Home-Based cosmetics distributor for salons and shops

Independent salons, spas, barbershops, gift shops and small beauty boutiques that are too small to buy direct from large brands.

You earn the margin between your bulk buying price and your wholesale price to retailers. Repeat monthly orders from regular clients matter more than one-off sales.

• Selling and building relationships
• Organizing stock and orders
• Knowing beauty products and trends
• Basic bookkeeping

• Health Canada rules for cosmetics, including ingredient restrictions and labelling (bilingual labelling applies to products sold in Canada); check what applies to the products you sell
• Buy only from authorized sources, as counterfeit or grey-market stock can create legal and reputation problems
• Check whether your municipality allows home storage of stock and whether you need a home-based business licence
• Commercial general liability and product liability insurance, and a plan for expired or damaged stock
• Cash tied up in inventory and slow-paying customers; consider payment terms carefully

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on how much opening stock you buy, what storage you need and how you set up ordering. Cash tied up in inventory is a key factor to plan for.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $1,000 to $5,000, depending on how many salons, spas and boutiques you supply and how often they reorder. The estimate assumes at least about 10 hours a week.

Things to check: Health Canada rules for cosmetics, including ingredient restrictions and bilingual labelling; buying only from authorized sources; municipal rules on home storage and home-based business licences; and product liability insurance.