Pump bottle
Sulphate-Free Shampoo
Amino-acid surfactant system. Thinner lather and a gentler rinse-off — a formulation difference the pack has to explain.
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Pump bottle · 250–500 ml
Private label shampoo manufacturing
The volume SKU of almost every hair range. Built on a mild surfactant base and tuned for lather, rinse-out and how the hair feels afterwards — not for a headline claim on the front of the bottle.
At a glance
Specifications
| Base | Mild anionic / amphoteric surfactant blend |
|---|---|
| Standard fills | 250 ml · 400 ml · 500 ml |
| Bottle | PET, HDPE or recycled PET |
| Closure | Disc-top, flip-top or pump |
| Viscosity | Tuned to the pack and the pump |
| Minimum order | 1,000 units per SKU |
| Sampling | 7–10 days from an agreed brief |
| Lead time | Confirmed per order after sampling |
Figures are the standard range for this format. Anything outside it is a conversation, not a refusal — tell us what the market needs and we will say what is realistic.
What a daily shampoo actually has to do
A daily shampoo is bought on repeat, so it is judged on the second and third wash rather than the first. That means the surfactant blend has to clean without leaving the scalp tight, rinse out at the water hardness your market has, and hold its viscosity through the shelf life.
Sulphate-free is the most common request and the one most often mishandled. Removing sulphates changes lather and after-feel, and the formula needs a different rheology modifier to stay pourable. We will send both a sulphate and a sulphate-free version so the difference is a decision, not a surprise.
What you can specify
Choosing a private label shampoo manufacturer comes down to how many of these you can actually change:
- Sulphate or sulphate-free surfactant system
- Viscosity and how the product pours from the chosen closure
- Fragrance, from a brief or a reference product
- Pearlescent, clear or opaque
- Colour and any suspended visual particles
- Bottle material, including recycled PET, and closure type
Working with a private label shampoo manufacturer
Sampling runs 7–10 days from an agreed brief, and the sample is filled in the bottle and closure you selected — viscosity that works in a lab beaker can behave differently through a disc-top.
Production starts at 1,000 units per SKU. Ten automatic lines handle filling and capping; the site holds ISO 22716 and is certified to the FDA Cosmetic GMP Guidelines (2020).
What actually moves the unit cost
Shampoo quotes swing for reasons that have nothing to do with the surfactant percentage on the label. Knowing which levers you are pulling makes the difference between a quote you can build a price on and one you have to renegotiate later.
The surfactant system is the first lever. A conventional anionic blend is the cheapest way to get lather; a sulphate-free system costs more per kilogram and needs additional rheology control to stay pourable. That is a real cost, not a markup, and it is why sulphate-free sits at a higher price on shelf rather than being pure margin.
The second lever is the fill size and the pack. A 250 ml bottle in HDPE with a disc-top is a very different unit than a 500 ml PET bottle with a pump, because the pack, the label area and the case cube all change together. Shipping cost per unit moves with the case cube, so a taller bottle can cost more to land than a wider one holding the same volume.
The third is decoration. A single-colour label on a stock bottle is the baseline; shrink sleeves, pearlescent bottles and silk-screen printing each add a step and a minimum. If you are launching several SKUs at once, keeping the bottle family shared and changing only the label is usually the cheapest way to look like a range.
Order volume is the fourth, and the one buyers ask about first. 1,000 units per SKU is the floor, not the sweet spot — the cost per unit falls as the run gets longer, because setup is spread over more units. If you are testing a market, the honest advice is usually to launch fewer SKUs at a larger fill than to launch six at the minimum.
Questions buyers ask
Before you send a brief
Can you match the lather of a brand we already sell?
Send the reference product. Lather is driven by the surfactant blend and the salt curve, and we tune both rather than only raising the surfactant level.
Is sulphate-free more expensive?
Usually yes, because the surfactant system costs more and needs additional rheology control. We quote both so the gap is visible before you choose.
Can we use recycled PET?
Yes. It affects the colour of the bottle slightly, so we send a filled sample in the actual material rather than a virgin-PET stand-in.
What is the minimum order?
1,000 units per SKU, per formula and per fill size.
Same range
Other formats in Shampoo
Pump bottle
Hydrating Shampoo
Higher humectant load and a heavier body than the daily base. Usually carries the same fragrance as the matching conditioner.
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Pump bottle
Repair Shampoo
Conditioning agents built into the shampoo base itself, so the hair is not left stripped between the wash and the mask.
Develop with us →Send us the brief for Daily Shampoo
Product, volume, market and the date you need it. We reply within one business day.