Twenty-four terms you meet when sourcing cosmetics OEM in Vietnam. Each gets a definition, then what it means at our plant — a number or a straight no. Where a definition touches regulation the official text prevails; where it touches us, only what can be checked.
These four get used interchangeably. The only real question behind them is who owns the formula and who owns the brand.
You own the formula and the design; we manufacture to your specification. The product carries your brand. You are responsible for the formula, we are responsible for production consistency and batch records.
At our plantAll four lines. Bring the formula and we run a compatibility and stability check first. The categories we decline are listed up front, so you do not hear it halfway through. how we work what we turn down
The factory brings ready formulas and moulds; you pick one and put your brand on it, with light changes to fragrance, colour or bottle.
At our plant17 categories with ready formulas; the library has been built up since 2021 and category-level lists are shared under NDA. The bigger the change, the closer the job moves to OEM in both MOQ and lead time. how we work all styles
The factory sells under its own brand and you distribute it.
At our plantWe do not do this. We make other people's brands, not a house brand that competes with them on the same shelf. what else we decline
Close to ODM: one product, different labels, sold to several clients.
At our plantPossible, but exclusivity is never assumed. If your market needs it, raise it before the quotation and put it in the contract — afterwards the market is already out there. how we work
Bulk is the compound before filling, priced per kg. Finished goods are filled, labelled and boxed, priced per unit.
At our plantThe care line is usually quoted per kg, fragrance and pet finished goods per unit. The same formula has a different MOQ in each form, and the quotation always states which one applies. MOQ by category the six lines on a quotation
MOQ is not the opening position of a price negotiation. It is the economic floor of a production run: changing material, washing a tank and setting up a line all cost money.
The smallest run worth starting the line for. Not a negotiating position but the economic floor of a production run.
At our plantFragrance 2,000 units, pet finished goods 2,000 units, care line 50–500 kg by category, cosmetics by formula and pack. Category by category on the MOQ page; the quotation prevails. MOQ and sampling how MOQ is worked out
A small batch before the bulk run to confirm colour, texture, scent, skin feel and stability.
At our plantUp to three rounds free; international freight outside Vietnam is on your account; terms from the fourth round are agreed case by case. Custom sampling takes 7–10 working days, counted from the day both formula and bottle are confirmed. sampling rules the process
Bottle and jar moulds the factory already owns. Using a stock mould avoids tooling cost and tooling lead time.
At our plantStock bottle and jar shapes in our own library, no tooling charge for those. Pumps, cartons and colour boxes are not in the library and are quoted separately — these are the items most often left out of a first quotation. MOQ and packaging how packaging is priced
A stock formula has run at bulk scale with stability and compatibility already verified. A custom formula restarts assessment, sampling and stability.
At our plant17 categories have stock formulas. How far custom goes depends on the gap: a new scent or colour is one thing, changing the base system is another — MOQ and lead time differ. four ways to work all styles
This is the section to read first. Every credential a buyer takes into an internal approval comes with a number, an issuing body and an expiry date — or with a plain no.
| Item | Status | Number and validity |
|---|---|---|
| CGMP-ASEAN | Held | 912/GCN-QLD · Drug Administration of Vietnam · issued 2023-12-06 (renewal in progress) |
| ISO 9001:2015 | Held | 749435 · Guardian Independent Certification (UK · UKAS 045) · 2024-08-20 to 2027-08-17 · scope: manufacture and trade of wet cosmetics |
| US FDA facility registration | Held, now expired | FEI 3030839348 · registered 2024-05 to 2026-05 · a filing under MoCRA, not an approval and not a certification |
| ISO 22716 | Not held | Where a market requires this standard specifically, we say we cannot meet it in the first email — we do not offer ISO 9001 or CGMP in its place |
| BSCI / Sedex | Not held | No third-party social audit report either; if your checklist includes them, we mark them not held |
| HALAL | Not held | We decline any order that requires halal certification until we hold it; Indonesia is one market where it is mandatory |
This table and the certifications page carry the same data. Where they ever differ, the certificate itself prevails — tell us and we correct it.
ASEAN good manufacturing practice for cosmetics. On the Vietnamese side it is issued by the Drug Administration of Vietnam.
