So, you have been thinking about selling cosmetics online. But what is the future outlook for that type of business and how exactly do you go about setting it up? Where do you find wholesale cosmetics to sell?

The cosmetics business is expected to reach more than $716 billion by 2025.

It is an ever-growing and expanding market. Who wouldn’t like a piece of that action?

The products you can sell cover a wide range.

From concealer, foundation, eyeliner, mascara, lipgloss and eyeshadow to hair extensions, brushes, mirrors, blow dryers, and curling irons there is almost no end to the variety of beauty products on the market.

In this article, we will be looking at where to source wholesale cosmetics and how to get those items into the hands of your customers.

Isn’t the world of cosmetics for the big players?

For the manufacturing of cosmetics, yes, that is the domain of the big players.

Selling beauty products is an entirely different universe.

Do you want to cater to a niche market?

Do you want to cover the entire spectrum of makeup, hair care and beauty accessories?

With being your own boss, you get to decide where to place your focus.

Because of sites such as Amazon, Shopify, Etsy and others, there is a great opportunity for you to set up a “boutique” shop online that will enable you to reach your target market.. 

You can leverage the social media platforms of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo to market your business.

First things first

Before you set up shop, it will be beneficial to first find out where to source wholesale cosmetics. 

It is important to find a supplier who can provide the products you need, at a price that fits your margins.

Then, you will need to decide if you want to carry an inventory of products and ship them yourself to your clients or if you want the supplier to dropship the products.

1. Cosmestix Club

Cosmetix Club is a wholesale cosmetics supplier that carries the full range of products from make-up and hair care to fragrances.

They even have a category of cosmetics under the heading “Great Items for Amazon”.

You will find name brand products at Cosmetix Club, which provides you with confidence in what you are selling and gives your customers confidence in what they are buying,

The brands they carry include Arbonne, BareMinerals, Burt’s Bees, Clairol, MAC, Maybelline, Revlon and many others.

To set up an account is easy.

Simply go to Cosmetix Club’s website, click on Create An Account, enter your first and last names, your email and create a password.

That’s it. No credit check. No need to enter bank information.

Once you have set up your account, browse their incredible selection of wholesale cosmetics…determine what products you want to sell and place your order. 

Cosmetix Club does not drop-ship to your customers.

Products are ordered in lots.

So, you will need to carry an inventory and take care of the shipping yourself.

They do, however, ship to Amazon FBA.

If you are set up on Amazon as an FBA seller, Amazon will take care of storing, packaging and shipping your products on your behalf.

Here is an example: Cosmetic Club’s pricing and how much you can make. L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise is available in 48 piece lots (two packs equals one piece) for $408. That comes out to $8.50 per pack of two or $4.25 single pack. 

That product retails for $10-$12 for a single pack. Excluding shipping, that is a margin of $5.75-$7.75 per single pack.

2. Oberlo

Oberlo is another supplier of wholesale cosmetics.

Unlike many of the other wholesale suppliers, Oberlo is essentially a one-stop-shop. 

The first thing that sets Oberlo apart is they are a dropship business platform.

What that means for you is that you do not need to carry an inventory at home.

This eliminates the need to have dedicated space at your home to store product and shipping materials as well as needing space to process the orders received from your customers.

All you need to begin with Oberlo is a computer. After you set up your account, Oberlo will help you with the rest. 

To get started with Oberlo is simple.

Set up your account and select the pricing plan that best fits your business model.

The free account is robust enough to get you well on your way to a successful online cosmetics business.

For a monthly fee, you can add features that will enhance your online business and take your venture to the next level.

Facebook and YouTube are great tools for marketing and driving traffic to your online store.

There will be more information on how to do that later in this article.

Oberlo also has classes you can take through their website.

They have a number of helpful blog articles as well.

You will have the opportunity to learn from the experts as to how to be hilariously successful with Oberlo’s platform for sourcing and selling wholesale cosmetics.

Other brand names of wholesale cosmetic suppliers

There are a number of other excellent wholesale cosmetic suppliers from whom you can source the products you desire to sell. 

