How to Make Body Scrubs to Sell: Step-By-Step Guide [2024]

Do you love natural cosmetics and want to share your passion with the world? Here, you'll learn how to make body scrubs to sell and make extra money!

  • Making and selling body scrubs is a low-cost, easy-to-start business with niche opportunities.
  • Risks include business failure, non-tested products, legal issues, and customer dissatisfaction.
  • Key ingredients include plant butters, exfoliants, essential oils, and proper packaging tools.
  • Sell online through platforms like Amazon, Shopify, and eBay; focus on marketing and product differentiation.
Brett Helling
Founder, Gigworker.com

Brett Helling is a gig economy expert who has been running his own small business for over 10 years.

People find different ways to make a profit based on what they're good at. For example, you know how to craft DIY beauty products.

Why not, for instance, make body scrubs to sell and turn this hobby into a source of income?

Making body scrubs isn't hard, but if you plan this venture, you need to know the best ways to improve, promote, and sell your products.

If you're looking for a guide, you're in the right place; this article will show you how to make body scrubs to sell so you can turn this craft into a lucrative business.

What You'll Need to Make Body Scrubs to Sell

After deciding to start making body scrubs to sell, your first step is to get the key ingredients.

Plant Butters/Carrier Oil

These will be the basis of your scrubs since fatty components bind all the ingredients and do wonders for skin health.

You can substitute semi-solid butter like shea butter or mango butter with carrier oils and vice versa.

Exfoliants

Granulated sugar, salt, and ground coffee are edible ingredients that are great abrasive exfoliants for homemade scrubs.

If you want something smoother for the skin, opt for oatmeal, poppy seeds, or jojoba beads.

Essential Oils

Only a few drops of these oils add scent and boost the healing properties of DIY scrubs.

Don't confuse this ingredient with fragrance oil, which is a good substitute that gives an amazing scent to DIY scrubs but lacks medicinal effects.

Additional Ingredients

You can use food coloring to give your scrubs a nice nuance, but mica colorants are a better and safer choice.

Different extracts (like orange, mint, or vanilla extract) add extra scent to finished products.

Tools

Jars with air-tight seals, measuring scoops, a steerer, a grater, and a plastic or glass bowl are all the tools you need for making body scrubs to sell.

You can also get some ready-made labels or create custom ones.

Where to Make Body Scrubs to Sell

DIY makers of natural cosmetics can sell their crafted products online, as that takes fewer investments than opening a brick-and-mortar shop.

They have a choice between different ecommerce websites, each with its own fees and requirements.

1. Amazon

For your scrub-making business, Amazon Handmade is a good place to start. It's a worldwide platform with an excellent reputation, which ''transfers'' to you once you list your scrubs for body care there.

Payment methods are secured and regularly deposited in your bank account.

What Makes This Option Great

This platform is for artisans only and non-commercialized products.

You need minimal marketing effort to reach an audience and no inventory for your online store.

Buyers browse Amazon and can just run onto your products. But you also have options to advertise your body scrubs on this platform.

  • Fees/Commissions: Registering with a professional selling plan costs $39.99 per month, listing products is free, and you pay a 15% referral fee per sale.
  • Payment Methods: Credit and debit cards, gift cards, invoice payments, and checking accounts.

2. Shopify

Shopify allows you to design your e-shop using tools like name and logo generators and pre-made templates.

You choose a monthly package to run your e-store with 24/7 customer and technical support.

What Makes This Option Great

To create your Shopify store, you don't need IT knowledge because everything is done in a few clicks.

You get dedicated hosting for free and can rely on this platform to run your store while you focus on marketing and sale.

  • Fees/Commissions: You can choose between Basic, Shopify, and Advanced Plans, with monthly subscriptions of $32, $92, and $399, respectively. There are no fees for store setup and Shopify payments, while you'll be charged 2%, 1%, or 0.5% for a third-party payment provider.
  • Payment Methods: PayPal, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, credit and debit cards, and Shopify payments.

3. eBay

eBay is an excellent place for your scrub business, as you can list your items for sale in a few simple steps.

You should pay special attention to product photos and their descriptions, with proper listing titles and keywords that buyers use to find you.

What Makes This Option Great

This popular platform allows you to sell body scrubs to many customers but also buy hard-to-find supplies for your craftwork.

It doesn't require great knowledge of ecommerce, so even beginners can start selling on eBay.

  • Fees/Commissions: You can list up to 250 products for free every month; after the sale, you pay 13.25% of the selling price plus $0.3 per order.
  • Payment Methods: Debit and credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

How to Make Body Scrubs to Sell: Step-By-Step Instructions

Before selling them, test your homemade sugar scrub recipes.

Try some sugar scrub mixture for yourself and let your friends or family do that for a while.

If you skip this step, you risk customer dissatisfaction, bad marketing, and even legal issues.

Once you find proven body scrub recipes, start making them.

Step 1: Prepare Your Working Area

You start with cleaning your working area and getting all ingredients on hand.

Prepare the glass or plastic bowl and all utensils for adding and mixing the ingredients.

Step 2: Mix the Ingredients

Start by making a basic recipe for sugar scrub (or salt or coffee scrub) using exfoliants and oils.

For example, you can go with white or brown sugar and virgin coconut oil (softened, not melted) or organic almond oil.

For 2-3 full-body scrubs, you'll need to mix 1/2 cup of a natural exfoliant and 1/4 cup of oil in a medium bowl.

You can then add 5-15 drops of the essential oil of your choice, which can be diluted with avocado or apricot oil. Adding food coloring and fragrance are optional.

