Private label manufacturers for your own brand

What a private label manufacturer does

Private label manufacturing splits the work in two. The factory owns the production: the equipment, the raw materials, the process and the staff. You own the brand: the name, the label, the packaging design and the customer. Most private label orders start from one of two places:

• A stock product or base formula that the factory already makes, changed only in the ways you choose, such as the scent, the color, the fill size or the packaging. This is the quicker and cheaper route, and a product sold unchanged under many brands is closer to white label.
• A custom product built to your formula, pattern or drawing. It takes longer and needs more samples, and you should agree in writing who owns the formula, the patterns and any molds or tooling you pay for.

Whichever you choose, the factory usually applies your label and packs the goods in your packaging, so the finished product reaches you ready to sell.

Your name on the label brings the duties with it

Putting your brand on a product changes who answers for it. The rules below are the ones a US brand meets most often.

• Consumer products in general. The Consumer Product Safety Act defines a manufacturer as any person who manufactures or imports a consumer product^[1]. A brand that imports its own private label goods is therefore a manufacturer of them under that law.
• Food. When the brand on a food label did not make the food, its name has to be qualified by a phrase such as "Manufactured for" or "Distributed by"^[2].
• Dietary supplements. FDA says a distributor that has a supplement made and sells it under its own label has an obligation to know what and how manufacturing activities are performed^[3], so that it can decide whether the finished product meets its specifications and can be released. Hiring a factory does not hand that judgment to the factory.
• Cosmetics. A cosmetic label follows the same pattern as food: where you did not make the product, your name must carry a phrase that reveals your connection to the product^[4]. Under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, the responsible person is the manufacturer, packer, or distributor whose name appears on the label^[5]. That person must list each marketed cosmetic product with FDA, report serious adverse events to FDA, and keep records supporting each product's safety^[5]. For a private label cosmetic, that is usually the brand. Listing has an exception: the law exempts certain small businesses from GMP, registration, and product listing requirements^[5], but not for products that regularly touch the eye's mucous membrane, are injected, are for internal use, or alter appearance for more than 24 hours^[5]. Adverse event reports and safety records apply either way.
• Clothing and textiles. A textile label must show fiber content, country of origin and the company name or Registered Identification Number (RN) of the manufacturer, importer or another firm marketing, distributing or handling the product^[6], so the company named can be yours as the business marketing the product. Replacing a factory's label with yours is allowed as long as the new label lists the name or RN of the company making the change^[6], and the label you substitute also must have the required information^[6].
• Anything imported. Your brand goes on the product, and so does its origin. With limited exceptions, an imported article must be marked to show the final buyer in the US the English name of the country of origin^[7].

None of this is a reason to avoid private label. It is a list of documents and label lines to settle before you pay a deposit. Much of the paperwork has to come from the factory, so settle in writing which documents you will get, and when.

How to compare private label manufacturers

Two quotes for the same product can hide very different deals. Put them side by side on these points:

• Stock or custom. Is the price for the factory's existing base or for your own formula or design? A custom quote should list development, sample rounds and the time they add.
• Minimums. Ask for the MOQ of the product and, separately, of any printed labels, boxes or bottles. Printed packaging can carry its own minimum.
• Ownership. Who owns the formula, the patterns, the artwork and any molds? Get the answer in the quote or the order, not in a chat message.
• Compliance papers. Which test reports, facility registration numbers or certificates can the factory provide for your category? Match them against the duties above.
• Shipping terms. A quote at the factory door (EXW) and a quote delivered to a port are different prices. Compare what each costs landed at your warehouse, not the unit price alone.
• The approved sample. Pay for a pre-production sample, approve it in writing and keep one. It is the reference if the production run does not match.

How to find private label manufacturers

Start with the category, not the word "private label": a gummy maker, a cut-and-sew apparel factory and a candle pourer are found in different places. Useful routes are the exhibitor lists of your category's trade shows, the public databases of the certification schemes your buyers ask for (for example organic or textile standards), your category's trade associations, and B2B sourcing sites, where you should check whether a listing is the factory itself or a trading company, because that changes who controls production and who answers for problems. For a product that is new to you, OEM and ODM are the two terms that tell you whether the factory will build your design or offer you one of its own.

You can also send your request to us. We look overseas first, in countries such as China, Vietnam, India and Mexico, and in the US when you ask for US-made, and we introduce you to the manufacturers that fit, each one named. It is free for brands, and the manufacturers quote you directly; ask each quote to state its shipping terms. Product pages for each private label category are listed on this page as they are published.