Cosmetic Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Cosmetic Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your cosmetic business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their cosmetic companies.

Below is a a sample cosmetic business plan to help you create your own cosmetic company business plan.

Executive Summary

Business Overview

Guilt-Free Glow is a cosmetics shop located in Spokane, Washington. The company’s mission is to provide customers with high-quality, cruelty-free cosmetics. We want our customers to look and feel their best without feeling guilty about the harm cosmetics do to the environment and animals. Therefore, the shop will sell a wide variety of vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics for people all over the world to enjoy. Some of these products include makeup, moisturizers, and hair care products.

The company is founded by Kiera Smith, who has been a vegan beauty vlogger for five years. During that time, she has amassed 500,000 followers through her beauty vlogs. She has always been committed to finding products that are vegan and cruelty-free. Now that she has gained popularity on Youtube, she is eager to start her own cosmetics line. She will offer an online shop for her followers around the world but also start a shop in downtown Spokane for local residents.

 

Products Served

The following are some of the vegan, cruelty-free products sold by Guilt-Free Glow:

  • Mascara
  • Eyeshadow
  • Blush
  • Foundation
  • Makeup tools and brushes
  • Shampoo and conditioner
  • Moisturizers
  • Soaps
  • Perfumes

 

Customer Focus

Guilt-Free Glow will target both online customers and customers located in the Spokane area that are interested in vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics. Since the founder has a large following on Youtube and social media, we expect most of our customers will come from her fanbase. When marketing to local residents, we will focus our efforts on women ages 15 to 65, as this is traditionally the largest customer segment for the cosmetics industry.

 

Management Team

Guilt-Free Glow is led by Kiera Smith, who has been a successful beauty vlogger for five years. She creates tutorials on makeup techniques and offers other beauty tips. She has always been passionate about using vegan and cruelty-free products in her videos and encouraged her followers to do the same. Since there aren’t many cosmetics companies that dedicate their whole line to these values, Kiera Smith was inspired to create her own line of cosmetics and beauty care products.

Kiera Smith will be the owner of the company and will conduct much of the marketing efforts through her own social media channels. She will hire other staff to help her with the other aspects of the business, including running the retail shop.

 

Success Factors

Guilt-Free Flow will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

  • The founder, Kiera Smith, is a popular beauty guru, and her brand and popularity will help sales and minimize marketing costs.
  • Guilt-Free Glow offers great pricing in the vegan cosmetics industry. Vegan and cruelty-free products are often expensive and unaffordable to the average consumer. Guilt-Free Glow will sell all its products at a moderate price so that everyone can buy cosmetics without feeling guilty.
  • Guilt-Free Glow will hire friendly, knowledgeable, and highly-qualified staff to help both our online and in-store customers.


Financial Highlights

Guilt-Free Glow is seeking $300,000 in debt financing to launch its cosmetics business. The funding will be dedicated to securing a retail space, manufacturing the products, and purchasing the necessary supplies and equipment for the store. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs, including payroll, rent, and marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:

  • Retail space build-out: $50,000
  • Equipment, supplies, and materials: $25,000
  • Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $125,000
  • Marketing costs: $50,000
  • Working capital: $50,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Guilt-Free Glow.

 

Company Overview

Who is Guilt-Free Glow?

Guilt-Free Glow is a cosmetics shop located in Spokane, Washington. The company’s mission is to provide customers with high-quality, cruelty-free cosmetics. We want our customers to look and feel their best without feeling guilty about the harm cosmetics do to the environment and animals. Therefore, the shop will sell a wide variety of vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics for people all over the world to enjoy. Some of these products include makeup, moisturizers, and hair care products.


The company is founded by Kiera Smith, who has been a vegan beauty vlogger for five years. During that time, she has amassed 500,000 followers through her beauty vlogs. She has always been committed to finding products that are vegan and cruelty-free. Now that she has gained popularity on Youtube, she is eager to start her own cosmetics line. She will offer an online shop for her followers around the world but also start a shop in downtown Spokane for local residents.

 

Guilt-Free Glow’s History

In 2017, Kiera Smith started her Youtube channel, which focuses on beauty tutorials and product reviews. Kiera commits to promoting and working with vegan and cruelty-free brands and educates her audience on the importance of these values for the cosmetics industry. Over the years, Kiera has found that very few cosmetics brands commit to any pledge to be vegan or cruelty-free. Therefore, she decided to start her own cosmetics line that is committed to these values.

