Guide
How to start a cosmetic brand in Pakistan: rules and costs
There are three ways to start a cosmetic brand in Pakistan: resell genuine brands, sell a private-label line made by a Pakistani manufacturer, or have your own formula developed. Each comes with its own DRAP and PSQCA rules, costs and risks, and this guide walks through all three, then labels, pricing, shipping and returns.
Three ways to start a cosmetic brand
How to start a cosmetic brand in Pakistan depends on which of three paths you take. Reselling needs the least money and the fewest rules. Private label puts your name on a product someone else makes. Your own formula gives you the most control and the most paperwork. You can start on the first path and move to the second once you know what your buyers reorder.
| Path | What you do | Where the money goes | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resell genuine brands | Buy stock from a distributor or importer and sell it in your store | Stock only, bought in small lots | Thin margins, and you compete on price with every other reseller of the same brand |
| Private label | A Pakistani manufacturer fills an existing formula into your packaging with your label | The minimum batch, printed jars or boxes, and labels | Other brands may sell the same formula under their names |
| Your own formula | A chemist develops a formula for you, and a licensed factory makes it | Development, testing, the first batch and packaging | The longest wait before your first sale, and the full set of approvals is yours to get |
If you are not sure what to sell yet, our list of online business ideas and the guide to what to sell online help you compare beauty with other categories first.
DRAP, PSQCA and the new cosmetics bill
Two offices matter today. DRAP deals with cosmetics that contain drugs. PSQCA sets compulsory standards for common products like skin cream and shampoo. A separate cosmetics law is also moving through Parliament.
DRAP: medicated cosmetics
The DRAP Act 2012 defines medicated cosmetics as cosmetics containing drugs, meaning articles with active drug ingredients applied to the body for cleansing, beautifying or altering the appearance. It excludes soap from that term. The Act gives DRAP’s Medical Devices and Medicated Cosmetics division the job of enlisting or registering medicated cosmetics, medicated shampoos and medicated soaps.
Claims matter as much as ingredients. The Act’s definition of a drug covers any substance represented for use in the treatment, mitigation or prevention of diseases. Write “for oily skin”, not “cures acne”. Write “for a brighter look”, not “removes melasma”. A treatment claim on your label or in your Instagram caption can put your cream in DRAP’s territory.
PSQCA: products that need the mark
PSQCA’s list of compulsory items says these products must meet a Pakistan Standard and carry the PSQCA mark. The page carries no update date, so confirm with PSQCA before you launch.
| Product | Pakistan Standard |
|---|---|
| Skin cream | PS 3228 |
| Shampoo | PS 3509 |
| Toilet soap | PS 13 |
| Toothpaste | PS 1721 |
| Powder hair dye | PS 4079 |
| Oxidation hair dye, liquid | PS 5250 |
| Shaving cream | PS 3508-1994 |
| Skin powder | PS 3973-1997 |
| Hair cream | PS 4751-2001 |
Lipstick, serums, face wash and perfume are not on that list. That does not make them unregulated. Ask PSQCA and your manufacturer which standard applies to your exact product.
The Pakistan General Cosmetics Bill, 2026
On September 9, 2026, the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology approved the Pakistan General Cosmetics Bill, 2026, with two amendments. The Senate’s release says an earlier regulator, the Pakistan General Cosmetics Regulatory Authority, had been set up under a 2023 Act and that the Federal Cabinet approved winding it up in January 2025. The committee discussed smuggling, unregulated and potentially harmful products, and checks and balances between the new framework and DRAP.
A committee approval is one step, not the final law. Check the bill’s status on the Senate and National Assembly websites before you print a large run of labels, since the new law may change what you need.
Mercury in whitening creams
Do not sell a whitening cream unless you know exactly what is in it. The WHO’s mercury fact sheet says mercury-containing skin lightening products are hazardous to health and have been banned in many countries, and that a 2023 amendment to the Minamata Convention prohibits the manufacture, import or export of certain mercury-added products, cosmetics among them, after 2025. Unlabelled creams bought by the kilo and refilled into your jars are exactly where this risk sits.
Private label: what to ask manufacturers
Cosmetics manufacturing companies in Pakistan that do private label will quote you a minimum order and a price per piece, and both change with the product, the packaging and the quantity. Get quotes from at least two, for the same product and size, and ask each one:
- Licence for this product. The PSQCA licence for skin cream or shampoo, if that is what you are buying, and DRAP enlistment if the formula has an active drug ingredient.
