Recently, I've received inquiries from many brand owners who start by asking: "How much does it cost for you to OEM a sheet mask?"
I usually respond with a question: First, tell me, what do you look at when choosing a factory?
Price is certainly important. But frankly, if you only look at price when choosing an OEM factory, you're likely to fall into a trap. Because in this industry, the gap between what low-quote factories and high-quote factories produce is not "a little bit"—from raw material grades to quality control systems, from formula capabilities to delivery stability, every link is widening the gap.
We have been doing OEM for cosmetics and medical devices for over twenty years, serving more than 800 brands. Today, let's talk about the five hard indicators we look at when choosing a factory. This is not an advertisement; it's from the heart.
Indicator 1: Qualifications and Licenses—This Is Not a Threshold, It's the Bottom Line
First, look at a few must-haves:
- Cosmetics Production License: Without this, nothing else matters
- GMPC Certification (Good Manufacturing Practice): This is the internationally recognized quality standard for cosmetics production
- ISO22716: International standard for cosmetics quality management systems
- ISO13485 (if doing medical device products): Quality management system standard for medical devices
These certificates are not just about "having them"; you need to look at their value.
For example, for GMPC certification, some factories have Class 100,000 cleanrooms, while others have Class 10,000. A difference of one level means a tenfold difference in microbial control in the production environment. When you ask a factory, "What class is your cleanroom?" their answer can tell you a lot.
Another example is ISO13485. Medical device OEM requires this certificate. But not every cosmetics factory has it. A factory with ISO13485 shows that it has invested real money in quality management—not just going through the motions to pass inspections, but truly establishing a system and running it continuously.
Weitei Group's four production bases (Guangzhou Baiyun, Guangdong Foshan, Hunan Changsha) have all passed the triple certification of GMPC, ISO22716, and ISO13485, and have also obtained the US FDA's GMPC certification. Factories with all four certificates are truly rare nationwide.
Indicator 2: Formula R&D Capability—The Factory's Core Competitiveness
The value of an OEM factory is not just "producing for you," but more importantly, "helping you make a good product."
How to judge a factory's formula R&D capability? Look at three things:
First, look at the R&D team. Is there a dedicated R&D department? What backgrounds do the R&D staff have? Are there formula patents?
Second, look at the formula library. Mature factories usually have hundreds or even thousands of mature formulas. Brand owners can first try mature formulas for quick market launch, then gradually develop exclusive formulas. This "gradient development" strategy is more reliable than going straight for exclusive formulas.
Third, look at the raw material supply chain. Good formulas depend on good raw materials. Which raw material suppliers does the factory cooperate with? Are they using pharmaceutical-grade or industrial-grade materials? How stable are the raw material batches?
You should ask these questions clearly when choosing a factory. Don't wait until the product is made to discover that the raw material grade is wrong; by then it's too late.
We have put a lot of effort into formula R&D. The 72 patents are not just for show—each one represents countless formula adjustments and efficacy verifications. From recombinant collagen to sodium hyaluronate, from ceramides to salmon DNA sodium, our formula library covers the mainstream tracks of efficacy skincare. Brand owners don't start from scratch; they build on our twenty-plus years of formula accumulation.
Indicator 3: Registration Certificate Reserves—Determines Whether You Can Launch Quickly
This point is especially important for brand owners doing medical device products.
As mentioned earlier, for Class II medical device registration certificates, from application to obtaining the certificate, it takes 12-18 months if everything goes smoothly. If you choose a factory with only a few registration certificates, it means you have to register every product from scratch. The time and capital costs are huge.
But what if the factory itself already holds a batch of registration certificates?
The situation is completely different. You can choose to "borrow" the factory's registration certificate (OEM model), declare the product under the factory's registration certificate, and you only handle branding and marketing. This way, your product can be launched in a few months instead of waiting one or two years.
That's why we say, choosing a factory by looking at its registration certificate reserves is choosing your launch speed.