Since its incorporation, Guilt-Free Glow has achieved the following milestones:

  • Developed the company’s branding image, social media, and website.
  • Found a retail location and signed a Letter of Intent to lease it.
  • Found manufacturers to create the cosmetic products.
  • Obtained a sales and use tax permit for use in Spokane, Washington.

 

Guilt-Free Glow Products

The following are some of the vegan and cruelty-free products sold by Guilt-Free Glow:

  • Mascara
  • Eyeshadow
  • Blush
  • Foundation
  • Makeup tools and brushes
  • Shampoo and conditioner
  • Moisturizers
  • Soaps
  • Perfumes

 

Industry Analysis

According to Fortune Business Insights, the cosmetics industry is currently valued at $287.94 billion and is expected to grow to $415.29 billion over the next few years.

This growth is due to the increasing demand for high-quality cosmetics. The target market for cosmetics has expanded substantially over the past decade, with people of all ages and genders opting to pay good money for high-quality makeup, hair care, and other beauty products. This trend is expected to continue, and the cosmetics industry will only continue to grow rapidly.

Another important trend is the increasing popularity of environmentally friendly, vegan, and cruelty-free products. Guilt-Free Glow is taking advantage of this demand and selling exclusively vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics.

By capitalizing on these trends and our founder’s increasing popularity online, Guilt-Free Glow is expected to thrive in the cosmetics industry.


Customer Analysis

Demographic Profile of Target Market

Guilt-Free Glow will primarily target Kiera’s current fanbase on Youtube and social media. This fanbase includes 500,000 followers, with the majority being females and under the age of 40.

The company will also target residents of Spokane who may be interested in purchasing vegan cosmetics. Traditionally, the customer segment most interested in this industry is women ages 15 to 65.

The precise demographics for Spokane, Washington are:

Customer Segmentation

Guilt-Free Glow will primarily target the following customer profiles:

  • Women ages 15-65
  • Kiera’s fanbase
  • Beauty professionals and influencers
  • Spokane residents looking for vegan, cruelty-free cosmetics


Competitive Analysis

Direct and Indirect Competitors

Guilt-Free Glow will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty is a major retailer in the cosmetics industry, being the ultimate provider of all beauty products for millions of people across the globe. The company aims to be the most loved beauty destination of its guests and has ultimately succeeded in that mission. At Ulta, you can find any beauty brand you are looking for, such as Dior, Chanel, and Lancome. Whatever item or brand you need, you are bound to find it at Ulta.

Sephora

Since 1988, Sephora has been a giant in the cosmetics and beauty industries. It’s one of the top locations to shop for all your high-quality beauty and cosmetics needs and has dominated the cosmetics industry with its global presence. With 2,700 stores in 35 countries worldwide, there are very few locations around the world where you can’t find a Sephora store to visit.

At Sephora, you can find some of the hottest and most exclusive brands, such as Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez and FENTY BEAUTY by Rihanna. Furthermore, Sephora has been recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Employers four years in a row and scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Quality Index three years in a row. When customers are looking to buy cosmetics conveniently and ethically, they often head to Sephora first.

The Cosmetics Company Store

The Cosmetics Company Store is an online cosmetics company that sells high-quality cosmetics brands to customers all around the world. They carry thousands of products for anyone in need of beauty products, including hair care products, makeup, and moisturizers. Customers can purchase from a wide variety of brands they love and are familiar with, including Estee Lauder, Clinique, and Aveda. In addition to having a large online store, The Cosmetics Company Store has a few retail locations in select areas.


Competitive Advantage

Guilt-Free Glow will be able to offer the following advantages over the competition:

  • The founder, Kiera Smith, is a popular beauty guru, and her brand and popularity will help sales and minimize marketing costs.
  • Guilt-Free Glow offers great pricing in the vegan cosmetics industry. Vegan and cruelty-free products are often expensive and unaffordable to the average consumer. Guilt-Free Glow will sell all its products at a moderate price.
  • Guilt-Free Glow will hire friendly, knowledgeable, and highly-qualified staff to help both our online and in-store customers.

 

Marketing Plan

Brand & Value Proposition

Guilt-Free Glow will offer a unique value proposition to its clientele:

  • Wide selection of cosmetics.
  • A focus on vegan and cruelty-free products.
  • Competitive prices that are more affordable than the competition.

