Hair Care Manufacturer Australia

Epilab is an Australian hair care manufacturer running custom formulation, private label and white label production from a single Melbourne facility. We make shampoo, conditioner, masks, oils, leave-in treatments, scalp serums and non-aerosol styling products for indie brands building their first SKU through to established hair brands running retail-scale orders.

We have been manufacturing cosmetics in Melbourne since 2011. Our hair care work covers cleansing, conditioning, treatment, scalp and styling categories. We do not produce aerosol products, so anything spray-based is liquid-pump or cream rather than propellant.

What we manufacture

The hair care range we produce splits across ten core categories. Each has its own page with category-specific MOQs, formulation notes, costs and FAQs.

• Shampoo manufacturer Australia: sulphate-free, gentle, clarifying, colour-safe, volumising, scalp-balancing and clinical formats.
• Hair conditioner manufacturer Australia: rinse-out, leave-in and intensive treatment conditioners.
• Hair mask manufacturer Australia: deep repair, protein, hydration and bond-building masks.
• Hair oil manufacturer Australia: lightweight finishing oils, treatment oils, scalp oils and overnight masks.
• Hair serum manufacturer Australia: anti-frizz, heat-protect, shine and bond-care leave-in serums.
• Leave-in conditioner manufacturer Australia: detangling sprays, milk conditioners and cream leave-ins.
• Scalp treatment manufacturer Australia: exfoliating tonics, soothing serums, oil-control treatments and density-support formats.
• Hair styling products manufacturer Australia: gels, mousses, creams, pomades and pastes. Non-aerosol formats only.
• Curly hair products manufacturer Australia: curl-defining creams, gels, milks and refresh sprays for textured hair.
• Mens hair care manufacturer Australia: shampoo, conditioner, styling and scalp treatments for the men’s grooming category.

Three production paths

Every brand starts in one of three places, and we offer all three under one roof.

Custom formulation

You bring a brief, we build the formula. Custom is the right path when you want a hero product that does not exist on a stock shelf, when you are positioning around a specific actives profile, or when your brand identity depends on a sensory signature that off-the-shelf bases cannot match. Custom hair care typically runs longer in development (six to twelve weeks) because we are matching texture, slip, foam, conditioning feel and scent from scratch. Minimum order quantities start at 500 units for most hair formats.

Private label

You select from our existing formulation library and apply your branding. Private label moves faster than custom, usually three to six weeks from approval to delivery, because the formula work is already complete. You still control fragrance choice, colour, packaging and the on-pack story. This path suits brands launching their first SKU, brands expanding into adjacent categories, or established brands that need a reliable supplementary line without a full formulation cycle.

White label

Pre-formulated, pre-tested products ready to ship with your label. White label is the fastest path to market and the lowest risk because every formula has been validated. The trade-off is less differentiation, since other brands may carry similar base products. White label works for brands testing product-market fit, brands filling category gaps quickly, and brands building bundle SKUs around their hero products.

MOQ ladder

Our minimum order quantities scale with the production path and the format. Most hair care liquids (shampoo, conditioner, leave-in) start at 500 units. Tube-packaged products (masks, styling cream, pomade) start at 3,000 units because tube filling requires longer machine setup. Pump bottles, jars and dropper formats typically run at 500 minimum. As your volume grows, per-unit pricing improves significantly at the 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000-unit tiers. Brands running retail volume of 100,000 units or more are well within our capacity.

Hair care formulation considerations

Hair care is more technically demanding than most other personal care categories. The product has to clean or condition the hair shaft, behave well in different water hardness, leave the desired finish (clean, soft, defined, voluminous, smooth), and tolerate heat styling. We pay particular attention to surfactant blend, conditioning agent selection, cationic charge balance, silicone use or avoidance, and panthenol or peptide treatment ingredients depending on the product positioning.

If your brand is positioning around sulphate-free, silicone-free, vegan, cruelty-free or specific marketing claims, we build to those constraints from the brief stage. We do not retrofit a claim onto a finished formula because that risks performance compromises.

Compliance and documentation

We manufacture to Good Manufacturing Practice standards. Every batch ships with documentation including batch number, manufacture date, expiry date, ingredient declarations in INCI format, and certificates of analysis where requested. Stability testing, preservative efficacy testing and microbial testing are available for new formulations.

