A Guide to Developing Face Wash, Moisturiser and Sunscreen Products for Your Brand
- 09 Sep, 2026
A Guide to Developing Face Wash, Moisturiser and Sunscreen Products for Your Brand
For skincare brands, a face wash, moisturiser and sunscreen can form the foundation of a practical daily skincare range. Together, these products cover three fundamental consumer needs: cleansing, hydration and sun protection.
However, developing these products under your own brand involves much more than choosing attractive packaging or adding trending ingredients.
Each product has different formulation requirements, ingredient considerations, textures, testing needs, packaging formats and quality requirements. Sunscreen development, in particular, requires careful attention to substantiated protection claims and applicable testing standards.
For private label brands, beauty businesses and B2B buyers, understanding the development process can help create a more coherent product range and make communication with the cosmetic manufacturer significantly easier.
At Nelogen International Pvt Limited, brands can access in-house R&D, customized formulation, sample development, manufacturing, packaging assistance, designing and printing support, quality assurance and logistics coordination across skincare and related product categories.
Three Products, Three Clear Consumer Roles
Why Start With Face Wash, Moisturiser and Sunscreen?
These three products can create a straightforward daily skincare routine.
For a new skincare brand, this combination can also make product positioning easier because each product has a clearly defined role.
A brand can then build extensions around the core routine, such as:
The first step, however, is developing each core product correctly.
Developing a Face Wash
1. Define the Face Wash Concept
The term "face wash" can describe many different formulations.
Before development begins, decide what type of cleanser your brand wants to offer.
A brand targeting oily or blemish-prone consumers may want a completely different formulation from one targeting consumers looking for mild everyday cleansing.
The product brief should therefore specify the intended consumer and desired product experience.
2. Select an Ingredient Direction
The ingredient story should support the purpose of the cleanser.
Modern face wash concepts may feature recognizable ingredients such as:
The important point is not simply adding recognizable ingredients. The complete cleansing system needs to provide an appropriate balance between cleansing performance and the desired after-use skin feel.
3. Determine Texture and Sensory Experience
A cleanser's texture influences how consumers perceive the product.
Brands may consider formats such as:
During sample development, evaluate:
For brands positioned around premium skincare, sensory characteristics can be just as important as the ingredient story.
4. Choose Appropriate Face Wash Packaging
Common packaging options can include:
The packaging should work with the product's viscosity and intended usage.
A thick cleanser may perform differently in a pump than a lightweight gel, so packaging should ideally be evaluated alongside formulation development.
Developing a Moisturiser
1. Decide What the Moisturiser Should Do
"Moisturiser" is a broad category.
Your brand could develop a product positioned around:
The intended product experience should be communicated clearly to the R&D team.
For example: A lightweight moisturiser designed for warm and humid climates provides a much clearer development direction than simply requesting "a hydrating cream."
2. Build the Ingredient Concept
Modern moisturisers often use several ingredient categories working together.
A formulation may include ingredients associated with:
This creates an ingredient story centered around hydration, nourishment and barrier-oriented skincare.
3. Texture Matters as Much as Ingredients
A moisturiser containing excellent ingredients may still struggle commercially if consumers dislike its texture.
Brands should define preferences such as:
Climate can influence these decisions.
A product intended for hot and humid markets may benefit from a different sensory profile than a rich moisturiser designed for very dry conditions.
Nelogen's skincare positioning emphasizes formulations designed around real climates, real lifestyles and real skin concerns.
4. Evaluate Moisturiser Samples Carefully
During sample evaluation, review:
The sample stage is where the brand should identify changes before moving toward larger-scale production.
5. Select Suitable Moisturiser Packaging
Common options include:
The choice depends on product consistency, consumer experience, brand positioning and formulation requirements.
Packaging should ideally be considered while the formulation is still being developed.
Developing a Sunscreen
Sunscreen development requires additional care because SPF and UVA protection are measurable performance claims rather than purely descriptive marketing language.
1. Define the Sunscreen Concept
The initial brief may specify characteristics such as:
These supporting ingredients can contribute to the broader skincare story, but the claimed sun protection depends on the sunscreen system itself and appropriate testing.
2. SPF Claims Need Appropriate Testing
This is one of the most important differences between developing sunscreen and developing a conventional moisturiser.
India has a current standard for SPF determination: IS 17494:2025, which specifies an in-vivo method for determining the Sun Protection Factor of sunscreen products.
This means an SPF value should not simply be selected because it looks commercially attractive.
A sunscreen marketed as SPF 30, SPF 50 or another protection level should be formulated and evaluated against applicable testing requirements before the claim is used.
For brands, this makes testing and documentation important parts of sunscreen New Product Development.
3. Sunscreen Texture Is Commercially Important
Consumers may need to apply sunscreen regularly, so the sensory experience can strongly influence product acceptance.
Brands may request characteristics such as:
These characteristics need to be balanced with the technical requirements of the sunscreen formulation.
