Glass and closure — how much does it change the cost?

A weighted jar with a lined cap and a carton routinely costs several times everything inside it.

Actives at claim level — how much does it change the cost?

The concentration you can put on the front of the pack is the cost. The rest of the formula is comparatively cheap.

Small runs are punishing — how much does it change the cost?

At 5,000 units setup dominates. The same product at 25,000 is a different margin entirely.

What does it cost to make a face cream?

Q: What does it cost to make a face cream?

A 50ml glass jar costs roughly $3.3752 per unit to make ex-works at a run of 5,000 units — $0.3652 of ingredients, $1.9500 of packaging, $0.8800 of tolling and $0.0450 of inbound freight, divided by a 96% yield. Bigger runs land materially lower.

Cost to make, ex-works $3.3752 per 50ml glass jar, at 5,000 units

Per 1,000 units$3375.19

Whole run$16875.97

This is a realistic mid-market estimate, not a quote. The same product at 5,000 units and at 50,000 units are different businesses — run size moves tolling more than any other line. Use it to sanity-check a quote, not to replace one.

Where the money goes

Ingredients $0.3652 11%Packaging $1.9500 58%Tolling $0.8800 26%Inbound freight $0.0450 1%Yield loss $0.1350 4%

The formulation

Ingredient	Qty	Price	Overage	Per unit
Water phase	690 g/L	$0.04/lb	3%	$0.0031
Emollient oils	140 g/L	$6.80/lb	4%	$0.1091
Emulsifier system	60 g/L	$9.40/lb	4%	$0.0647
Active complex	30 g/L	$48.00/lb	8%	$0.1714
Preservative	8 g/L	$18.00/lb	6%	$0.0168
Ingredients per unit				$0.3652

What actually moves this number

Glass and closureA weighted jar with a lined cap and a carton routinely costs several times everything inside it.
Actives at claim levelThe concentration you can put on the front of the pack is the cost. The rest of the formula is comparatively cheap.
Small runs are punishingAt 5,000 units setup dominates. The same product at 25,000 is a different margin entirely.

What is not in here

Excludes safety assessment (CPSR in UK/EU) and stability testing — per formulation, before you can sell at all.

Change the assumptions. Every figure above is an input, not a fact. Put your own supplier prices, your own pack size and your own run volume into the calculator and see what your product actually costs.

Open the calculator

Other products

Canned soft drink $0.1614 / unit Kombucha $0.5139 / unit Hot sauce $0.8867 / unit Skincare serum $2.8278 / unit Energy drink $0.1759 / unit Cold brew coffee $0.4184 / unit RTD cocktail $0.4067 / unit Flavoured sparkling water $0.1376 / unit Granola $2.3048 / unit Protein powder $11.4803 / unit Gummy supplements $2.3137 / unit Shampoo $1.5113 / unit Candle $5.0816 / unit Laundry detergent $3.1031 / unit Pet treats $0.9522 / unit Ready meal $2.1280 / unit Chocolate bar $1.4098 / unit Liquid hand soap $1.0726 / unit Lip balm $0.5052 / unit

A cost you worked out once is already out of date.

Supplier prices move, co-packers raise rates, and runs yield worse than planned. NextBatch derives cost per unit instead of storing it, so it moves on its own.

Start free See how it works

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