Weitei Group currently holds more than 110 Class II medical device registration filings. More than 110. What does this number mean in the industry? It means that for the vast majority of efficacy skincare categories, we have ready-made registration certificates that can be used directly. Brand owners come in, select products, get samples, confirm formulas, place orders for production, and can ship in as fast as two to three months.
Indicator 4: Production Capacity and Delivery Capability—Don't Get Burned by "Can Take Orders but Can't Deliver"
Some factories accept orders readily but delay delivery in various ways.
Why does this happen? Insufficient production capacity.
When choosing a factory, you must visit the production lines on site. What to look at?
- Number of filling lines: How many lines are running simultaneously? What's the daily output?
- Warehousing capacity: Are raw material and finished product warehouses separate? Are temperature and humidity controls up to standard?
- Production scheduling cycle: From order placement to delivery, how long does it normally take?
We have encountered many cases: a brand owner found a small factory, made a few thousand sheets in the first small batch, and the quality was fine. When the second batch of tens of thousands of units was ordered, the factory's production capacity couldn't keep up, and delivery was delayed by two months. The brand owner had already sold pre-sale orders, couldn't deliver, and faced customer complaints and platform fines—losses far exceeding the price difference in OEM fees.
So when choosing a factory, don't look at whether it can do your first batch; look at whether it can consistently and steadily do every batch for you.
Weitei Group's four production bases have a combined annual production capacity of over 200 million units (pieces), with four fully automatic filling lines running simultaneously. Whether you are testing the waters with a few thousand pieces in the first batch or a mature brand producing hundreds of thousands per month, production capacity is not an issue.
Indicator 5: Compliance Capability and After-Sales Support—The Neglected Hidden Cost
Finally, let's talk about a point many people overlook: compliance capability.
After 2024, regulatory enforcement in the cosmetics industry has noticeably increased. Efficacy claims must be substantiated, labeling must be compliant, and adverse events must be reported. If brand owners don't understand regulations themselves, they can easily stumble on compliance—resulting in product removal and rectification in minor cases, or fines and license revocation in severe cases.
A reliable OEM factory should be able to provide compliance support:
- Product claim compliance review (whether every statement you make is allowed by regulations)
- Labeling review (how to list ingredients, how to write warnings)
- Adverse reaction monitoring and reporting support
- Regulatory change alerts (when new regulations come out, tell you in advance how to adjust)
Many small factories cannot provide these services because they themselves may not fully understand the regulations.
We have invested in a dedicated legal team for compliance, and every product claim before leaving the factory undergoes compliance review. This is not because we want to charge you extra service fees, but because—if a product has compliance issues, neither the brand owner nor the factory can escape. Helping brand owners avoid risks is helping ourselves avoid risks.
Summary of Five Indicators
| Indicator | Core Question | How to Judge |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifications and Licenses | Are the necessary production and quality certifications in place | GMPC/ISO22716/ISO13485/Production License |
| Formula R&D | Can it help you make a good product | R&D team background, formula library size, number of patents |
| Registration Certificate Reserves | Can it enable you to launch quickly | Number of existing registration certificates, whether OEM model is supported |
| Production Capacity and Delivery | Can it supply consistently and steadily | Number of production lines, daily capacity, warehousing conditions |
| Compliance Support | Can it help you avoid risks | Whether there is a dedicated compliance team |
Final Words
Choosing an OEM factory is simple to say—just score each of the five indicators and pick the highest score.
But it's also difficult—because every factory will say they are "good at everything." At that point, don't listen to what they say; look at what they have done. How many certificates they have obtained, how many products they have made, how many brands they have served, how many orders they have delivered. Data doesn't lie.
Weitei Group has been in the medical aesthetics OEM field for over ten years, with four production bases, more than 110 Class II medical device registration filings, 72 patents, and 800+ cooperative brands—these figures are not for showing off, but for you to judge whether we can help you make a good product.
If interested, you are welcome to visit the factory for an on-site inspection. The three bases in Guangzhou, Foshan, and Changsha can be arranged at any time.
