourself/with your team Hire it out Photography $2,000 $4,000 Organic social $1,000 $10,000 Email $400 $3,000 SEO content $1,000 $10,000 PR $3,000 $30,000 Paid advertising (Meta, Google) $10,000 $50,000 Influencers $10,000 $10,000 Retail distribution: 1,500 stores $150,000 Retail distribution: 50 stores $10,000 Amazon store setup $5,000 $10,000 Subtotal $42,400 $277,000 Year one target sales revenue $50,000 $250,000 - MATT RUGGIERI Managing Director, Onekind and Motley Brands
At Onekind, an A-level product launch typically costs us between $50,000 to $75,000. If it’s showing early signs of success, we’ll “unlock” more money. As a self-funded company, we’re extremely intentional and resourceful with how we allocate our marketing dollars. We treat every dollar like it’s our own (because it is).
Here’s how that spend typically breaks down:
Micro-influencer seeding and gifting: $10,000 to $15,000
We prioritize authentic relationships with organic creators—no paid influencer partnerships. We seed micro-influencers and content creators who genuinely align with the brand and are organically excited to try and share their honest opinions of a new launch. We also seed our most loyal Onekind customers because they're our most avid supporters, will share with their own friends & family and drive authentic enthusiasm. We don't invest in over-the-top elaborate PR boxes because they're wasteful. We opt for thoughtful packaging, handwritten notes and a personal touch to encourage UGC and word-of-mouth without pay-to-play.
Digital advertising: $35,000 to $50,000
Digital advertising (primarily Meta, Google and Pinterest) is by far our largest expense, but it's also the biggest lever for us in terms of new product discovery and customer acquisition. Costs have gone up in the last two years—CPMs are higher, and it takes more content and more touchpoints to convert—but we’ve found ways to optimize by quickly testing and then honing in on the highest-performing content in our paid strategy.
PR: $5,000 to 8,000
We have worked with freelance PR partners specifically for new launches. This includes press outreach, product mailers to editors and small-scale, intimate events. We also submit for industry awards and have been able to utilize those beauty awards and press features in our digital advertising strategy.
Creative production: $3,500 to $7,000
We produce most of our photo and video content in-house and use real Onekind customers as faces of our campaigns. We always aim for content that feels sophisticated but attainable—real people, real textures, real results.
Email, SMS and owned channel prep: ~$2,000 to $3,000
By far, our most powerful channel is our community, especially our loyal Onekind customers. Launch campaigns always include thoughtful email and SMS sequences, early access and behind-the-scenes storytelling that builds excitement, engages with the Onekind community and shows our customers all of the thought and care that goes into each new Onekind product launch.
Overall, costs are up about 20% to 30% compared to a few years ago. Paid media is more competitive, the traditional media landscape has shifted from organic to more pay-to-play, and organic creators are being approached with more brand offers. We've had to be very strategic with our creative, our messaging and our timing to make sure our spend is always working as hard as possible.
We’re spending more per product, but we’re launching fewer, more meaningful products. Our goal is to make every launch fills a need. It has to be something our community will look forward to, will share, will review and will truly fall in love with. We’re willing to invest more deeply because we know that the products we're putting out there truly warrant it.
We've realized that we don't need to be everywhere, all the time. We've moved away from advertising channels that haven't produced results, and we're honing in on the ones that continue to perform best for us. We've learned through testing that a lot of times simple creative resonates best for us.
We're focused on building anticipation through our owned channels, telling our why and extending the life of each campaign long after launch day. We also are doubled down on our existing customers—those who already love the brand—because they're the most powerful advocates we have. Our launch strategy always starts with them.
- SIMONE SMITH Founder, The Calm Joy Candle Co.
From my experience as a smaller, independently grown brand, the scale of $100,000 to $750,000 for a single product launch does feel astronomical. Our approach has been significantly more budget-conscious and focused on organic growth and targeted, smaller-scale efforts.
To answer your questions as honestly as I can, here's a breakdown of what a typical new product launch marketing budget looks like for us:
Social media advertising: This is often our most direct paid marketing expense, typically ranging from $100 to $500 for a launch, focused on targeted ads on platforms like Instagram and Facebook to reach our existing community and relevant niche audiences.