1. USA Wholesale

USA Wholesale is reported to be one of the top wholesale cosmetic suppliers in the United States.

They are also known for stocking the more affordable name brand makeup and beauty products. 

2. Word Makeup

Word Makeup (also known as Great Buy Co.LTD) is another one of the leading suppliers of wholesale cosmetics that handle top-of-the-line name brand products.

Givenchy, Dior, and Estee Lauder are just a few of the premium brand products they carry.

Word Makeup also has the option of dropshipping.

Started in 2006, Word Makeup/Great Buy Co. LTD has a proven track record in the industry.

3. Fizzy Peach

Fizzy Peach is a wholesale cosmetic supplier (not a trendy cocktail) located in the United Kingdom.

With more than 20 of the top makeup brands in stock, Fizzy Peach is the perfect solution for sourcing beauty products in Europe.

The upside and downside of selling name brand cosmetics

The Upside

There is a definite upside to sourcing name brand cosmetics at wholesale prices.

That advantage is the product names are recognizable, used widely by women all over the world and have proven themselves over time.

The Downside

The downside of name brand wholesale cosmetics is that there is not much of a margin between your cost and the cost for which you are selling the product.

Shipping costs take an additional bite out of your margin.

You can make up the difference by scaling your business to move a higher volume of products.

No brand makeup

Another way to source wholesale cosmetics is to venture into the world of no brand makeup.

If you have a limited startup budget selling brandless beauty products might very well be the open door for you. 

Another advantage of selling no brand makeup is that it will give you access to a market segment that may not always be able to afford the brand name products.

Sources for No Brand Makeup

You can source no brand, wholesale cosmetics and beauty accessories from a number of companies.

It is important to find a wholesaler that has an excellent reputation.

1. Lightinthebox

Lightinthebox is a large wholesaler of no brand cosmetics and beauty products located in Seattle WA. and has an international reach for shipping products all over the world.

They boast of having over 5000 non-branded makeup products. Items can be purchased in single units and in lots of up 1000 units.

Your cost for their products is much lower than the cost of name brand cosmetics. Free shipping is offered on several products.

In addition to makeup, Lightinthebox also carries accessories like brushes, bags, mirrors, caboodles and as well as a full selection of hair care products.

You will definitely want to check out what Lightinthebox has to offer.

2. MakeUpMania

You can tell a lot about a company by its name.

What you can know right away regarding MakeUpMania is they are manic about makeup.

MakeUpMania is a distributor of wholesale cosmetics located in Denver CO.

They have been in business since 1998, so you know they must have a good reputation to be in the business for this long.

And they market the best in no brand makeup products and beauty products.

MakeUpMania carries just about any cosmetic product you can imagine.

Airbrush makeup and equipment. Bags and brushes. Sponges, tools, puffs and wigs.

And makeup. Lots and lots of makeup.

Not only do they carry a wide range of products, but their products also cover many market sectors.

MakeUpMania has cosmetic products for beauty, film, photography, drag, theatre, special effects, cosplay, fantasy and education.

If you are looking for top quality, no brand cosmetics at wholesale prices, make your way to MakeUpMania’s website and take a look at what they have to offer. 

With great prices and low-cost first class shipping, MakeUpMania could be a great supplier for your cosmetic business.

3. Alibaba/AliExpress

There is no doubt that Alibaba and AliExpress are one of the heavy-hitters in the world of eCommerce.

With thousands of cosmetic products at wholesale prices, this global giant is an excellent choice for bulk purchases.

Alibaba/AliExpress has deep relationships with quality distributors which is a huge benefit for you when it comes to sourcing wholesale cosmetics at great prices.

Along with low prices and a vast network of suppliers, dropshipping is an option through AliExpress which means you would not need to carry a large inventory of products at your home.

Finding customers for your products

You have determined how you are going to source wholesale cosmetics for your business.

You have determined if you are going to stock an inventory or drop ship direct from the supplier to your customers. 

