Epilab is an Australian contract manufacturer of lip balm and lip care. We formulate, manufacture, fill, and pack lip balm sticks, pots, tinted lip products, lip oils, and lip masks for brands across Australia. Lip products sit in their own niche — small format, food-grade ingredient considerations, and packaging-specific filling requirements. We have done it many times from our GMP-aligned facility in Cheltenham, Melbourne.

The lip products we manufacture

Classic lip balm sticks (twist-up tubes, push-up tubes), lip pots (jars and tins), lip oils (rollerball, dropper, applicator-wand), tinted lip balms and lip stains, lip masks (sleeping masks, overnight repair, exfoliating masks), lip scrubs (sugar-based, enzyme-based), medicated lip balm (with active ingredients for chapped or sun-damaged lips), and bespoke lip product development for brands with a specific niche or flavour profile.

Lip product ingredient considerations

Lip products are technically food-contact — customers ingest small amounts during normal use. We formulate with this in mind, using food-grade carriers, lip-safe pigments, lip-safe flavouring (no artificial sweeteners that fail food-safety review), and waxes and oils with established lip-application safety records. Ingredient transparency matters more here than in most categories.

Format and filling: small batch tooling

Lip products require specialised filling equipment — hot-pour stick filling for tubes, micro-pour for pots, narrow-nozzle for rollerball. We have the tooling in-house. Tube fills can run at high speed for retail volumes; pot and rollerball fills are typically run more deliberately for premium positioning. We will brief you on which packaging fits your volume and price point.

Premium positioning and gift-pack opportunity

Lip products are an excellent gift-pack and bundle SKU because of their low unit cost relative to other cosmetics. Many brands use a hero lip balm as a free gift or add-on inside a larger order. We can manufacture a private-label balm for this use case in small batches with custom flavour or fragrance — perfect for brand-building giveaways.

MOQs and timelines

MOQs for lip products typically start at 1,000 units per SKU — small format means lower per-unit cost but higher minimum quantity. Concept-to-launch is 2-4 months for established formulations, longer for fully bespoke formulas with custom flavour or pigment work.

Launch a lip product

Browse our services, six-step process, pricing, related skincare and body care capabilities, our FAQ, or contact us.