PR: Our PR efforts have largely been organic, focusing on reaching out to smaller influencers and publications that align with our brand ethos and values. Direct monetary investment here is typically $0 or very minimal (e.g., sending samples).
Influencer collaborations: We often work with micro-influencers through gifting or very small, negotiated collaborations, typically in the $0 to $200 range in direct cost.
Email marketing: This is a crucial and cost-effective tool for us, with costs primarily associated with our email platform subscription (around $20 to $50/month), not per launch.
Content creation (photography/videography): We often handle much of this in-house or work with very small, independent creatives on a project basis, with costs ranging from $50 to $300 per launch depending on the scope.
I have noticed a gradual increase in the cost of social media advertising over the last year or two, with CPMs generally trending upwards. Influencer marketing costs can also vary widely and have become more structured. The costs of the ingredients that we use (coconut wax, fragrance oils, etc., have had a gradual increase in pricing as well.
We're likely spending slightly more on marketing per new product launch now than in our very early days, primarily in the realm of more targeted social media advertising and occasional small influencer collaborations as we aim to reach a wider audience. However, our overall budgets remain a tiny fraction of the figures you mentioned, reflecting our focus on sustainable, organic growth and bootstrapping.
The high costs associated with "A-level" launches actually reinforce our existing strategy. We continue to prioritize authentic connection with our community, leveraging organic content, email marketing and smaller, highly targeted paid efforts. Our product launch strategy revolves around building anticipation within our existing audience and focusing on the unique story and value proposition of each new scent rather than relying on massive, expensive campaigns.
Regarding inventory costs:
The cost of ingredients (waxes, fragrance oils) varies greatly depending on the scale of the launch. For a new product, we typically start with a smaller batch to gauge customer response, with initial ingredient costs ranging from $50 to $500, depending on the number of units.
I hope this perspective from a smaller, independent brand is helpful in providing a broader understanding of the diverse spending realities within the beauty industry. It highlights that successful product launches can be achieved with significantly different budget levels through creativity, community engagement and a deep understanding of your target audience.
- LYNN KING Founder, CEO and Creative Director, Fleurit Parfums
At Fleurit Parfums, we take a thoughtful approach to each product launch, typically budgeting around $50,000 to $100,000 for our entire collection, which consists of five products. This investment reflects our commitment to building a strong brand presence. However, when we account for packaging, influencer partnerships, advertising and other marketing expenses, we often find that our total costs $100,000 to $150,000 or more.
We prioritize influencer seeding by partnering with fragrance-specific creators who share our passion. Instead of monetary compensation, we provide them with our products, allowing us to forge genuine relationships and connect with their engaged audiences. The retail value of the packages we send to influencers ranges from $65 to $1,500, and we have sent nearly $25,000 worth of products to date.
Social media advertising is another key component of our strategy. We invest approximately $5,000 in targeted ads on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, carefully selecting demographics that resonate with our brand. This ensures our message reaches the right people.
High-quality visuals are essential in the beauty industry, so we dedicate around $10,000 to $15,000 to photography, videography and graphic design. We’ve found that using our resources effectively—leveraging talented friends and collaborators as photographers, models, web designers, makeup artists, and hairstylists—has helped us keep our marketing costs relatively low.
Additionally, I am very hands-on in every aspect of our branding, ensuring that our vision and values are consistently reflected across all platforms. This collaborative approach not only enhances our brand’s visual identity but also fosters a sense of community.
Packaging is another significant cost. Our bottles alone can range from $25,000, not including the boxes and outer packaging, which adds another $15,000 to $25,000. Creative packaging can be very expensive for a small company like ours due to high minimum order quantities.
We often find ourselves limited in our selection of bottles and caps, which can lead to using designs that are already recognizable from existing brands. This can create confusion for consumers, as they may associate our fragrances with those established brands rather than seeing our unique identity. This investment is vital, but also challenging given our budget constraints.
Since people are naturally drawn to beautiful things, we understand that our packaging needs to stand out. Our bottles are designed to be visually interesting and memorable, capturing the attention of consumers and enhancing the overall experience. We believe that an exquisite presentation adds to the allure of our fragrances, making them not just products, but objects of desire. Ultimately, we want each fragrance purchase to be an experience, not just a transaction.