At our plantHeld. No. 912/GCN-QLD, issued 2023-12-06. The renewal is in progress but not yet issued, so the site only ever says renewal in progress. certifications
A quality management system standard. It covers process and records, not product safety — it passes no judgement on any individual product.
At our plantHeld. Cert. 749435, issued by Guardian Independent Certification (UK, UKAS 045), 2024-08-20 to 2027-08-17; the scope reads manufacture and trade of wet cosmetics. certifications what it does and does not prove
The international GMP standard for cosmetics, covering the whole production process. Not the same standard as ISO 9001, and the two cannot substitute for each other.
At our plantNot held. Where a market requires ISO 22716 specifically, we say we cannot meet it in the first email. We do not offer ISO 9001 or CGMP-ASEAN in its place. we say no first
Social compliance audit schemes. They audit labour, working hours, fire safety and welfare — not product quality.
At our plantNot held, and no third-party social audit report of any kind. If your checklist includes them, we mark them not held rather than substituting something else. where the gaps are
Halal certification confirms that the formula and the line carry nothing prohibited under Islamic law.
At our plantNot held. We decline any order that requires halal certification until we hold it; Indonesia is one market where it is mandatory. markets we decline
These three are the ones most often mis-assigned. People assume the factory files them; in fact the obligation sits on the importer side.
A per-batch analysis sheet stating what was actually measured on that batch — pH, viscosity, specific gravity, microbiology and so on.
At our plantIssued per batch. Testing and stamping are done by SAIGONSTC (VILAS 943, ilac-MRA); we only submit the samples. test reports
EU requirement: one Cosmetic Product Safety Report per product, written by a qualified safety assessor, covering the formula, the raw materials and the packaging.
At our plantHandled by the importer or its agent. We supply CGMP-ASEAN, COA and test reports as input material. market access compared
The EU portal through which every cosmetic product must be notified before it is placed on the market.
At our plantNotified by the importer or its EU responsible person. The plant holds no account, and should not. what the EU requires
EU law requires each product to name a legal person established in the EU as its compliance contact.
At our plantAppointed by the importer, directly or through an agent. A Vietnamese factory cannot take this role — if someone tells you they cover it, ask where the responsible person is registered. who files the registration
Under MoCRA, a manufacturing facility is registered with the US FDA. Registration is a filing — not an approval of a formula, not a certification.
At our plantFEI 3030839348, registered 2024-05 to 2026-05, expired on 2026-05-31. So the site always says the registration was held, in the past tense, never that it is current. what it cannot prove
The official document proving origin. CTC (change of tariff classification) and LVC (local value content) are the two routes to qualifying.
At our plantIssued to the destination country requirement; both CTC and LVC declarations we can do. Which route applies is decided by your tariff schedule — we do not choose it for you, and choosing wrong is your duty bill. Vietnam origin and the China split
Capacity, Incoterms, port and lead time — these four decide when your goods land and what they cost by then.
Daily emulsifying capacity is how many tonnes a day the tanks turn out; annual capacity is the yearly figure. They are not the same thing.
At our plant39 tonnes a day emulsifying, 14,000 tonnes a year. Five tanks hold 14.9 tonnes per batch, so 39 t is about 2.6 batches a day; anything water-based is also capped by RO water at 28 t/day. The three numbers hold together, and the arithmetic you can repeat yourself is on the factory page. how capacity is worked out
International Commercial Terms published by the ICC: who pays freight and insurance, and at which point the goods change hands. The current ICC text prevails.
At our plantWe quote FOB Cat Lai — delivered on board at Cat Lai port, Ho Chi Minh City; ocean freight and insurance are yours to arrange. CIF or EXW on request. the port is named on the quotation
Ho Chi Minh City's main container port area.
At our plantThe port of loading in our FOB terms. Inland transport from Tay Ninh to the port happens before FOB, so it is not added on top for you. where the plant is
From a confirmed order — formula, bottle and packaging all settled — to goods ready to ship.
At our plantWe do not publish a fixed number for bulk. It depends on category, packaging arrival and the production queue, so it is written on the quotation with its starting point spelled out. Sampling does have a number: 7–10 working days. the starting point is written down the process
You get three answers back: whether it is feasible, the MOQ, and how sampling works. If it does not fit our lines, we say so in the first email instead of the third meeting.