Private Label Pet Shampoo & Pet Care Manufacturer Australia

If you’ve spent any time trying to find an Australian contract manufacturer for pet shampoo, you’ve probably noticed the same two patterns we have. Either you land on a page offering one dog shampoo and one dog conditioner, same catalogue formula sold to fifty different brands, or you reach out to a larger operation and find out their minimum is 5,000 units per SKU and the lead time is four months. There isn’t much in the middle. That gap is the reason this page exists, and it’s the reason most of the pet brands we work with ended up at Epilab after trying both ends of that spectrum first.

Epilab has been manufacturing cosmetics in Melbourne since 2011. We’re a cosmetic contract manufacturer, human skincare is still the bulk of what we do, but pet care has grown into a meaningful share of our book over the last few years, because the formulation chemistry overlaps more than people expect and the regulatory pathway is, in most cases, simpler than what we already do for human cosmetics. This page covers what we make, what we don’t make, what it actually costs to launch an Australian pet care brand, and how the AICIS framework applies to pet cosmetics. No marketing language, no inflated claims.

Who we manufacture pet care for in Australia

Most of the pet brands we manufacture for fall into one of four shapes. The first is the founder-led DTC brand, usually one or two people, often a vet or groomer who knows exactly what’s wrong with what’s on the shelf, launching a tight range of three to six SKUs with a strong point of view. The second is the established groomer or grooming-salon chain moving from rebottling distributor product into their own labelled range, often starting with a concentrate for back-of-house and a retail bottle for clients. The third is the existing human cosmetic brand extending into pet, usually because their customers asked. The fourth, less common but growing, is the veterinary clinic group building a clinic-exclusive range for resale.

We don’t have a “type” we won’t work with, but we’re a better fit for brands that want a custom formula than for brands looking to slap a label on a catalogue product. We can do catalogue-style if that’s genuinely what suits the launch, there’s no judgement there, but our formulation team’s value is in the custom work.

Pet care categories Epilab manufactures

Dog shampoos and conditioners

The bulk of pet manufacturing in Australia is dog wash. We formulate across the full surfactant spectrum, from gentle amphoteric-led bases for puppies and sensitive coats through to higher-foam degreasing systems for double-coated working breeds that come in genuinely dirty. Conditioners run from light leave-in mist formats to thicker rinse-out cream conditioners for long-coat breeds. We’ll match pH carefully, dog skin sits higher than human skin, around pH 7.0-7.5, and a shampoo formulated at human-skin pH is one of the most common reasons a pet product reads as “drying” or “itchy” in reviews.

Cat-safe rinses and grooming products

Cats are a different formulation problem. They groom by licking, which means anything you put on their coat is going down their throat within the hour, and they’re far more sensitive to essential oils than dogs, tea tree, peppermint, citrus oils and several others that are routine in dog formulas are off the table for cat-safe products. We formulate cat rinses, waterless foaming cleansers and grooming wipes using ingredient sets that account for this. If a brand wants a unified “dog and cat” SKU, we’ll usually steer them toward two separate formulas, it’s cheaper than you’d think and the safety margin is worth it.

Puppy, senior and sensitive-skin formulas

Puppy formulas need very mild surfactant systems and tear-free claims, we use the same non-irritating surfactant logic we use for human baby washes. Senior formulas trend the opposite way: richer conditioning, more humectant load, sometimes added omega-3 or ceramide analogues for older coats that have lost lustre. Hypoallergenic and sensitive-skin formulas use mild amphoteric and non-ionic surfactants with skin-barrier support actives, stripped of known sensitisers, fragrance allergens, certain preservatives, harsher anionics.

Medicated and dermatologically-targeted formulas

This is where the AICIS/APVMA boundary matters most. Within the cosmetic envelope, we manufacture formulas with chlorhexidine gluconate (at cosmetic concentrations), zinc pyrithione, salicylic acid, climbazole and similar actives commonly used in dermatologically-targeted dog shampoos for flaky, itchy or odour-prone coats. We do not manufacture products making therapeutic claims that require APVMA registration, meaning no antiparasitic, antifungal-cure or anti-infective claims on label.

Oatmeal, soothing and oat-protein formulas

Oatmeal is probably the single most-requested actives category in dog wash. Colloidal oatmeal, finely milled whole oat, is the traditional choice and what most consumers recognise. Hydrolysed oat protein is a different ingredient: water-soluble, behaves more like a conditioning agent. Beta-glucan oat extracts are a third option, targeting the soothing benefit specifically. We’ll usually run a blend depending on what the formula needs to do.

Odour-control formulas

The mistake here is reaching for fragrance to mask odour. The better formulation route is cyclodextrin-based odour-binding technology combined with mild antimicrobial actives that reduce the bacterial load responsible for the smell. We’ve formulated odour-control dog wash that holds for the full week between baths without being heavily perfumed.

Groomer-channel formats vs DTC retail formats

These are genuinely different products. Groomer-channel concentrates are typically 8:1 to 32:1 dilution, packaged in 5L or 20L containers, with surfactant systems engineered to hold up to dilution and to rinse cleanly across high-volume use. DTC retail is ready-to-use, packaged in 250-500mL retail bottles, formulated for sensory experience as much as performance. If you’re launching into both channels, the formulas should be developed in parallel, not adapted from one to the other after the fact.

Pet sprays, balms and lifestyle products

Beyond wash and rinse, we manufacture detangling sprays, between-bath freshening mists, paw balms, nose balms, ear cleansers (cosmetic-claim only) and grooming finishing sprays. Balms run on either a beeswax-and-oil base or a vegan butter-and-wax alternative. Sprays can be pump-trigger or fine-mist atomiser depending on coverage required.