To further enhance this experience, we include branded gifts with each purchase such as refillable atomizers, samples of other fragrances, chic pouches and fun surprises that make the shopping experience more memorable. These thoughtful touches not only delight our customers, but also reinforce our brand’s identity.
We also believe in the power of firsthand experiences, so we create sample kits and promotional items to distribute at events. This not only generates excitement but also enhances visibility for our new offerings.
To boost brand awareness, we’ve chosen to place ads in a small luxury magazine each month, investing $3,200 per ad. This targeted approach allows us to reach an audience that appreciates quality and craftsmanship, aligning perfectly with our brand values. As we grow, we anticipate increasing our budget by 20% to 30% to further improve our marketing efforts, gain more brand awareness and ultimately drive sales.
- HILLARY CLARK-MINA Founder, Hillary Clark Beauty
Call me an anarchist, but I slash launch budgets, especially if there’s a visible, engaged founder at the helm. A-level indie launches don’t need crippling $500,000 budgets. That’s obscene. What they need is clarity, founder-led storytelling and a consumer who feels proud to back something real.
Costs are up. Platforms are overcrowded, CPMs and CACs are spiking, and agencies are charging premium fees while still in “learning mode” with AI. We’ve overfed the media beast and trained customers to chase dazzle over depth. It's time to slow the scroll and engage the good old-fashioned way.
I tell brands: Ditch the "big launch playbook." Involve your audience early—naming, packaging, sneak peeks. That transparency builds anticipation and buy-in. Guerilla marketing is back. TikTok and IG Live, live selling, even Substack and Patreon with low buy-in are turning curiosity into loyalty.
Most indie brands define an A-level launch by A-level results. Today, a smart A-level indie launch can run $15,000 to $20,000, depending on the cost of goods. Here's the breakdown:
- Influencer seeding: $5,000 to $15,000
We don’t spray and pray. We seed sparingly, with intention and expectations. Seeding product is precious, exclusive and limited. This approach only works if the founder or brand is connected to the audience. - Paid social: $0 to $30,000
My scrappy founders run lean AI-powered campaigns, and the real baddies are vocal about refusing to pay to play- they show uplive across socials on a regular schedule. - PR + Events: $5,000 to $30,000
Desk-sides, à la carte boutique PR, IRL "day-in-the-life" events—low cost, high impact. - Content creation: $5,000 to $20,000
Founder-led content is nonnegotiable. Lift the skirt, get people invested in your win. - Email/SMS: $2,000 to $4,000
Email can be a heavy lift, but converts like crazy if your content has people looking for your latest like its 2004. MMS costs more but delivers when it lands. Get a laugh or a “preach” and you’ve got a sale.
The future? Founders taking the mic back. Less spend, more grit. Stop feeding the machine and tap dancing for cheap views. It isn't easy, but with persistence, it gives you more flexibility and control over your growth and success.
- Influencer seeding: $5,000 to $15,000
- BRAELINN FRANK Founder and Nail Artist, Rave Nailz
If money were no object, and I was building a true A-level launch the way I envision it, I’d probably allocate $775,000. That number comes from obsessively mapping out different launch scenarios and asking: What would it take to give a press-on nail drop the same cultural moment as a sneaker release or an album drop?
Here’s how I’d break that down:
- $1.2 million to seed and sponsor content with highly curated creators (emphasis on unexpected collabs—not just beauty, but fashion, art, nightlife).
- $500,000 for immersive launch activations that blend art and commerce.
- $400,000 for paid social across TikTok, IG, YouTube Shorts with video-first creative.
- $400,000 on PR, including stylists, editorial desks and product placement.
- $250,000 toward long-term brand storytelling: docu-style shoots, founder content, platforming our
- $250,000 in contingency/adaptive spend as we learn from what resonates.
Today, we’re spending closer to 15% to 20% of that dream budget and stretching every dollar. We prioritize:
- Influencer gifting and long-term relationships over paid placements.
- PR through a strategic partnership with a top-tier firm that believes in the brand’s long-term vision.
- Content made in-house or repurposed from UGC.
- We’ve pulled back significantly on Meta and TikTok spend, instead focusing on story-driven drops that convert through organic hype and community.
Our launches today are highly scrappy and community-driven. But every release gets a little closer to that dream- better packaging, stronger hooks, tighter influencer pulls. What’s changed most in the past year is my shift away from broad paid media and toward hyper-specific storytelling with strong visual language and creator partnerships that feel like real fandom.
