Shampoo Manufacturer Australia

Epilab is an Australian shampoo manufacturer specialising in custom, science-led formulation for indie and established hair care brands. Shampoo is one of the most technical products in personal care — a surfactant system where mildness, lather expectation, viscosity and pH all have to be balanced at once. We’ve formulated 700+ products and manufacture for 100+ brand partners from our GMP-aligned Melbourne facility, in operation since 2011.

Shampoo formulation at Epilab

The craft of a shampoo is cleaning the scalp and hair without stripping them, delivering the lather customers expect, and leaving hair that feels good wet and dry — all from a rinse-off that only touches the hair for a minute.

Systems and ingredients we formulate with. We build shampoos on primary and secondary surfactant blends — from classic SLES systems to fully sulfate-free bases (sodium cocoyl isethionate, coco-glucoside, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate) — with betaine foam boosters for lather quality. Conditioning is delivered through polyquaterniums and guar derivatives, with optional silicone or silicone-free slip. Actives are matched to the claim: niacinamide and caffeine for scalp and thinning ranges, anti-dandruff agents, proteins and botanicals for repair, plus chelators and pH adjusters to keep hair at its preferred slightly-acidic pH.

Formats and textures. Gentle daily, sulfate-free, clarifying, volumising, colour-safe, 2-in-1, and scalp-focused shampoos — plus solid shampoo bars for plastic-free ranges. Filled into bottles, disc-cap and pump packs, and tubes. We tune clarity or pearlescence, viscosity and lather to match your positioning.

The hard parts we solve. The big one is lather and mildness at the same time — sulfate-free systems have to be engineered to foam the way customers expect. We also handle viscosity (getting a pour or pump that feels premium), colour-safe low-strip cleansing, scalp comfort, preservation, and fragrance performance in a rinse-off. Anti-dandruff and some scalp actives can carry therapeutic/OTC obligations, and we’ll guide the compliant path.

What we offer for shampoo brands

Custom formulation from brief — our core service. A unique shampoo developed from your brief: surfactant system, conditioning, actives, texture and fragrance built around your positioning, and you own the finished formula. Typically $5,000–$9,000 per SKU, 8–16 weeks from approved brief to production-ready formula.

Ready-to-brand base options. To validate the category faster, we can adapt a proven Epilab shampoo base with your fragrance, minor tweaks and packaging (from $1,000–$3,000 per SKU, 4–8 weeks).

Minimum order quantity. 500 units per SKU in bottles, pumps and tubes. Shampoo scales strongly into 3,000–10,000+ unit runs, with retail-scale production supported from the same facility.

Common shampoo formulation considerations

Sulfate-free positioning is popular but has to still lather convincingly. Viscosity is a formulation outcome that affects how premium the product feels. Colour-safe claims require low-strip cleansing. Scalp actives and anti-dandruff agents can attract regulatory obligations. Epilab manages these during development.

A typical shampoo brief

A founder wants a sulfate-free daily shampoo that still lathers well, is colour-safe, and carries a niacinamide-and-caffeine scalp-support story, in a 250 ml pump retailing under $30. We translate that into a mild surfactant system engineered for foam, a scalp-active panel, and a 500-unit pilot that proves the lather-and-feel before scaling.

Realistic shampoo costs

A single-SKU shampoo boutique launch in Australia typically lands between $25,000 and $50,000 all-in — custom formulation ($5k–$9k), stability and preservative-efficacy testing, packaging (usually 30–40% of the total), and a 500-unit pilot run. Shampoo has moderate ingredient cost and scales well, so margins improve quickly with volume. Anti-dandruff or therapeutic variants carry extra compliance cost. Full line-by-line numbers are in our cost of cosmetic manufacturing guide.

Frequently asked shampoo manufacturing questions

What’s the minimum order quantity for a shampoo?

500 units per SKU, scaling into 3,000–10,000+ unit runs.

Can you make a sulfate-free shampoo that still lathers?

Yes — sulfate-free foam quality is exactly the challenge we engineer for, using balanced mild-surfactant and foam-booster systems.

Can you formulate colour-safe or scalp-focused shampoos?

Yes — low-strip colour-safe systems and scalp ranges with niacinamide, caffeine and soothing actives are both available.

Can you make anti-dandruff shampoo?

Yes, but some anti-dandruff actives carry therapeutic/OTC obligations in Australia — we’ll guide you to the compliant route.

Do you make solid shampoo bars?

Yes — solid shampoo bars are available for plastic-free and travel ranges.

Are shampoos made here Australian Made eligible?

Yes — formulated and manufactured at our Melbourne facility, meeting Australian Made & Owned criteria.

Start a shampoo project

Email info@epilab.com.au with your shampoo brief: target volume, fragrance and ingredient preferences, packaging direction, timeline, and any specific compliance or claim requirements. We respond within one business day.

For the full hair care overview see our Haircare Manufacturer Australia page, our cost transparency guide, our sibling hair conditioner page, and Our Process.

Epilab. Australian shampoo manufacturer. Custom, science-led formulation in Melbourne since 2011.