For brands exporting overseas, we can supply the documentation packages required for major destination markets including the US, UK, EU, Canada, NZ and selected Asian markets. Specific requirements vary by destination so we scope this at the brief stage.

Australian-made positioning

Every product is manufactured in Melbourne. You can claim Australian Made on your packaging when the qualifying criteria are met. This is a meaningful advantage in domestic retail, in export markets that value Australian provenance (Asia particularly), and in any marketing where supply chain transparency matters.

Local manufacturing also means tighter feedback loops. If a batch needs adjustment, we adjust. If a packaging supplier slips a deadline, we know within hours, not weeks. Overseas manufacturing rarely delivers that kind of responsiveness.

Cost transparency

Hair care unit cost depends on five variables: format (liquid is cheapest, cream more expensive, tube-packaged cream most expensive due to setup time), ingredient density (a 4-ingredient gentle shampoo costs less than a 25-ingredient bond-building treatment), volume (500 units costs significantly more per unit than 10,000), packaging (PCR plastic, glass, aluminium each have different costs) and decoration (printed labels are cheaper than direct screen print or hot-stamp).

For indicative pricing across all our service pages we publish typical ranges, not exact quotes. Every quote we send is based on the actual brief, the actual ingredients, the actual packaging and the actual volume.

Launch process

From brief to first delivery the standard path runs five steps. Step one, you send a brief through info@epilab.com.au with category, positioning, claims, budget and volume target. Step two, we respond with a feasibility note covering whether the brief is buildable as-stated and what the formulation path looks like. Step three, we develop the formula (custom) or send sample units (private label or white label). Step four, you approve the sample and sign off on packaging artwork. Step five, we produce the batch, do the QA, and ship.

For most brands the path from first email to first delivery is six to twelve weeks for custom, three to six weeks for private label, and two to four weeks for white label.

Why Epilab

The Australian hair care manufacturer landscape has a handful of players, and the differences matter. We are a single-site Melbourne facility, which means your formulation, production and quality control all happen in one place under one team. We do all three production paths (custom, private label, white label) under one roof, so brands can mix paths as they scale. Our MOQs accommodate indie founders running 500-unit pilot batches and established brands running 100,000-unit retail orders, so brands do not need to switch manufacturers as they grow. And the team has been making cosmetics here since 2011, so the formulation library and operational depth are real, not aspirational.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum order quantity for hair care?

500 units for most liquid formats (shampoo, conditioner, leave-in, oil). 3,000 units for tube-packaged formats (mask, styling cream, pomade in tubes). Lower minimums may be possible for certain stock white-label products.

How long does it take to develop a custom hair formula?

Six to twelve weeks from brief to approved sample, depending on complexity. A simple sulphate-free shampoo may land in six weeks. A bond-building treatment with peptides, multiple actives and a specific sensory profile may take ten to twelve.

Can you make sulphate-free, silicone-free, vegan or cruelty-free hair care?

Yes to all four. We build to claim constraints from the brief stage so the formula works within those rules from day one.

Do you make aerosol hairspray or dry shampoo?

No. We do not produce aerosol-format products. We can produce pump-spray and pump-mist alternatives, including liquid styling sprays and mist-format dry shampoos, but anything propellant-based is outside our capability.

Can you do export documentation for the US, EU and Asia?

Yes, with the caveat that requirements vary by destination. We scope this in the brief stage and supply the documentation package required for your target markets.

What packaging do you offer?

Bottles (PCR plastic, glass, aluminium), pumps, tubes, jars, dropper bottles, sachets for sample programs and retail testers. We have established packaging suppliers but can also work with packaging you source yourself if the format is compatible with our filling lines.

Can I scale from 500 units to 100,000 units with you?

Yes. We size-tested our facility specifically so brands do not have to change manufacturers as they grow. The same formula and process we run for a 500-unit pilot batch scales to retail volume without reformulation.

What is the difference between custom, private label and white label?

Custom means we develop a unique formula for your brand. Private label means you select from our existing library and brand it as yours. White label means you take a pre-formulated, pre-tested product ready to ship. Cost, time and differentiation increase from white label through to custom.

How do I start?

Send a brief to info@epilab.com.au with category, positioning, target volume, target unit cost and any specific claims or constraints. We respond within two business days with a feasibility note.

Baby and kids manufacturer details: see our dedicated Baby Products Manufacturer Australia page for the full baby and children’s category breakdown including wash, shampoo, lotion, oil, balms, nappy creams and kids skincare.