Categories we don’t manufacture

• Pet aerosols, we don’t have aerosol filling equipment. We’re happy to refer.
• Prescription veterinary medicines, require APVMA registration and a manufacturing license we don’t hold.
• Oral pet supplements, different category entirely. We don’t manufacture anything ingested, including pet probiotics, joint supplements, dental chews or food toppers.

For anything inside the topical pet cosmetic envelope, we’re a fit.

MOQ tiers for pet care manufacturing

We run the same MOQ structure for pet care as we do for human cosmetics. There’s no “pet premium” or special pet minimum.

• Standard MOQ: 500 units per SKU. Applies to most bottle, jar and pump formats.
• 3,000 units MOQ only if your packaging is tubes. Tube filling has a hard equipment minimum.
• No MOQ on sample/development batches for formulas in active development.

For founders doing the maths: a 500-unit launch of a 250mL dog shampoo is genuinely accessible, typically a low-five-figure first-run inclusive of formulation, manufacture, primary packaging and labels. Detailed cost breakdown on the skincare brand launch cost page, same numbers largely apply to pet.

Australian-made advantage for pet brands

“Australian made” carries more weight in the pet category than in most cosmetic categories. Pet owners, particularly the segment that pays premium for pet care, are unusually attentive to country-of-origin, and the imported pet wash market is dominated by US and European labels with ingredient lists that haven’t been re-examined in a decade. An Australian-made label, manufactured under Australian cosmetic standards, ingredient-disclosed for the Australian regulatory context, has a real positioning advantage at the retail shelf and on Amazon AU.

We’re GMP-aligned in our manufacturing process, Sedex members for ethical supply chain disclosure, and we handle AICIS compliance documentation in-house as part of the standard engagement.

AICIS compliance for pet cosmetics

Most pet cosmetic products in Australia fall under AICIS (Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme), the same regulatory framework that covers human cosmetics. Shampoos, conditioners, grooming sprays, detangling sprays, freshening mists, balms and cosmetic ear cleansers are all AICIS-scoped industrial chemicals when sold for cosmetic purposes.

Where it gets more complex: certain claims push a product out of AICIS and into APVMA jurisdiction. The triggers are therapeutic or pesticidal claims, anything making a medicinal claim about a specific condition, parasiticidal claims (flea, tick, mite kill or repel), or claims to treat or prevent a veterinary disease. A medicated-style dog shampoo with chlorhexidine at cosmetic concentration, sold for general skin cleanliness, sits inside AICIS. The same active at the same concentration sold “to treat dermatitis” pushes into APVMA.

We work entirely inside the AICIS-scoped envelope. We’ll review label and marketing claim language during formulation to make sure your product stays cleanly inside it. If you need a true APVMA-registered product, we’ll tell you early.

More background in our AICIS vs TGA founder’s guide.

How we work, the engagement process

1. Brief call. 30-45 minutes. Your concept, target customer, channel strategy, ingredient must-haves and must-avoids, budget and timeline. We’ll be direct about whether what you want is buildable inside our envelope.
2. Formulation development. Two to six weeks depending on complexity. We sample iteratively. You provide feedback.
3. Sample signoff. Once you’re happy with a sample, the formula is locked in and put into production mode.
4. Stability and compatibility testing. Standard accelerated stability over 6-12 weeks while packaging is finalised in parallel.
5. AICIS documentation. Handled in-house. You’ll receive ingredient disclosure and compliance documentation suitable for retailer onboarding.
6. Production run. Standard lead time once formula is locked and packaging is on hand: 4-6 weeks for a 500-unit run.

Custom vs catalogue is its own decision, we cover that on the private label vs custom formulation page.

Frequently asked questions about pet care manufacturing in Australia

What’s the minimum order quantity for private label pet shampoo in Australia?

Epilab’s standard MOQ is 500 units per SKU for bottles, jars and pumps. Tube packaging has a higher 3,000-unit minimum due to tube-filling equipment requirements. There is no “pet premium”, pet MOQs match our human cosmetic MOQs.

Can Epilab formulate pet shampoo for sensitive skin or specific breeds?

Yes. We formulate sensitive-skin and hypoallergenic ranges using mild amphoteric surfactant systems, and we’ll adjust formulas for breed-specific coat types, double-coated working breeds, curly coats, long-coat breeds, short-coat smooth breeds.

Are Epilab pet care products AICIS compliant?

Yes. Most pet cosmetic products fall under AICIS. We handle AICIS compliance documentation in-house as part of the standard engagement. Products making therapeutic or pesticidal claims may instead fall under APVMA, we flag that during formulation if relevant.

Does Epilab make oatmeal or medicated pet shampoos?

Yes to both. Oatmeal formulas can use colloidal oatmeal, hydrolysed oat protein, beta-glucan oat extract, or a blend. Medicated-style formulas using chlorhexidine, zinc pyrithione, salicylic acid and climbazole at cosmetic concentrations sit inside our envelope, provided label claims stay inside the AICIS cosmetic boundary.

Can Epilab manufacture pet shampoo for groomer channels?

Yes. Groomer-channel concentrates are typically formulated at 8:1 to 32:1 dilution in 5L or 20L packaging, engineered for high-volume salon use. We manufacture both groomer-channel concentrates and matching DTC retail formats.

How long does it take to develop a custom pet shampoo formula?

Custom formulation typically runs two to six weeks depending on complexity. Stability testing then runs in parallel with packaging procurement, adding 6-12 weeks before production.

Talk to us

If you’re building an Australian pet care brand and you want a manufacturer who’ll be direct with you about what’s buildable, what it’ll cost and where the regulatory lines actually sit, get in touch. Email us at info@epilab.com.au, by phone at +61 3 9052 5800. We respond to founder enquiries directly.

For the broader Melbourne cosmetic contract manufacturer overview, that’s the parent page.