Custom cosmetic manufacturing

Custom Cosmetic Formulation & Contract Manufacturing

AJ Cosmo Labs is an AI-assisted formulation and marketplace platform connecting brands with vetted cosmetic chemists and contract manufacturers for custom formulation, professional validation, and escrow-protected contract manufacturing. Explore expert answers, industry guides, and a cosmetic ingredient library.

What is AJ Cosmo Labs

AJ Cosmo Labs is a working marketplace and operations platform for the product-development supply chain: a brand owner (Client) uses AI-assisted tools to draft a formulation across cosmetics, household products, candles, food & beverage, supplements, paints & coatings, agricultural products, aromatherapy, fragrance, or pet care, then routes that formulation through the same professionals a physical product needs before it reaches a shelf. A licensed Chemist can be hired to validate the formula (stability, safety, and regulatory review, with lab-report and testing-document attachments). A Manufacturer can bid on the production run through a pre-production checklist that gates validation, lab testing, and sample approval before goods are made. A Distributor can list the finished product for wholesale and resale, manage inventory by SKU and batch/expiry, and route it to buyers. Every paid step — validation fees, manufacturing bids, marketplace formula sales, resale orders, and auctions — is held in escrow and only released to the provider, minus the platform's service fee, after both sides confirm the work is complete. Nothing is a mockup: formulas, bids, shipping labels (via EasyPost), wallet balances, and payouts (via Stripe Connect) are real transactions between real accounts.

Who it's for

Clients (Brands & Entrepreneurs)

Generate a formulation with AI (first one free, then $9.99–$34.99 depending on model tier), specify skin type, texture, and product category from 100+ product types, then either sell it, get it validated, or send it to manufacturing. Clients post open hire requests that any qualified chemist can bid on, or message a specific chemist directly from their profile. Once a formula is validated, clients start a manufacturing project, compare bids from vetted manufacturers, and track the order through open → bidding → awarded → in_production → shipped → delivered → completed. A wallet holds funds in escrow for every paid step, and contact details stay hidden (names show as "First L.") until a deal is confirmed.

Chemists

Independent cosmetic/formulation chemists build a public profile, list their own formulas for sale in the marketplace (85% of the sale price after the platform's service fee), and bid on client validation requests. Validating a formula means reviewing the ingredient list and process, attaching lab reports or test results, and issuing a pass/reject decision with a documented reason (safety, stability, efficacy, regulatory, or feasibility) if rejected. Chemists ship physical samples through the app's EasyPost integration, track revisions with full version history, and get paid from escrow only after the client confirms the validation is complete.

Manufacturers

Contract manufacturers register with a 4-step verification flow (company info, business license/EIN documentation, certifications like GMP/ISO/FDA/USDA Organic, and facility details), then list services — contract manufacturing, white labeling, private label, toll processing, custom formulation — with pricing, minimum order quantity, and lead time. They browse open client projects, submit bids with pricing and lead time, and once awarded, move the order through a pre-production checklist (validation, lab testing, sample approval) before starting production. Shipping is handled with live EasyPost carrier rates (USPS/UPS/FedEx/DHL), including automatic freight quotes for orders over 150 lbs, and manufacturers only get paid once the client confirms delivery.

Distributors

Verified distributors run a Distribution Hub covering inventory (SKU, batch numbers, expiry dates, low-stock alerts), resale listings with retail and wholesale pricing, and full wholesale order lifecycle management (accept, reject, process, ship, confirm delivery, complete). Distributors can also set up drop-ship fulfillment where a linked manufacturer ships directly to the end buyer, with payment automatically split between platform fee, manufacturer fulfillment cost, and distributor margin on completion. All resale and wholesale orders run through escrow with dual buyer/seller confirmation before funds release.

Specialist roles (Custom Lab, Designer, Influencer, Scientific Expert)

Beyond the four core roles, the platform supports specialist accounts for custom labs running bespoke formulation work, designers handling packaging/label design requests, influencers referring brand deals, and scientific experts providing regulatory or technical review — each plugging into the same escrow-protected payment and messaging infrastructure used by clients, chemists, manufacturers, and distributors.

How it works

  1. 1

    1. Formulate

    A client builds a formulation with AI assistance — choosing a product type (face care, hair care, candles, supplements, pet care, and more), skin/use concerns, and texture preferences — or browses existing formulas and manufacturing services already on the marketplace.