It is therefore important that the manufacturer's R&D team treats sunscreen as a complete performance formulation rather than simply a moisturiser containing UV filters.
4. Packaging Must Suit the Sunscreen
Common sunscreen packaging can include:
Packaging needs to support controlled application, formulation compatibility and practical everyday usage.
It should also be suitable for transportation and intended retail presentation.
Developing the Three Products as One Skincare Range
Face wash, moisturiser and sunscreen should not necessarily look or feel like unrelated products.
If they are being launched as one brand range, consider consistency across:
For example, a modern hydration-focused range could include:
The formulations remain different, but the brand story becomes connected.
Step-by-Step Product Development Process
A structured development process can help brands move efficiently from idea to production.
Step 1: Prepare the Product Brief
Specify the core commercial and formulation requirements before R&D begins.
Step 2: Begin R&D
The formulation team reviews the concept and develops an initial formulation based on the brief.
Step 3: Prepare Samples
Samples allow the brand to evaluate the product before commercial production.
Step 4: Review and Refine
Evaluate texture, appearance, fragrance, consistency, application and overall consumer experience.
Step 5: Select Packaging
Choose packaging that works with the approved formulation and brand positioning.
Step 6: Complete Required Testing and Quality Evaluation
Testing requirements vary by product. For sunscreen, claimed SPF and related protection positioning require particular attention to applicable test methods and standards.
Step 7: Approve Artwork and Printing
Coordinate final artwork and printed packaging only after the necessary approvals are in place.
Step 8: Proceed to Commercial Manufacturing
Once formulations, samples, packaging and required approvals are finalized, production can begin.
Step 9: Apply Quality Assurance
Quality should remain part of production, filling, packaging and finished-product preparation. ISO 22716 provides Good Manufacturing Practice guidance covering the production, control, storage and shipment of cosmetic products.
Step 10: Coordinate Logistics
The finished range can then move toward the appropriate sales and distribution channels.
Quality and Regulatory Considerations
Skincare products manufactured in India operate within the framework of the Cosmetics Rules, 2020. CDSCO states that cosmetics must comply with applicable quality and safety specifications and cannot convey claims that are false or misleading.
Brands should therefore evaluate areas such as:
International brands must additionally review destination-country requirements before commercial production.
Compliance with Indian requirements should not automatically be assumed to satisfy every overseas market.
Common Mistakes When Developing a Skincare Range
Brands can improve product development by avoiding mistakes such as:
A focused range of well-developed products can often provide a stronger foundation than a large catalogue developed without a clear strategy.
How Nelogen International Supports Product Development
Nelogen International supports skincare brands through an integrated development and manufacturing approach.
The company states that it has supported 80+ brands and developed 50+ innovative formulas.
Existing Product Concepts
These products illustrate how different formulation categories can be developed around distinct functions while remaining part of a broader skincare portfolio.
Build a Complete Daily Skincare Routine Under Your Brand
Developing a face wash, moisturiser and sunscreen gives skincare brands an opportunity to build a clear daily routine rather than launch disconnected products.
The strongest development process starts by defining what each product should do, who will use it and how it should fit into the overall brand identity.
From there, in-house R&D, sample evaluation, packaging selection, appropriate testing, manufacturing and quality assurance turn the initial concept into a commercially structured product range.
For brands seeking customized development, Nelogen International can support the journey from product brief and formulation through samples, manufacturing, packaging and finished-product coordination.
Face Wash, Moisturiser & Sunscreen FAQs
1. Can a skincare brand develop face wash, moisturiser and sunscreen together?
Yes. The three products can be developed as a coordinated skincare range, although each requires its own formulation, sampling and product-specific evaluation. Keeping the target consumer, brand positioning and visual identity consistent can help create a unified portfolio.
2. Which ingredients can be considered for a face wash?
The ingredient direction depends on the intended cleanser concept. Nelogen's SALIVIT Facewash, for example, highlights Salicylic Acid, Niacinamide and Dragon Fruit within a purifying cleanser concept.
3. Which ingredients can be used in a hydrating moisturiser concept?
Depending on the formulation brief, ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramides, Squalane and Niacinamide may be considered for hydration or barrier-oriented moisturiser concepts. The final combination should be developed by the formulation team as part of the complete product system.
4. Can a brand simply request SPF 50 for its sunscreen?
A brand can establish an intended SPF target during product development, but the finished SPF claim requires appropriate formulation and substantiation. BIS's IS 17494:2025 provides a current method for in-vivo determination of sunscreen SPF in India.
5. Can Nelogen International develop all three products for a private label skincare brand?
Yes. Nelogen International provides in-house R&D, customized formulation, New Product Development, sample development, manufacturing support, packaging assistance, designing and printing support, quality assurance and logistics coordination across skincare product-development projects.
Develop Face Wash, Moisturiser & Sunscreen as One Cohesive Brand System
Nelogen International supports brands through in-house R&D, customized formulation, sample development, manufacturing, packaging, quality assurance and finished-product coordination.