- Minimum batch. The smallest run they will fill, and whether the price per piece drops at the next quantity.
- What the price includes. The filled product only, or also the jar, the box and the label printing.
- Batch number and expiry. Printed on every piece, with a shelf life they can show a test for.
- The formula. Whether it is exclusive to you or sold to other brands, and whether you can take it to another factory later.
- A sample. A few filled pieces in your final packaging, to test for leaks, smell and texture for a few weeks before you pay for the batch.
Packaging is the part you can price today. These are single-order prices on Daraz, as of October 2026. A manufacturer buying in bulk may supply it cheaper, so compare.
| Packaging | Daraz price, October 2026 | Per piece |
|---|---|---|
| 50 g plastic cream jar, pack of 12 | Rs 599 | About Rs 50 |
| 30 ml amber glass dropper bottle, pack of 10 | Rs 1,199–1,499 | About Rs 120–150 |
| 30 ml airless pump bottle | Rs 739–799 | Rs 739–799 |
| 5 ml lip gloss tube | Rs 299–330 | Rs 299–330 |
The gap matters. A serum in an airless pump costs you about Rs 600 more per piece in packaging than the same serum in a dropper bottle bought by the ten, before anything goes inside it.
Reselling genuine brands
An online cosmetics business in Pakistan that resells known brands lives or dies on whether the stock is real and in date. One fake or expired lipstick in a parcel brings a refusal, a bad review and a buyer who tells her friends.
- Buy with an invoice. From a distributor or importer who gives a bill with their name and address on it.
- Check every batch. Look at the expiry date and batch code on each box when the stock arrives, not when you pack the order.
- Compare with the brand. Check the box, the font and the barcode against the brand’s own photos.
- Distrust the low price. A wholesale price far below everyone else’s is a reason to ask where the stock came from.
Our Urdu guide to the cosmetics business covers fakes and expiry dates in more detail, and wholesale suppliers in Pakistan covers buying in bulk.
What goes on the label
The exact legal list for each product sits in its Pakistan Standard, so ask PSQCA or your manufacturer for the one that applies. Buyers check the label on delivery, and these are the lines they look for:
- Brand and product name, with the shade or variant.
- Net quantity in grams or millilitres.
- The full ingredient list, so buyers with allergies can check it.
- Batch number, manufacturing date and expiry date.
- Who made it, with an address, and your contact number.
- How to use it, with a line on doing a patch test first.
Our product label maker has fields for brand, name, net weight or volume, ingredients, where it was made, best before, batch number, contact, price and a QR code or barcode, and prints on A4 sticker sheets.
Before you print a full run, make sure no one else already sells under your brand name. Trade marks in Pakistan are registered with the Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan), so search there and ask about filing for your name in the cosmetics class. A search costs less than reprinting every label.
Pricing a skincare or makeup product
Price from the full cost of one delivered order, not from the cost of the jar. The figures below are an example for one 50 g cream, not quotes. Put your own numbers in their place.
| Cost per order | Example | Where your real number comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Cream, filled | Rs 300 | Your manufacturer’s quote |
| Jar, box and label | Rs 120 | Packaging quotes, or the Daraz prices above |
| Courier | Rs 250 | Your courier’s rate for your city and weight |
| Tax withheld on a Rs 1,500 COD order | Rs 30 | 2% for a filer, under section 153(2A) |
| Total before ads and returns | Rs 700 |
Couriers do not publish one rate card for sellers. PostEx says on its rates page that its charges depend on origin city, destination city and shipment weight, so get a quote for your own route. For tax, the FBR’s withholding tax card for tax year 2027 sets section 153(2A) at 2% for cash on delivery through couriers if you are on the Active Taxpayers List, and 4% if you are not, against 1% and 2% for digital payments. Our guide to online business tax explains the rest.
Add what refused parcels cost you, then set the price. The profit margin calculator and the COD profit calculator do the sums, and how to price products covers the thinking behind the number.
Shipping creams, perfume and liquids
Pack every liquid as if the parcel will be dropped, stacked and left in a hot van, because some of them will be.
- Seal the lid. Tape round the cap of every jar and bottle, then put it in a small zip bag so a leak stays inside.
- Wrap glass. Rolls of bubble wrap list from about Rs 150 on Daraz as of October 2026, depending on width and length.
