There is perhaps no more powerful trend in consumer products today than the movement toward homemade and locally-sourced products. Just behind those are ethically-sourced products. When a particular line of products encompasses both of those areas, the consumer momentum can be huge.

Cosmetics are a perfect example. With so many people paying more attention to what they use on their bodies, it is more appealing than ever to buy things from people that they know. And if you’re one of the people who has decided to delve into this market by making your own cosmetics, you probably already know a lot about the demand for your goods.

What you may not know is the process for making sure that your products are safe and effective. It is essential that you find out about this process before pushing into the market. Consumers are shopping with you because they expect safer products, so you must hold up your end of the bargain.

Use Good Marketing

Because your products are homemade, you’re already in a comfortable and lucrative niche. But that isn’t enough by itself. Remember that when a product is homemade, that is just one tiny part of its overall package. Customers need to see certain traits in your products, and you’ll have to understand the market to know what those traits are.

Tap into a good source for beauty consumer research to find out just what the market is clamoring for, and then figure out a way to offer it to them with safety, quality, and value in addition to your homemade character. After all, there are plenty of large manufacturers out there that can meet the exact demands of the market, and they can do so very rapidly. To stay ahead of them, you’ll have to meet that standard in addition to being homemade. That brings us to our closing point.

Safety is Essential

You don’t want to set foot into the market for cosmetics until you know that your products are safe. The potential liability for injuries or adverse reactions can be massive.

Research requires more than simply applying them to yourself and waiting to see if there’s a problem. You’ll need to find a lab that can independently verify that your products are safe.

Of course, another option is to build your products out of existing ingredients that are already established to be safe. The problem here is that you may be portrayed as simply a re-boxer of the products people are trying to avoid. A better choice is to stick with all-natural inputs that don’t present any doubt about safety. Not only will you be able to bypass the complexities of many regulatory considerations, you’ll also have built-in marketing elements. That brings us to our next point.

Never Forget Your Roots

Most companies evolve over time, and even your cottage industry cosmetics will make some changes as well. That’s assuming you pay attention to the market research you’re getting, because consumers are notoriously fickle and won’t want the same thing five years from now that they want today.

A simple review of the history of product labels will reveal to you just what might change. Buzzwords and phrases like “new and improved” and “state of the art” have fallen away in favor of “organic”, “all-natural”, and similar terms. Keeping abreast of these trends is essential.

Colors, ingredients, and packaging may evolve, but your all-natural, homemade qualities will not. As long as you continue to deliver the right combination of trendy and consistent, you’ll be able to build and sustain success.