After the incident where Jiangxi Kema was suspended from production due to violations—resulting in the revocation of 112 product registrations and emergency production line relocation—more and more beauty entrepreneurs have realized: choosing the right skincare factory is more critical than developing formulas. According to 2025 industry data, 83% of emerging brands face delayed market launches due to factory qualification issues, while factories with AI intelligent manufacturing capabilities have increased delivery efficiency by over 30%. Combining real OEM cases, updated EU certification regulations, and undercover details of smart factories, this article teaches you to select compliant and efficient production partners in 4 steps, helping you avoid 90% of hidden pitfalls.
I. Experience: 3 Real Cases Exposing Factory Selection Risks
- Qualification Fraud Trap: When Guangzhou Yixuan Biology (formerly Mini Cosmetics) took over production lines for rectified enterprises, it once caused clients’ product registration failures due to failing to update its “chemical manufacturing” qualification in a timely manner. Such “shell production” factories often hide historical violation records through affiliated enterprises—you need to verify the business status of more than 10 affiliated companies under the legal representative’s name.
- Overstated Production Capacity Lesson: A popular influencer brand signed a contract with a factory claiming a “daily capacity of 100,000 facial masks,” but actually faced delivery delays due to insufficient emulsification tanks. As shown in CCTV’s coverage of smart factories, truly efficient production capacity relies on 36 sets of intelligent emulsification tanks and valve matrix scheduling systems, rather than simply piling up equipment.
- Compliance Connection Gap: When the Xuelingfei brand relocated its production lines, the new factory failed to pass the EU Raw Material Safety Assessment (RAE), leading to a 6-month delay in European market access.
II. Evidence: Rigorous 2025 Factory Audit Standards
- Intelligent Production Certification
- Core Indicators: Whether it has a “formula library” and digital twin system. A factory in Changsha with an 8,000+ formula database enables one-click production adjustment, and AI scheduling shortens the delivery cycle to 7 days.
- Verification Method: Request the factory to provide screenshots of real-time production dashboards, and confirm that the equipment OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency) is no less than 85%.
- Updated 2025 Compliance Qualification List
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Certification Type
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Key Requirements
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Failure Risk Points
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EU CPNP Registration
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Raw materials must pass RSC safety confirmation
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Unlabeled nano-components
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China Cosmetics GMPC
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Clean workshop meets Grade D or above
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No traceability labels on raw material storage tanks
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ISO22716
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3-year toxicology reports retained for each batch
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Insufficient sensitivity test samples (less than 300 cases)
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- Evidence of Cost Transparency
Regular factories will provide a cost breakdown: “60% raw materials + 20% production + 15% compliance + 5% profit.” If the proportion of raw materials is less than 50%, you need to be alert to cutting corners.
III. Emotion: 3 Most Painful Hidden Risks for Entrepreneurs
“I spent 500,000 yuan on OEM serums, only to have them confiscated because the factory used industrial-grade glycerin” “After the product became a hit, I found out the factory lacked the special sunscreen certification”—these real complaints point directly to industry pain points. Under 2025 new regulations, the proportion of factories’ “hidden compliance costs” has risen to 15%, but most entrepreneurs ignore the list of over 1,500 restricted substances under EU REACH regulations, resulting in their products being seized by customs.
IV. Action: 4 Steps to Lock in a Reliable Factory (with Toolkit)
- In-depth Qualification Verification
- Use Tianyancha’s affiliated enterprise function to check for rectification records under the legal representative’s name (e.g., the associated risks between Jiangxi Chumei and Kema);
- Log in to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) website, enter the factory name, and query the scope of its “cosmetics production license.”
- Smart Production Line Acceptance
Request demonstrations of 3 core processes: ① Automatic retrieval of formula parameters by emulsification tanks ② Dynamic allocation of filling lines by valve matrix system ③ Digital twin remote monitoring interface.
- Compliance Document Acceptance
Must-review 3 types of documents: ① RAE assessment reports from raw material suppliers ② ELIA in vitro toxicity test data from the past 6 months ③ SGS sensitivity test reports for finished products.
- Small-batch Trial Production Verification
First place a trial order of 500-1,000 units, focusing on testing: ① 72-hour stability test results ② Packaging tightness (1,000 simulated transportation vibrations) ③ Coordination efficiency of the registration process.
