Your Guide to Selling Amazon Beauty Products
Amazon Beauty Products are a potentially highly profitable category for third-party sellers. But you just can’t start selling beauty products on Amazon without approval. Let’s take a look at how you get approved to sell Amazon Beauty Products. In this post, we cover:
- What are Amazon Beauty Products?
- Why do you need approval to sell Amazon Beauty Products
- Requirements to sell Amazon Beauty Products
- The approval process to sell Amazon Beauty Products
- Amazon Beauty Products to Sell
What Are Amazon Beauty Products?
Amazon Beauty Products include:
- Cosmetics
- Facial makeup
- Fragrance
- Hair Care
- Luxury Beauty
- Men’s Grooming
- Oral Care
- Professional Skin Care
- Salon & Spa
- Skin Care
- Tools & Brushes
- Salon & Spa
- Skin Care
- Professional Skin Care
Note: If you are selling a beauty product that doesn’t fall into an Amazon Beauty Products category, you may not receive approval to sell them on Amazon.
Why You Need the Approval to Sell Amazon Beauty Products
The reason Amazon Beauty Products require approval is that they come into direct contact with the body. Amazon needs to ensure these products are completely safe and adhere to strict guidelines regarding product packaging and shipping.
Requirements to Sell Amazon Beauty Products
Amazon Beauty Products must adhere to the following ingredient, packaging, and labeling standards.
Note that certain products are expressly prohibited from sale. These include:
- InStyler rotating irons
- Claires brand cosmetics
- Corrective and cosmetic contact lenses
- Products that contain minoxidil in excess of 5%
In addition, Amazon may not permit the sale of an item that is a tester, not for retail sale, or intended for resale.
Ingredient Guidelines
- Cannot appear in an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) safety alert or recall
- Cannot contain banned substances or substances the FDA classifies as posing a risk of harm or illness, including:
- Methylene glycol
- Permanent eyelash and brow dye
- Kajal, al-kahal, or surma
- Mercury
- Body-decorating henna
- Cosmetics with microbeads
- Antiperspirants, hairspray, and deodorants containing toxic air contaminants
- Any substances listed in Schedules I, II, III, IV, or V of the Controlled Substances Act, as well as
- Any chemicals on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s List I of chemicals or any of their derivatives
- Any product that requires a doctor’s prescription or doctor’s supervision to use
Cosmetics cannot contain any of the following:
- Components derived from sharks, whales, dolphins, or porpoises
- More than 12% hydrogen peroxide
In addition, acetone-containing cosmetics, such as fingernail polish remover, cannot be sold in sellable quantities greater than 16 ounces overall.
Packaging Guidelines
Amazon Beauty Products must adhere to the following:
- Sealed in the original manufacturer’s packaging
- Are new and unused
- Prominently display any manufacturer or distributor-added display identifying codes, such as lot numbers, matrix codes, or serial numbers
Labeling and Product Detail Guidelines
Amazon Beauty Products must contain in English the following information:
- Name of the item
- Product function or application (e.g., moisturizing the skin, minimizing the appearance of wrinkles)
- List of ingredients expressed as a measure, weight, count, or a combination of these (e.g., 5 mL, 5lbs, 5 oz)
- Manufacturer, packer, or distributors name and address (not necessary for detail pages)
- All necessary label warnings cosmetic labels
Detail pages and labels are prohibited from:
- Declaring a product treats, prevents, mitigates, or cures a human disease unless the FDA has approved that claim and the product is properly labeled as a drug and a cosmetic
- Stating FDA approval or displaying FDA log when in fact not FDA approved
Approval Process to Sell Amazon Beauty Products
Assuming you are comfortable with these restrictions and you have a product(s) that completely comply with them, follow the steps below to request approval to sell Amazon Beauty Products:
- Log into your Amazon Seller Account.
- Select Inventory.
- Select Add a Product
- Look at the drop-down for the item you want to sell; if an item is a restricted category, click Listing Limitations Apply
- Select Request Approval
You may be asked to supply additional documentation about the item you wish to sell. Examples include:
- GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) certificate
- COA (Certificate of Analysis)
- Manufacturer invoice from the past 180 days
If your product is safe to use and adheres to all Amazon Beauty Products standards, you should receive approval fairly quickly.
Amazon Beauty Products to Sell
Amazon Beauty Products is a good category for third-party sellers. It isn’t as competitive as other categories, such as fashion or electronics, and relatively easier to differentiate from potential competitors. Still, as with anything you sell on Amazon, doing upfront product research is absolutely essential. One way to get started is to review Amazon’s Best Seller Rank to see what is popular and most in-demand or determine a niche product where you might stand out.
Note that you can sell handmade products as long as they adhere to all Amazon Beauty Products requirements. If you want to sell branded products, you need prior approval from the brand owner. Pro tip: enrolling as a professional seller increases your chances of getting approved to sell in the Amazon Beauty Products category.
GETIDA Improves Your Amazon Beauty Products BottomLine
Once you receive approval to sell Amazon Beauty Products, your next decision is whether to let Amazon handle inventory management and order fulfillment. As an Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) seller, you leave the logistics to Amazon so you can concentrate on sourcing products and marketing your business.
There are fees for Amazon FBA, but in many cases, they are preferable to the expense and hassle of managing yourself. Be aware that Amazon does make mistakes in handling your logistics, and when that happens you are owed reimbursement. In most cases, it’s up to you to identify the mistakes and submit claims.
If that sounds like a time-consuming hassle, it is. Fortunately, GETIDA makes getting your FBA reimbursement simple and cost-effective. GETIDA software reviews the previous 18 months of transactions to flag instances that qualify for FBA reimbursement. With your approval, the appropriate claims are filed for reimbursement.
Your only charge is a percentage of approved claims. And the first $400 in FBA reimbursement is free.