 

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Guilt-Free Glow is as follows:

Location

Guilt-Free Glow will be located in a very convenient, highly-trafficked area of Spokane that is frequented by men and women of all ages and backgrounds. The store will be in the same neighborhood as stores, restaurants, and salons. The area of Spokane is frequented by shoppers who live in the area and have disposable income to be able to spend frequently on cosmetics.

Social Media

Guilt-Free Glow will have Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook business profiles where Kiera will post frequently new arrivals to the store, featured clients who are using the products, and upcoming sales and events. The posts will be appealing with professional photographs and will engage customers with discount opportunities if they tag friends in the comments in order to grow their social media following. Kiera will also use her personal social media accounts to promote the company and its products.

Website & SEO Marketing

Kiera will reach out to a website designer to develop a website for Guilt-Free Glow. The website will be easy to navigate and include an option to purchase items online and schedule a pickup time in the store, contact information, and location. The SEO will also be managed to ensure that anyone searching “cosmetics store near me” or “Spokane cosmetics” will see Guilt-Free Glow listed at the top of the Bing or Google search engine.

Partnerships With Beauty Influencers

Kiera will partner with other beauty influencers to spread the word about her company. She will offer discount codes to the influencers’ audiences to entice them to shop for her products.

 

Pricing

The pricing of Guilt-Free Glow will be moderate so customers feel they receive value when purchasing their products.


Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Guilt-Free Glow.

Operation Functions:

  • Kiera Smith will be the Owner and President of the company. She will oversee the major operations of both the retail and online stores.
  • Kiera will hire a General Manager for the store. They will be in charge of day-to-day administrative functions, product inventory, supply orders, hiring, and training.
  • Kiera will hire an Assistant Manager to assist with product inventory, supply orders, and managing the store when Kiera and the General Manager are unable to be there.
  • The store will have 6 – 8 part-time and full-time employees to assist with stocking merchandise and customer service.
  • As the store grows and business picks up, more employees will be added to the team to keep up with customer demand.
  • Kiera will hire a Marketing Specialist and Web Designer to develop the store’s branding, logo, and social media accounts. The marketing specialist will also develop the website and manage the SEO.
  • She will also hire an Administrative Assistant to help her with the other operations tasks needed to run the company.


Milestones:

Guilt-Free Glow will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

6/1/202X – Finalize lease agreement for 10,000 square foot retail storefront location.

6/15/202X – Begin build out of leased space.

6/30/202X – Finalize agreements with cosmetics distributors to schedule their upcoming product deliveries to the store.

7/1/202X – Kiera will meet with the web designer so they can get started developing guiltfreeglow.com

8/1/202X – Final walk-through and approval of the built-out beauty retail store.

8/2/202X – Begin social media marketing campaign of Guilt-Free Glow.

8/15/202X – The first shipment of store inventory arrives.

8/16/202X – Hire employees and begin training.

8/18/202X – Stocking and display of product inventory in anticipation of the Grand Opening.

9/1/202X – Grand Opening of Guilt-Free Glow.

 

Management Team

Guilt-Free Glow is led by Kiera Smith, who has been a successful beauty vlogger for five years. She creates tutorials on makeup techniques and offers other beauty tips. She has always been passionate about using vegan and cruelty-free products in her videos and encouraged her followers to do the same. Since there aren’t many cosmetics companies that dedicate their whole line to these values, Kiera Smith was inspired to create her own line of cosmetics and beauty care products.

Kiera Smith will be the owner of the company and will conduct much of the marketing efforts through her own social media channels. She will hire other staff to help her with the other aspects of the business, including running the retail shop.


Financial Plan

Key Revenue & Costs

The revenue drivers for Guilt-Free Glow will come from the sales of cosmetics through the retail location and online store.

The cost drivers will be the cost of the cosmetics inventory, labor expenses, marketing expenses, rent, utilities, and overhead costs.