- No room to rattle. Use a box that fits, and fill gaps with paper so nothing moves when you shake it.
- Plan for the heat. Balms, lipsticks and creams soften in summer. Test one parcel by leaving it in a hot room for a day before you ship a batch in June.
Tell the courier what is inside. The PostEx FAQ recommends its specialised handling for fragile or valuable items, with extra protective packaging and insurance options, and asks you to mention special requirements when booking. Perfume, nail polish and aerosol sprays can catch fire, and couriers have their own rules for them, so ask yours before you book the first one. Our guides to packaging for an online business and the perfume business go further.
Returns on opened products
Take back unopened products, and do not take back opened ones unless they arrived damaged, leaking, expired or wrong. No one should be sold a cream another buyer has used. Write that in your policy and put it on the product page before the buyer orders, not after the complaint.
- Unopened, seal intact. Return or exchange within the days your policy sets.
- Damaged or leaking in transit. Ask for a photo on WhatsApp and replace it.
- Reaction to the product. Ask for the batch number, stop selling that batch if more complaints come in, and talk to your manufacturer.
The store policy generator writes return and shipping policies with cash on delivery rules, and our guide to return and exchange policies covers the wording. For parcels refused at the door, see reducing COD returns.
Patch tests, reviews and before-and-after photos
Buyers trust a new beauty brand when it tells them how to use the product safely and shows them real results.
- Patch test. Print it on the label and repeat it on the product page: a small amount on the inner arm before the first full use.
- Real reviews. Ask buyers for a review two or three weeks after delivery, once they have used the product. Our guide to getting customer reviews shows how.
- Honest before and after. Same light, same angle, no filter, and the buyer’s permission. The before and after photo maker adds labels in English or Urdu, and nothing is uploaded.
- True colours. Shoot shades and swatches in daylight. Our guide to product photography at home covers the setup.
If you already work with faces, our guides to a makeup artist business and a soap business show two neighbouring ways into beauty.
Questions sellers ask
How do I start a cosmetic brand in Pakistan with little money?
Start by reselling a few genuine products you know well, bought with a proper invoice, and sell them under your store’s name while you learn what your buyers reorder. Move to a private-label line once you know which product sells, because the manufacturer’s minimum batch and your printed packaging are where most of the money goes.
Do I need DRAP registration to sell cosmetics in Pakistan?
It depends on the product. Under the DRAP Act 2012, medicated cosmetics, meaning products with active drug ingredients, are handled by DRAP’s medical devices and medicated cosmetics division. Skin cream, shampoo, toilet soap and some hair products are on PSQCA’s compulsory list and need the PSQCA mark. A new cosmetics bill cleared a Senate committee in September 2026, so check both offices before you launch.
How do I start a skincare brand in Pakistan?
Pick one product type, such as a face wash, a serum or a moisturiser, and have it made by a manufacturer who can show you their PSQCA licence for that product and give you a sample batch. Print a label with the full ingredient list, batch number and expiry date, test the parcel with a courier in the summer heat, and make no treatment claims.
How do I start a makeup brand in Pakistan?
Start small: two or three shades of one product, such as a lip gloss or a liquid lipstick, made under private label. Ask for swatches on different skin tones before you order, photograph the shades in daylight, and keep each shade’s batch number on file so you can trace a complaint.
Can I sell homemade skincare online in Pakistan?
We found no rule written specifically for homemade products. Skin cream, soap and shampoo are on PSQCA’s compulsory list, and anything with an active drug ingredient falls under DRAP, so ask PSQCA about your product before you sell it. Never claim that a homemade product treats acne, pigmentation or any skin condition.
Is an online cosmetics business in Pakistan profitable?
It can be, but only if you price for the costs that come after the sale: the courier fee, tax withheld on cash-on-delivery receipts, packaging that survives the heat and parcels the buyer refuses. Work out your number per order with a profit calculator before you set the price.
Storelala gives your cosmetic brand a free store with a look made for beauty, and it runs from your phone. Buyers pay by cash on delivery, JazzCash, Easypaisa or card, PostEx, Leopards and TCS are built in, and the tracking number goes to the buyer on WhatsApp. Start at yourbrand.storelala.com and move to yourbrand.pk whenever you are ready. If you plan to sell to buyers abroad from day one, Shopify is built for every country and bills in US dollars; our Shopify price in Pakistan guide sets out what it costs. Start your store today.