  2. 2

    2. Validate (optional but common)

    The client posts an open validation request or hires a specific chemist. The chemist reviews the formula for safety, stability, and regulatory fit, may request a physical sample shipped via EasyPost, and issues an approval or a documented rejection with improvement guidance.

  3. 3

    3. Fund escrow

    Accepting a chemist's validation bid or a manufacturer's production bid moves money from the client's wallet (or a Stripe card charge) into escrow. Funds sit there — untouched by either party — until the work is confirmed done.

  4. 4

    4. Manufacture

    An awarded manufacturer works through a pre-production checklist (validation on file, lab testing, sample approval — whichever gates the client required), then produces the run. Large or heavy orders get live freight/parcel rate comparisons across USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL.

  5. 5

    5. Ship & confirm

    The manufacturer ships with tracking (their own carrier or the platform's EasyPost integration); the client confirms delivery. Confirmation from both sides is what releases escrow — this is the same dual-confirmation model used for marketplace sales, resale orders, and auctions.

  6. 6

    6. Distribute & resell

    Finished product can be listed by a distributor for wholesale or resale, tracked by SKU and batch, or routed through drop-ship fulfillment straight from the manufacturer to the end buyer — with the platform automatically splitting payment between manufacturer, client, and platform fee on completion.

Explore the AJ Cosmo Labs knowledge base

Answers

Expert answers to the questions brands ask about formulation, private label, and manufacturing.

Guides by Industry

Pillar guides across cosmetics, supplements, candles, fragrance, and more.

Ingredient Library

Cosmetic ingredients with CAS numbers, uses, and compatibility.

Glossary

Plain-English definitions of cosmetic-manufacturing terms.

About AJ Cosmo Labs

Who we are and how the platform connects brands with labs.

Refund Policy

AJ Cosmo Labs uses an escrow-based payment model for every paid engagement on the platform — formula validation fees, manufacturing production bids, marketplace formula purchases, resale/wholesale orders, and auctions. This policy explains exactly how refunds work under that model.

How your funds are protected while in escrow

When a Client accepts a Chemist's validation bid or a Manufacturer's production bid, payment is moved out of the Client's wallet (or charged via Stripe) into escrow — a holding state where the funds are not accessible to the Chemist, Manufacturer, or Distributor. The receiving party is not paid until the work is confirmed complete, so the Client is protected for the full duration of the engagement.

When funds are released to a Chemist or Manufacturer

Funds are released from escrow to the Chemist or Manufacturer only after successful completion is confirmed: for validation work, after the Chemist issues a pass decision and the Client confirms; for manufacturing, after the pre-production checklist (validation on file, lab testing, sample approval) is satisfied, the order is produced and shipped, and the Client confirms delivery. The same dual-confirmation model applies to marketplace formula sales, resale orders, and auctions before the seller is paid.

If a product or formula fails validation or QC

If a Chemist rejects a formula during validation, or a manufactured product fails the pre-production or quality-control checks, the funds held in escrow for that step are not released to the Chemist or Manufacturer. The Client is entitled to a full refund of the escrowed amount for the failed step back to their AJ Cosmo Labs wallet (or original payment method, where applicable). The Client may then revise the formula and resubmit, or choose a different Chemist or Manufacturer.

Disputes

If a Client and Chemist/Manufacturer/Distributor disagree about whether work was completed as described, either party can open a dispute. Disputes are reviewed within 5 business days of being opened. During that review, any funds still held in escrow for the disputed step remain frozen and are not released to either party until the dispute is resolved.

Restocking and handling fees

There is no restocking fee or handling fee charged to the Client when a dispute is resolved in the Client's favor. The full escrowed amount for that step is returned to the Client's wallet. AJ Cosmo Labs' platform service fee is only ever retained on completed, confirmed transactions — it is not charged on refunded or disputed steps that resolve in the Client's favor.

What this policy does not cover

Funds already released from escrow after a mutually confirmed completion (i.e., both sides confirmed the work was done) are treated as a completed transaction and are not eligible for retroactive refund through this policy; a subsequent quality issue discovered after confirmation should be raised as a dispute so it can be reviewed on its own facts.

How to request a refund

To request a refund or open a dispute on an escrowed payment, contact support@ajcosmolabs.com with your order or project ID and a description of the issue.

Contact Information

Support for AJ Cosmo Labs is available via email only at support@ajcosmolabs.com. We do not currently have a phone line staffed for customer support, and we do not list a physical mailing address for correspondence — please reach us by email and we will respond as soon as possible.