Private label supplements have revolutionized the supplement industry, allowing entrepreneurs to launch a profitable supplement business without manufacturing their own products. This model enables you to create a unique brand and sell high-demand supplements while leveraging the expertise of third-party manufacturers.
But how does the private label business model actually work? What are the advantages, challenges, and steps to launching your own brand?
In this in-depth guide, we will explore:
- How private labeling works for supplements
- The step-by-step process of launching a private label supplement brand
- Key factors to consider when choosing a manufacturer
- The benefits of private labeling vs. white labeling
- Compliance, marketing, and distribution strategies
By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear roadmap to launch your own supplement brand and start making money in this booming industry. 🚀
Summary
What Is a private label business model?
A private label brand is a product that is manufactured by a third party but sold under a unique brand name. Unlike white-label products, which multiple brands can sell with minimal customization, private-label supplements offer exclusivity, allowing brands to differentiate their products through custom formulas, branding, and packaging.
🔎 Example: A private label business owner partners with a supplement manufacturer to produce collagen capsules under their own brand. The formulation, packaging, and labeling are designed exclusively for their business, making it a unique and differentiated product in the market.
Private Label vs. White Label – What’s the Difference?
| Feature | Private Label Supplements | White Label Supplements |
| Customization | Full control over formula, branding, and packaging | Limited to pre-made products with minor branding |
| Exclusivity | Unique products, not sold under other brands | The same product can be sold by multiple brands |
| MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) | Usually higher | Lower MOQ, making it easier to start |
| Branding Flexibility | High – Custom design, ingredients, and formulation | Low – Only branding elements like labels can be changed |
| Best for | Brands looking for differentiation and long-term growth | Startups and beginners testing the market |
Key takeaway: Private label products give you control over differentiation and branding, while white-label products are faster but lack exclusivity. That’s why I recommend private label for brands that are already in the market and selling white label supplements and want to differentiate their products.
How Do Private Label Brands Work? – Step-by-Step Guide
1. Market Research: Choosing the Right Product Category
Before launching a private label supplement brand, choosing the right product category is essential. It’s very important to make a plan, if you don’t make a plan and stick to it you can get lost in so much information and never launch your product. You want to focus on high-demand, trending, and profitable supplements.
🔥 Top Private Label Supplement Categories and My View On It:
- Protein powders (whey, plant-based, collagen): very common, not so profitable, but it sells a lot.
- Multivitamins and daily wellness supplements: it sells a lot and is very profitable but also very competitive.
- Pre-workout and energy boosters: it can be profitable if you get a good price from your supplier, it will sell a lot if you draw the right marketing strategy (UGC, Influencers, Paid Traffic, Branding)
- Sleep support and stress relief supplements: great profit and loyal buyers, it can sell everywhere from online and even in a gas station.
- Gut health and probiotics: high demand, very profitable, but not so easy to sell.
- Nootropics and cognitive enhancers: great profit, high demand and not so hard to sell just a good Amazon Listing can get you thousands of dollars per month selling it.
How to find products and niches:
Using simple tools to generate great value
One of my strategies in creating physical products is to look for words related to the consumer’s pain in Google’s related searches. After that, you can go to Google Trends to have more structured data on the subject.
Just for example, but it would work in many niches:
One of the related searches that I found most intriguing is how to nourish hair, I could research any other type of question, such as:
- how to treat…;
- how to improve…;
- improving the…;
- impotence of…;
- deficit of…;
In short, anything that refers to a consumer’s pain.
Now going to Google Trends, we can check the search volume and the number of people interested in solving the problems of, in this case, hair nutrition.
The coolest thing about Google Trends is that you can even compare it with the search volume of other keywords, so you can better identify the market niche you want to serve.
One aspect to also analyze is where the customers I want to serve in this niche are, where the highest volume of demand for this hair nutrition solution is.
Image from Google Trends indicating the region where searches for a specific keyword are most common.
We can see that searches for “how to nourish hair” are basically in São Paulo.
