Cosmetic Manufacturing in Clearwater and Tampa Bay, Florida

Vaulabs is a cosmetic contract manufacturer based in Clearwater, Florida, in the Tampa Bay area. We develop custom formulas with our own chemists and manufacture skincare, body care and hair care for brands that want their production within driving distance rather than across an ocean.

Where we are

Our facility is in Clearwater, Pinellas County, on the west side of Tampa Bay. Brands based in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Orlando and across Florida can visit the floor, meet the people running their batch, and see the equipment before committing to a production run. We encourage that visit before a first order rather than after a problem.

Standards the facility holds

  • FDA-registered manufacturing facility.
  • Production and documentation in an NSF-certified facility (NSF/ANSI 455-2).
  • MoCRA compliant, including facility registration and product listing requirements.
  • USDA Certified organic capability for formulas that require it.
  • In-house R&D, quality control, production, warehousing and regulatory functions, not outsourced to a third party.

What we manufacture

Serums, toners, creams, lotions, gels, body care, shampoos and conditioners, sprays, and selected powder products. We also take on OTC and SPF projects under separate regulatory requirements. We do not make solid bars or soap bars, and we say so on the first call instead of three weeks in.

Batches run from 5,000 to 50,000 units. We fill bottles, jars, airless pumps and tubes, with tube filling handled on our own equipment.

Minimums, costs and timelines

  • Minimum order: 5,000 units per SKU.
  • Custom formula development: around $1,000 per formula. Benchmark matching a reference product: $1,500. Both include one initial sample, up to two revisions, and shipping within the US.
  • OTC formulation: around $3,800 per formula, with a minimum of 10,000 units per SKU.
  • First production run: 10 to 12 weeks, counted from an approved formula, payment, packaging in hand, approved artwork and completed testing.
  • Reorder of the same product: 6 to 8 weeks, because development, packaging compatibility and artwork approval do not repeat.

Testing and paperwork

We run accelerated stability and preservative efficacy testing, and we provide the documents brands are actually asked for by retailers and marketplaces: a certificate of analysis for your specific batch, product specifications, stability reports, challenge testing, allergen statements and Free Sale Certificates. Three months of accelerated stability data supports a one year shelf life, and six months supports two years, so you do not have to wait for the full report before you start selling.

Why local manufacturing changes the project

Domestic production keeps regulatory questions inside one jurisdiction and removes an ocean of shipping time from every sample round. It also removes the distance that makes problems expensive: when a formula behaves differently at production scale, or a component fails compatibility testing, being an hour away means the conversation happens in a room instead of over a three week email chain.

Being in Tampa Bay also puts finished goods close to Florida fulfillment and Amazon FBA intake, which shortens the last leg of a launch.

Talk to us about your project

Tell us what you are building, the volume you expect, and the date you need it by. If the project does not fit our capabilities or the volume does not fit our minimums, we will tell you on the first call. Vaulabs LLC, Clearwater, Florida.