Customisation
Custom cosmetic packaging, from colour to proprietary moulds
Custom packaging from colour and printing through to proprietary moulds: we develop, tool, decorate and inspect packaging to a written specification, with one packaging engineer owning the project.
There are four levels of customisation, and most launches need fewer than they expect. Level one is colour, printing and finishing on a stock mould. Level two combines stock parts into a specific configuration. Level three modifies a mould — capacity, wall or neck. Level four builds a new mould from a drawing.
Each level adds cost and time in a predictable way, which is why we quote the levels you are considering side by side instead of assuming tooling is required.
Customisation
Custom Bottle Design
Custom bottle design starts from the fill volume, formula viscosity and closure, then defines geometry, wall thickness and neck finish before any tooling is cut.
Read more →Customisation
Custom Jar Design
Custom jar design fixes capacity and fill height first, then wall construction, thread and gasket design, lid thickness and decoration, with prototypes before tooling.
Read more →Customisation
Custom Mold Development
Custom mould development covers DFM review, tooling design, cavity planning, trial moulding and first-article inspection, with typical tooling lead time of 25–40 calendar days.
Read more →Customisation
Custom Color
Custom colour is achieved by masterbatch dosing at moulding, matched to a Pantone reference or a physical sample, with lot-to-lot tolerance controlled to ΔE ≤ 1.5 on opaque parts.
Read more →Customisation
Custom Size
Custom size means defining nominal capacity from the fill weight and formula density, then allowing 3–10% overfill so the pack holds the labelled quantity with correct head space.
Read more →Customisation
Custom Decoration
Custom decoration covers printing, hot stamping, coating, finishing and labelling, chosen by substrate, artwork complexity, quantity and the durability the pack needs in real use.
Read more →Customisation
Screen Printing
Screen printing applies thick, opaque ink through a mesh, making it the most durable and colour-strong method for solid logos, text and bands on cylindrical cosmetic packaging.
Read more →Customisation
UV Printing
UV digital printing jets UV-curable ink directly onto the pack, allowing full-colour and photographic artwork with no screen or plate cost, which makes short runs and multi-variant launches practical.
Read more →Customisation
Hot Stamping
Hot stamping transfers a metallic or coloured foil onto the pack under heat and pressure, creating a bright, high-contrast logo or accent that reads clearly on matte and dark surfaces.
Read more →Customisation
Labeling
Labelling applies pre-printed film or paper to the pack, giving full-colour artwork, variable content and multi-SKU flexibility at low set-up cost — with the caveat that labels affect recyclability sorting.
Read more →Customisation
Frosted Finish
A frosted finish creates a soft, matte, semi-translucent surface that hides fingerprints and gives a calm premium appearance, achieved by moulded texture, spray coating or chemical etching.
Read more →Customisation
Metallic Finish
A metallic finish gives bottles, jars, caps and collars a chrome, champagne or brushed-metal appearance, achieved by vacuum metallising, metallic spray coating or hot-stamp foil.
Read more →Customisation
Soft-Touch Finish
Soft-touch coating is a rubberised two-component finish that gives packaging a velvet-like, grippy surface, most often used on lids, caps and premium bottle bodies.
Read more →Customisation
Spray Coating
Spray coating applies a full-surface colour or finish to moulded parts, enabling gloss, matte, soft-touch, gradient and metallic looks, and unifying tone on PCR or multi-batch parts.
Read more →Customisation
Logo Application
Logo application can be printed, foiled, labelled or moulded into the part; the right method depends on the substrate, the surface finish, the quantity and how long the logo must survive daily handling.
Read more →Four levels of customisation
Choosing the right level is the single biggest cost decision in a packaging project. The table below shows what changes at each level.
| Level | What changes | Typical MOQ | Added time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Colour, print, finish | Appearance only, same mould | 3,000 pcs decorated | 10–20 working days for samples |
| 2. Configuration | Stock parts combined with your closure and finish | 1,000–3,000 pcs | 5–15 working days |
| 3. Mould modification | Capacity, wall or neck change on a stock mould | 5,000–10,000 pcs | 15–25 days tooling work |
| 4. New mould | New geometry built to your drawing | 10,000 pcs per size | 25–40 days tooling |
What we need from you
Send these details and the quotation is complete on the first reply rather than after three rounds of questions.
- Capacity and fill weight, plus formula density or viscosity
- Material preference or compatibility constraints
- Closure or dispensing type: cap, pump, dropper, sprayer or airless
- Colour reference: Pantone and/or a physical sample
- Decoration: print colours, hot stamping, coating, labelling
- Launch quantity and expected annual volume
- Destination market and any documentation required
- Target in-market date
Engineering that should not be customised
Thread geometry, sealing surfaces and pump or airless engine interfaces are engineering rather than design variables. Changing them for appearance reasons is the most common cause of leaks, capping failures and rework — and it is avoidable when the interface is agreed in the drawing before tooling.
Process
How a custom packaging project runs
Nine documented stages, each ending in something you approve — so the specification does not drift between brief, sample and mass production.
Step 1
Submit your packaging requirements
Share format, capacity, material, quantity, closure, decoration and target launch date. A reference image or existing pack helps.
Step 2
Product consultation
A packaging engineer reviews formula compatibility, glass/PET/airless suitability, MOQ bands and cost drivers, then recommends the best-fit stock mould.
Step 3
Design & engineering
Bottle or jar geometry, neck finish, wall thickness, overcap design and artwork placement reviewed in CAD with DFM comments.
Step 4
Prototype / sample
3D-printed or SLA prototypes for shape validation, then moulded samples in your colour and finish for photography and stability testing.
Step 5
Mould development
Steel mould cut, trial-moulded, first-article inspected and dimensionally verified before the production run is released.
Step 6
Decoration & surface treatment
Screen printing, UV printing, hot stamping, spray coating, frosted, soft-touch or metallic finishing applied and colour-verified.
Step 7
Mass production
Production scheduled in lots with in-process checks on weight, capacity, closure function and colour; written progress updates every 48 hours.
Step 8
Quality inspection
AQL-based final inspection: appearance, dimensions, leak and pump output, torque, artwork position and carton drop checks. Reports supplied per lot.
Step 9
Global shipping
Cartons optimised, pallets or carton stacking planned, export documents issued and freight booked to your port, warehouse or 3PL.
Frequently asked questions
How much does custom packaging cost?
Colour and printing add a defined per-unit cost plus a small set-up charge; mould modification and new tooling are one-time costs amortised across volume. We quote stock and custom options together so the difference per unit at your volume is explicit.
What is the minimum order for custom packaging?
Custom colour and printing start at 3,000 pcs per design; stock-part configurations from 1,000 pcs; custom moulds generally from 10,000 pcs per size.
How long does a custom packaging project take?
Around 3–5 weeks for a decorated stock-mould launch and 8–14 weeks where new tooling is involved, including sampling and first-article inspection.
Can you customise packaging without a new mould?
Yes, and most projects do. Custom colour, decoration, closures and finishing on a stock mould deliver a distinctive pack without tooling investment.
Still have a question? Talk to a packaging expert.
Related pages
Start a custom packaging project
Send your format, capacity, quantity and decoration requirements. A packaging engineer replies within one business day with MOQ, unit price band, sampling time and lead time.
No account required · NDA available · Quote replies within one business day (Mon–Sat, GMT+8)