All natural ingredients business

A question about : All natural ingredients business

Hi all,

I had a thought about using simple oils to create moisturizers that are truly beneficial for you and for baby. Oils such as Beeswax, Coconut, Almond, Lavender etc.
Why I became interested in the first place as I was seeing a number of products such as baby bottles and baby wipes that contained harmful toxins.
The problem is that I have not a clue who and where to turn to help research/funding etc. I also need a worshop and gather evidence to prove the ingredients work over time. I also need certificates etc. Any help would be much appreciated. I would like the build up a portfolio of work before I go ahead with my idea, i want to be absolutely sure it will work and I have interest

thank you

Best answers:

• How much of your own money do you have to put in to this venture? And how much experience of the sector do you have?
  Unless you have something to bring to the table (either cash or knowledge, but ideally both) you won't get anywhere - nobody will lend on just an idea, if the ideas-guy isn't putting her own money where her mouth is.
• And just because something is natural, it doesn't mean it's beneficial, or even benign - take nuts for example, very natural, but very dangerous for some people.
  The big players (I'm thinking Unilever and such like) spend gazillions on research, and still sometimes get it wrong.
• There are lots of companies already doing the same thing, from bigger ones like Weleda and all the other companies on BigGreenSmile.com right down to WAHMs making products in their kitchens and everything in between. I'd suggest doing some basic market research before going any further - you might find a gap in the market but I think it's more likely that you'll realise it'll be harder than you expect to get anywhere, unless you want it to be a little hobby for pin money.
• Natural isn't another word for harmless - asbestos, uranium, arsenic and syphilis are all naturally occurring, yet I suggest avoiding them all for a line of baby products! ;-)
  Seriously, it's a massive market, but the liabilities are extreme when dealing with babies and so you'd need very specific insurance and as you already mentioned, various certifications to get that insurance. What I would suggest instead would be finding white label suppliers for goods and formulae that are already on the market, and create a brand around those. Probably easier for adult cosmetics than baby stuff, mind, but you let experts do the expert bits and bear the liabilities and you deal with the ordering and supply end. Allow Ј0,000's roughly for branding and stock development and packaging, plus whatever promotional budget you think you'll need.
• I suspect the OP might be more likely to include nuts in her products (she mentions almond herself) than asbestos, uranium, arsenic or syphillis.
  And I don't think calling people with a potentially life-threatening allergy 'defective' is really adding anything to the discussion.
• I took a marginal example with those 4 ingredients, but the margins are what prove or break a definition! Closer to the list suggested, beeswax for instance can effectively seal pores preventing healthy perspiration which could be critical where the recipient has no way to communicate that, nor wanting a hot soapy scrub to remove it.
  However, I think we're all agreed now that all-natural is a explicitly not the same thing as safe.
• "...some stock photos of people in lab coats, etc. ..."
  Holding clipboards of course!