Why ‘Made Today, Listed Today’ Is a Red Flag in Cosmetics

Let’s talk about something I’m seeing more and more often in the handmade cosmetics space, products being made and then listed for sale the very same day, and I understand the excitement, you’ve formulated it, you’ve made it, the packaging is ready and you just want it live.

But this is where I need to slow things down for a moment, because in cosmetics, making a product and approving it for sale are not the same thing.

Once a product is sold, you are responsible for it, and that responsibility doesn’t start when a customer uses it, it starts the moment it leaves your workspace.

So the question becomes, have you actually given yourself time to see how that batch behaves, has the texture settled, has the fragrance changed, has anything separated, dried out or reacted once it’s had time to rest.

If it’s made and listed immediately, there’s been no opportunity to find that out.

And this is the part I want you to be really honest about, how many of you actually record any testing or observation for each batch you make, not in your head, not “I’ve used it before”, but written down, batch-linked and kept as part of your records.

A lot of makers say, “but I’ve made this before, I know it’s fine”, and sometimes that is true, but every batch is still a new batch, ingredients vary, temperatures vary, methods vary, and those small differences are often what cause issues later.

Then comes the word that puts people on edge, testing, and this is where things are often misunderstood, testing doesn’t mean lab coats, consumer panels or expensive trials, for many products it simply means using the product yourself, observing it over time and confirming that it performs exactly as it should.

That might look like checking the texture after a few days, noting whether the scent has settled or changed, using it as intended, confirming there’s no irritation or unexpected behaviour, and recording those observations against the batch.

Even for wash-off products like whipped soap, this matters, they still need to hold their texture, rinse cleanly, smell as expected and match what was assessed in the CPSR, and if a customer ever comes back with a concern, you should be able to say with confidence that you’ve used and monitored that specific batch yourself.

People often ask whether anyone would actually check this, and the honest answer is sometimes, yes, Trading Standards can ask how you monitor the safety of your products once they’re made, and they can ask to see records that support that, including batch records and testing or observation notes.

Having a simple test record answers that question immediately, not having one is where things become uncomfortable, even if the product itself appears fine.

A responsible process doesn’t mean slowing your business down to a crawl, it means building in a short pause, make the product, let it rest, use it, observe it, record a few notes, then list it for sale.

That pause protects your customers, your business and your reputation.

Making cosmetics is creative and exciting, selling cosmetics is a responsibility, and “made today, listed today” might look productive, but in this industry, it’s a red flag, because doing things properly will always matter more than doing them quickly.