Small-batch skincare and body products brand

Online shoppers, visitors to craft fairs and farmers' markets, and gift buyers. Local gift shops and boutiques may also buy wholesale.

You sell each product at a retail price well above ingredient and packaging cost. Gift sets and repeat customers raise your average order. Wholesale to shops brings in bulk orders at a lower margin.

• Careful, consistent batch making
• Basic product formulation and record keeping
• Photography and branding for online sales

• Health Canada requires a Cosmetic Notification Form after you first sell a product, so check the current rules
• Products with drug-type claims, such as sunscreen, acne or antiperspirant, are regulated differently and may need extra approval
• Labels usually need bilingual English and French text and a full ingredient list, so check the labelling rules
• Check your municipality's home-based business rules and whether your home insurance covers making and storing products
• Product liability insurance, since customers can react to ingredients
• Contamination and preservation: untested recipes with water can grow bacteria

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on ingredients, packaging, labelling, product testing and insurance. Costs rise with the number of products you launch.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $600 to $3,000, depending on your range, pricing and sales mix of online, markets and wholesale. Treat these figures as estimates, not guarantees.

Check that Health Canada requires a Cosmetic Notification Form after you first sell a product. Products with drug-type claims, such as sunscreen or acne, are regulated differently. Also check bilingual labelling, home-based business rules, home insurance and product liability insurance.