- Nadia Hussain Founder, Hair Loving
For an A-level product launch at Hair Loving, we typically spend around 100,000 pounds [nearly $133,000]. This covers:
- 30,000 pounds [or $40,000] on influencer seeding and paid partnerships.
- 25,000 pounds [or $33,000] on social media ads (primarily Meta and TikTok).
- 15,000 pounds [or $20,000] on PR, media outreach, and podcast features.
- 10,000 pounds [or $13,000] on content creation (video, photography, UGC).
- 10,000 pounds [or $13,000] on sampling, events, and trade shows.
- 10,000 pounds [or $13,000] on email marketing, SEO and backend setup.
Costs have definitely increased by 20% to 30% in the last two years mostly due to rising influencer fees and higher ad costs as well as staff costings increase all triggered by cost-of-living increases.
We’ve shifted from a PR-heavy strategy to focusing more on community engagement and video content. Pre-launching to our core audience and building a waitlist has helped validate demand and make ad spend more efficient.
- UCHE EKHATOR MOBAYODE Founder and CEO, Gently Radiant Skin
We’re launching Gently Radiant Skin in Q4 2025, with a product ecosystem of over 16 SKUs across skincare, body care, bar soaps and fragrance. This is a brand launch, not a single product drop, so our marketing costs reflect that scale. Our total projected pre-launch marketing spend is around $222,000, and here's how it's allocated:
Pre-launch marketing breakdown (Feb. to Oct. 2025):
- Organic content creation: $5,000/month to $45,000
(UGC-style reels, static posts, carousel design and short-form educational content) - Founder-led storytelling and product demos: $30,000
(Includes our founder video, brand story, and product walkthroughs across all SKUs) - PR: $25,000
(Lean PR agency support, editor outreach, press mailers and founder-focused pitching) - Email marketing and community platform Setup: $7,000
(Klaviyo, loyalty program buildout, segmentation, and automated flows) - Photography, brand visuals and top-of-funnel Video: $90,000
(E-commerce product photography, campaign lifestyle shots and brand storytelling video content)
Post-launch spend (starting Nov. 2025):
- UGC content creation: $5,000/month
- Paid social and digital ads: $5,000/month
Average pre-launch marketing investment per SKU: ~$13,875. We’re deliberately keeping our post-launch budget modest, with a plan to analyze pre-launch performance and double down on what works best. It’s a focused, feedback-driven approach designed to optimize spend and scale sustainably.
We’ve only been closely tracking costs since 2023, when we began the research and development process for Gently Radiant Skin. But, even in that short window, costs have gone up across the board. Content creation, influencer rates, platform ad pricing and even sampling logistics are all more expensive now than they were a year ago.
But beyond the financials, the expectation of quality and trust has also risen dramatically, especially for clean beauty brands. Clean beauty is no longer a differentiator, it’s the starting point. To truly stand out, you need third-party certifications, transparent education and authentic community engagement. All of that adds cost, but it’s non-negotiable if you're building a brand with staying power.
This is our first launch, so we’re absolutely spending more than a typical indie product drop, but we’re doing it with intention. We’re completely self-funded, so every dollar is working overtime. Instead of chasing expensive influencer placements, we’re focused on building a solid foundation through high-quality UGC, founder-led video content and community-driven storytelling.
Our goal isn’t just visibility—it’s trust and long-term engagement. Post-launch, our strategy shifts toward community leverage. We plan to activate and gamify our loyalty program to reward advocacy, increase retention and create organic demand from the inside out.
One of the biggest shifts we made was deciding to launch an entire ecosystem, not just one hero SKU, as conventional wisdom often suggests.
But for us, that is the strategy. We redefined the concept of a “hero SKU” to mean a hero offering: effective, nontoxic skincare that serves every age and every body part. This led us to adopt a two-pronged approach:
- Formulate to meet the highest third-party standards, including Cosmos Organic, EWG Verified and Made Safe, with clinical testing to support every claim.
- Launch a cohesive system of 16-plus SKUs across skincare, body care, bar soaps and fragrance, creating an ecosystem that builds immediate trust and brand depth.