Now, how do you sell those items online?

How do you find your customers?

Or, more accurately stated, how do customers find you?

“Building a better mousetrap”

In today’s marketplace, it is no longer enough to “build a better mousetrap” to get the world to beat a path to your door. 

Your next big step is marketing.

You need a platform to shout to the world that you indeed have the “better mousetrap” and you need to show them the way to your door.

Where to sell your products

There is any number of legitimate outlets by which you can sell your wholesale cosmetics, both online and offline.

Offline options would include having a booth at craft sales, county fairs, state fairs and town festivals.

For the amount of work, you would need to put into these options would be expensive and time-intensive.

The work of locating events, completing applications, sending in money to reserve your spot, buying a canopy/tent to use as a booth, a vehicle to transport your goods to/from the events and the cost of fuel to drive to the various events is simply not worth it in the end.

Thank goodness there is eCommerce.

You can open an online store on one of many platforms.

Here are two that are the most popular ones:

1. Shopify

Shopify is an eCommerce platform that enables anyone to set up an online store to sell their products.

Through the amazing tools that Shopify offers, you can build a website that will serve as your store through which you can sell your cosmetics.

Getting signed up and building your site is easy with the aid offered by Shopify.

There are tutorials, articles and other help to get you started in the exciting world of eCommerce.

Pricing is subscription-based and the level of services you need to determine the monthly cost of running a store on Shopify.

You can get started for free, yes for free, for the first ninety days.

After that, pricing starts at $29 per month for the basic package of services.

Other pricing options are $79 per month for the mid-level package and $299 per month for their premium package of services.

2. Amazon FBA

The granddaddy of them of the eCommerce sites is Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon).

An entire article would need to be written to cover all that Amazon’s FBA program offers for those who wish to get started in selling products online.

In short, the Amazon FBA program is a service by which all of your product is stored, packaged and shipped by Amazon at one of their fulfilment warehouse locations. 

The service provides you, the seller, with freedom from the worry of stocking an inventory at home, having to package the orders and ship them to your clients.

Click on the link above to learn more of what the Amazon FBA program can offer you as a reseller of wholesale cosmetics.

Other platforms

BigCommerce and Ecwid are other eCommerce platforms that would be worth your time to investigate.

How to market your products

You have the source for your products. You have your store.

Now, how do you drive traffic to your store?

Welcome to the wild and wacky world of marketing.

1. YouTube

One of the most popular places to market your wholesale cosmetics and beauty products is on YouTube.

YouTube is an amazing platform for marketing because, with video, you can speak directly to your potential customers.

Marketing on YouTube is very simple and does not require fancy video equipment.

If you have a smartphone and ring light from Five Below or a dollar store, you can start a YouTube channel to sell your cosmetics.

The easiest way to market on YouTube is to do video tutorials of how to apply makeup using the products you are selling and then at the end of the video, tell folks how they can buy what you are selling.

To find out how to put together an effective makeup tutorial video, simply do a search for a makeup tutorial on YouTube and watch a few of the videos to determine how you would plan to do a video of your own.

Signing up to start a YouTube channel is easy, especially if you already have a Google account for Gmail.

2. Facebook

Facebook is another excellent platform from which to sell your wholesale cosmetics and you can get started in just a few easy steps.

First, set up a Facebook page for your business.

From your Facebook business page, you can sell directly to Facebook’s 2.41 billion users.

Second, link your online store, whether it be on Shopify or another platform.

Third, promote your store.

Facebook has free marketing options as well as marketing tools for the budget-conscious seller.

There are many resources available online to help you set up your Facebook Shop.

What are you waiting for?

As you can see, there is a great opportunity to establish a successful business selling wholesale cosmetics.

The beauty industry is growing every year.

There are excellent products for women as well as men that you can market for a tidy profit.

Getting started is as easy as following the links in this article.

The world is ready to see what you have to offer.

It is your turn, your time to grab the brass ring and establish yourself as a successful entrepreneur with wholesale cosmetics.