What does it cost to make a skincare serum?
Cost to make, ex-works $2.8278 per 30ml glass dropper bottle, at 5,000 units
Per 1,000 units$2827.81
Whole run$14139.07
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 $0.2747 10%Packaging $1.4500 51%Tolling $0.9500 34%Inbound freight $0.0400 1%Yield loss $0.1131 4%
The formulation
| Ingredient | Qty | Price | Overage | Per unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water phase base | 780 g/L | $0.04/lb | 3% | $0.0021 |
| Active ingredient | 50 g/L | $62.00/lb | 8% | $0.2214 |
| Humectant | 90 g/L | $3.40/lb | 4% | $0.0210 |
| Preservative system | 8 g/L | $18.00/lb | 6% | $0.0101 |
| Emulsifier and texture | 40 g/L | $7.20/lb | 5% | $0.0200 |
| Ingredients per unit | $0.2747 | |||
What actually moves this number
- Primary packagingA glass bottle, dropper assembly, carton and any secondary print routinely exceed the formulation cost several times over in this category.
- The activeOne ingredient usually accounts for most of the formulation cost. Its concentration is a marketing decision with a direct and steep cost consequence.
- Run sizeCosmetic MOQs are low but tolling per unit at 5,000 is brutal. The same product at 25,000 is a very different margin.
- Stability and safety testingA CPSR in the EU/UK or safety substantiation in the US is a real up-front cost per formulation, not per unit.
What is not in here
- Excludes stability testing, safety assessment and regulatory registration, which are per-formulation costs paid before you can sell at all.
- Fillers often charge a separate setup or changeover fee per SKU on top of the per-unit tolling rate — ask for it explicitly.
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 calculatorOther products
Canned soft drink $0.1614 / unit Kombucha $0.5139 / unit Hot sauce $0.8867 / 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 Face cream $3.3752 / 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.
No card. Set up your first product in about ten minutes.