This approach also makes better economic sense. Our pre-launch marketing spend is $222,000, and with or without multiple SKUs, that number wouldn’t be significantly lower. Content, PR, video and platform costs are largely fixed regardless of how many products are being launched. By offering a full lineup, we’re making that investment work harder.
Our average marketing cost per SKU is about $13,875—a reasonable figure given our focus on long-term trust, third-party validation and brand-wide education. We’re not spending for splash, we’re spending for staying power. We’re focused on building something sustainable, not viral—and that’s why this strategy makes sense for us.
- Organic content creation: $5,000/month to $45,000
- MEGAN CARTE Founder, CarteHaus
For the last two years, I was heavily utilizing in-person pop-up events for marketing, customer feedback and sales. This is my first year I’ve started to shift back towards online marketing since COVID.
With this shift, I’ve been concentrating on running ads, and I’m finding that ads alone you need at least $1,000 to $1,500 per month in ad spend alone to break through the noise. If I were to go full force for marketing an A-level product launch with influencers, ads and public relations, I would expect to spend no less than $10,000.
Over the last 10 to 12 months costs have remained relatively stable, but, year-over-year from 2023 to 2025, I have witnessed costs increase significantly. Some components of my products have nearly doubled in cost since I started in 2021. With supply chain shortages, and the candle industry experiencing a 6% growth rate in the last 5 years, the rise in demand logically has been a reason for this intense increase for COGs.
Not only have I seen those costs increase, but I have also seen an increase in the cost of marketing. Every aspect of business has been impacted, from my website platform to sending emails. Maintaining and scaling a business costs at least 25% more than it did just a few years ago.
With putting a heavy shift away from in-person pop-up events, I’m spending more for marketing a new product than before. Launching a new product while also trying to build brand awareness online forces a higher marketing budget if you want to drive results.
I’ve become a lot more intentional with my product launch strategies and where money is getting spent. I’m utilizing organic social media more frequently and really pushing emails a lot more than I have previously. Spending more money than previous years is unavoidable, but, as a bootstrapped brand, I make sure and take the time to strategically choose how each dollar is getting spent to help make every dollar count to maximize results.
- KRISTINA BARANOWSKI Founder, Orchid + Ash
Being we are still a fairly small brand, and in the reinvesting-our-profits-into-new-product-development phase, we still try to do launches on the lower end of the cost spectrum.
For us, we do a first proof of concept run for each product, at a minimal 1,000 units. This helps us understand the demand for the product without completely breaking the bank.
Here is a breakdown of typical cost:
- Boxes (secondary packaging): Approximately $250 per 1,000
- Bottles and printing: Approximately $1,000 to $1,500 per 1,000
- Formula development: $2,500 to $3,000 per formula
- Photos: $750 for initial hero plus marketing shots
- Formulas themselves: $500 to $1,000 upfront investment for initial batches
- Ad creatives (paid or hired): $500 to $2,500 depending on strategy
- Labels if needed: $650
All in, we are looking at approximately $5,500 to $9,650 per product launched.
- Christine Marie Mason Founder and CEO, Rosebud Woman
I'm launching five new SKUs this summer. Because I am bundling, the post-launch will be shared across multiple SKUs, so in total I will probably invest $100,000 on average per SKU, but, if they were stand-alone, the $150,000 per sounds right.
Pre-launch (launch minus 12 to 18 months)
- Strategy: Market validation, competition, differentiation $5,000 (four months)
- Formulation: $5,000 (three months)
- Testing: $5,000 (three months)
- Package ideation and design: $2,000 (two months, includes formula compatibility)
- MOQ initial run on packaging (jars and unit cartons): $10,000
- MOQ initial production run: $20,000
- Sample production (pouches/vials): $3,000
- Web and commercial assets (images, certificates, wholesale documentation, warehouse prep): $5,000
Total pre-launch: $50,000 to $60,000, not including salaried staff time or my time
- Launch (go live plus three to six months)
- Email marketing to our own lists: We have 100,000 people, so we could stop here on launch
- PR three months: $5,000 to $10,000 per month
- Awards application: $3,000 to $6,000
- Sampling and influencer offers: $25,000
- Paid ads across Google, Meta, TikTok, etc.: $50,000
Zero incremental to $125,000
Total: $60 to $200,000
If you have a question you'd like Beauty Independent to ask beauty brand founders and consultants, send it to editor@beautyindependent.com.