 

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Guilt-Free Glow is seeking $300,000 in debt financing to launch its cosmetics business. The funding will be dedicated to securing a retail space, manufacturing the products, and purchasing the necessary supplies and equipment for the store. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs, including payroll, rent, and marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:

  • Retail space build-out: $50,000
  • Equipment, supplies, and materials: $25,000
  • Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $125,000
  • Marketing costs: $50,000
  • Working capital: $50,000


Key Assumptions

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

  • Number of Initial Customers Per Month: 1000
  • Average Item Cost: $20
  • Annual Lease: $100,000

 

Financial Projections

Income Statement
FY 1FY 2FY 3FY 4FY 5
Revenues
Total Revenues$360,000$793,728$875,006$964,606$1,063,382
Expenses & Costs
Cost of goods sold$64,800$142,871$157,501$173,629$191,409
Lease$50,000$51,250$52,531$53,845$55,191
Marketing$10,000$8,000$8,000$8,000$8,000
Salaries$157,015$214,030$235,968$247,766$260,155
Initial expenditure$10,000$0$0$0$0
Total Expenses & Costs$291,815$416,151$454,000$483,240$514,754
EBITDA$68,185 $377,577 $421,005 $481,366 $548,628
Depreciation$27,160$27,160 $27,160 $27,160 $27,160
EBIT$41,025 $350,417 $393,845$454,206$521,468
Interest$23,462$20,529 $17,596 $14,664 $11,731
PRETAX INCOME$17,563 $329,888 $376,249 $439,543 $509,737
Net Operating Loss$0$0$0$0$0
Use of Net Operating Loss$0$0$0$0$0
Taxable Income$17,563$329,888$376,249$439,543$509,737
Income Tax Expense$6,147$115,461$131,687$153,840$178,408
NET INCOME$11,416 $214,427 $244,562 $285,703 $331,329
Balance Sheet
FY 1FY 2FY 3FY 4FY 5
ASSETS
Cash$154,257$348,760$573,195$838,550$1,149,286
Accounts receivable$0$0$0$0$0
Inventory$30,000$33,072$36,459$40,192$44,308
Total Current Assets$184,257$381,832$609,654$878,742$1,193,594
Fixed assets$180,950$180,950$180,950$180,950$180,950
Depreciation$27,160$54,320$81,480$108,640 $135,800
Net fixed assets$153,790 $126,630 $99,470 $72,310 $45,150
TOTAL ASSETS$338,047$508,462$709,124$951,052$1,238,744
LIABILITIES & EQUITY
Debt$315,831$270,713$225,594$180,475 $135,356
Accounts payable$10,800$11,906$13,125$14,469 $15,951
Total Liability$326,631 $282,618 $238,719 $194,944 $151,307
Share Capital$0$0$0$0$0
Retained earnings$11,416 $225,843 $470,405 $756,108$1,087,437
Total Equity$11,416$225,843$470,405$756,108$1,087,437
TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY$338,047$508,462$709,124$951,052$1,238,744
Cash Flow Statement
FY 1FY 2FY 3FY 4FY 5
CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS
Net Income (Loss)$11,416 $214,427 $244,562 $285,703$331,329
Change in working capital($19,200)($1,966)($2,167)($2,389)($2,634)
Depreciation$27,160 $27,160 $27,160 $27,160 $27,160
Net Cash Flow from Operations$19,376 $239,621 $269,554 $310,473 $355,855
CASH FLOW FROM INVESTMENTS
Investment($180,950)$0$0$0$0
Net Cash Flow from Investments($180,950)$0$0$0$0
CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING
Cash from equity$0$0$0$0$0
Cash from debt$315,831 ($45,119)($45,119)($45,119)($45,119)
Net Cash Flow from Financing$315,831 ($45,119)($45,119)($45,119)($45,119)
Net Cash Flow$154,257$194,502 $224,436 $265,355$310,736
Cash at Beginning of Period$0$154,257$348,760$573,195$838,550
Cash at End of Period$154,257$348,760$573,195$838,550$1,149,286

Cosmetics Business Plan FAQs

A cosmetics business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your cosmetics business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your cosmetics business plan using our cosmetics Business Plan Template here.

There are a number of different kinds of cosmetics businesses, some examples include: Niche market cosmetics, high-end cosmetics, kids cosmetics, beauty blogger/influencer, or make-up artist.

Cosmetics Businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

This is true for a cosmetics business, a plan for a makeup company or a personal care products business plan.

Starting a cosmetics business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Cosmetics Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed cosmetics business plan PDF or doc that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your cosmetics business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your cosmetics business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Cosmetics Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your cosmetics business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your cosmetics business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Cosmetics Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your cosmetics business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your cosmetics business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising. 

Learn more about how to start a successful cosmetics business:



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