For extra scent, you can add 1 tbsp. optional add-ins like grated lemon zest, finely chopped dried or fresh herbs, and the like.

This is just the ratio of the ingredients, while the quantities are arbitrary.

Also, you can adjust ingredients depending on what your body scrubs are intended for:

  • If you make scrubs for sensitive skin types, switch sugar to a gentle exfoliant like oatmeal or almond meal.
  • Coffee grounds do an amazing job by removing dead skin cells and unclogging pores.
  • Salts like Himalayan or Dead Sea salt have minerals that are beneficial to the skin.
  • Shea and cocoa butter are great for moisturizing body scrubs.

It's important to stir everything well to let all ingredients combine. Pour your mixture into mason jars and let them for a while.

Step 3: Label Your Products

After packing scrubs into jars, label them properly.

Handmade products should list ingredients in descending order and point out the active ingredient in your scrubs.

You can find printable labels online or design customized ones to reflect your body scrub business.

Step 4: Product Storage

Sugar scrubs are easy to make, so you don't have to make large amounts and wait for buyers.

You can make a small batch of sugar scrub and add some natural preservatives like vitamin E.

That'll ensure your body scrubs last longer.

Things to Consider When Making Body Scrubs to Sell

Starting your own business from scratch is a venture that takes some time, effort, and money.

To start making body scrubs to sell, plan accordingly, do proper research, and keep the following things in mind.

1. Know Your Budget

Your initial costs for making body scrub should be low, considering you need a few accessible ingredients and basic utensils.

You'll sell them online, so you have no additional expenditures for space and utilities.

And factor in advertising costs, depending on the platform where you sell your products.

2. Body Scrubs Recipes

You can use different natural ingredients in a basic sugar scrub recipe to add a unique touch to your products or make a twist on some proven recipes, like turning the peppermint sugar scrub recipe into a chocolate mint scrub.

Just make sure to know their properties, so you can state them on product labels.

3. Product Packaging

Attractive packaging is something that buyers pay a lot of attention to.

You can be creative with labels and jar shapes and come up with a recognizable logo for your cosmetic crafts.

Ensure the packaging is sturdy and air-tight, as that's necessary for proper storage.

4. Market Research

It's good to do market research before making body scrubs to sell and find a niche where your beauty products can be competitive.

Check out the competitors' offers and product prices, as that can be a good guideline for pricing your crafts.

5. Product Marketing

A successful business calls for good marketing.

You don't need to spend too much money on hiring marketers, as you can do most of this job yourself.

Use social media to spread the word about your products and create a blog to provide more information on your products, their usage, skincare, and the like.

Why You Should Consider Making Body Scrubs to Sell

Making homemade body scrubs to sell can be a successful business that almost anyone can start.

Here are some reasons why you should consider starting it:

  • Promising Earnings: You can earn a lot by selling sugar and salt scrubs to individual customers as well as to spas and beauty salons.
  • Easy Job: These body products are easy to make with just a few simple ingredients from your local supermarket.
  • Niche Opportunities: You can make different body scrubs for specific buyers, like those with acne or sensitive skin. When you target the right audience with a good product, you have a high chance of success.
  • Low Investment: You don't need too much money to start making DIY body scrubs. If selling online, you have fewer costs than brick-and-mortar cosmetic shops. Thus, you can charge less and still earn a solid profit.

Problems With Making Body Scrubs to Sell

Not every business goes smoothly, and there are risks when making homemade body scrubs for sale.

But even if you face them, don't let them discourage you.

1. Risk of Business Failure

This is a possible scenario that everyone who starts a business should be ready for.

Many things can go wrong - bad marketing, weak reach, products that don't meet standards, and the like.

Spotting these issues on time and working on them will keep you on the right course.

2. Selling Non-Tested Beauty Products

Although you make a sugar scrub from natural ingredients, that doesn't guarantee its safety and usefulness.

Even though DIY scrubs don't have chemicals like commercial store-bought scrubs, you still have to list the ingredients and test your products.

3. Ignorant Customers

Not many people read labels on cosmetics, and they may buy a scrub not suitable for their skin type or condition.

They can be disappointed if a product doesn't meet their expectations or causes problems, which isn't the manufacturer's fault (if products have proper labels).

4. Legal Consideration

Labels on DIY sugar scrubs don't have to be FDA-approved but transparent.

And don't name your product ''organic'' if you don't have a certificate. FDA has strict standards for artisans, especially regarding product claims.

Don't advertise DIY products as treatments for skin problems if you don't have valid proof, as that can mislead buyers and trigger legal consequences.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Shelf Life of a Homemade Sugar Scrub?

Homemade scrubs don't contain preservatives like commercial scrubs, and their shelf life isn't longer than six months if kept out of water in cool spots.

If they include ingredients that go rancid quickly (lemon zest, for example), they can only last a month or two.

What Are the Benefits of Sugar Scrubs?

Regular use of sugar scrubs softens your skin, makes your complexion even, and prevents ingrown hair.

They can also help with body acne, as abrasive particles remove dirt from pores. Ingredients abundant in antioxidants (coffee and tea tree oil) can boost blood flow to achieve skin tightening.

Similar Tutorials to Check Out

You could also check out these helpful guides for a successful online sale:

Wrapping Up

Body scrubs won't only make your skin smooth and healthy, but making them from scratch can be a very profitable business.

It's good to know the ins and outs of this craft and online sales to avoid some common mistakes and earn a decent profit.

If you like the idea of selling DIY body scrubs online, make sure to share your thoughts with us in the comment section and share this article with your peers.