Much more than a brief search
I recommend that you use these tools as a basis and not as sole information for your investment, after all, there are several synonyms that you should address in your online market research, such as:
- “Hair nutrition”;
- “Why is my hair dry”;
- “How to get rid of split ends”;
- “How to moisturize my hair”;
The possibilities are almost endless in the variations of words you will search for, but this research provides a baseline of information on markets that have demand versus markets where there is no demand.
A good place to generate product-related questions is AnswersThePublic. This site forms the questions and phrases into a tree and places a darker icon on the most searched questions and a lighter icon on the least searched questions, so you can narrow your search down to the most searched phrases and questions.
Let me explain to you the concept of blue ocean: a blue ocean is a market where there are no big sharks in competition for “food”(profit) with you, but a blue ocean is different from a Desert “What’s the point of being in a blue ocean if there’s no food there?!” – it’s important to find a niche where the consumer needs to be served and not a place where there’s no demand just because there’s no competition.
Now that you know how to identify market niches and that there are infinite niches that have never been explored and that hold their treasures for the next entrepreneur.
You just need to have the courage and act to serve these consumers in a way that generates value and helps them with solve their problems.
Every day that passes, and you leave these niches unattended, new entrants are looking for them to extract the treasure from these markets, so don’t lose time, make it happen!
2. Finding the Right Private Label Supplement Manufacturer
Your manufacturer is one of the most critical components of your private label business. The right supplier will ensure quality, compliance, and reliability.
What to look for in a Private Label Manufacturer:
- Certifications – FDA-registered, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), NSF Certified, ISOs, ANVISA and others are some of the certifications that can help you to sell your product not only in US but Worldwide.
- Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) – The number of units you need to order per batch, it will determinate the amount of money you will spend in every new supplement you privately label. Many manufacturers private label, starting in 500 units.
- Customization Options – How much can they modify formulas, flavors, and dosages?
- Lead Times – How long does production take?
- Quality Control and Compliance Support – Do they provide lab testing and COAs (Certificate of Analysis)? Can they guarantee the quality of the product?
Where to Find Private Label Supplement Manufacturers?
- Online directories (ThomasNet, Alibaba, SaleHoo, LinkedIn, Google);
- Capsexpress, has a tool where you can choose and quote a product directly on the website! By the way: we are top 10 private label manufacturers of the world;
- Industry trade shows (SupplySide West, Natural Products Expo);
- Referrals from established supplement brand owners;
Pro Tip: Always order samples before committing to a manufacturer to test product quality and avoid companies with no national presence and representatives.
3. Customizing Your Supplement Formula and Branding
Once you choose a manufacturer, the next step is to customize your supplement to make it unique and marketable. Here is the key: many labs such as Capsexpress has a R&D team, and those guys are expert in building formulas that works, you can talk to them and find the perfect balance between marketing and effectiveness in the formula’s ingredients.
🎨 Branding Customization Options:
- Custom labels and packaging (design, colors, logo) check FDA regulations on labeling!
- Unique ingredient combinations for differentiation, just make sure you can mix it, there are some ingredients that in combination with other ingredients might react differently than you expect.
- Eco-friendly or sustainable packaging options
- Flavor and dosage variations, flavor is entirely attached to the willing of a customer to buy your product again, if the flavor is not good they will never buy your product again.
Tip: Invest in professional branding and design – packaging influences purchasing decisions!
4. Ensuring Compliance and FDA Regulations
The supplement industry is very regulated, so you need to ensure legal compliance. Working with companies that include FDA compliance in their solution will save you a lot of money.
📜 Key Compliance Factors:
✔️ FDA (USA) – While supplements are not FDA-approved, manufacturers must be FDA registered and follow FDA regulations for labeling and ingredient safety.
✔️ Label Requirements – Must include supplement facts, ingredient list, dosage, and disclaimers.
✔️ No False Claims – Avoid health claims like “Cures Diabetes” unless clinically proven.
✔️ Third-Party Testing – Ensures product purity, potency, and safety, but be careful you can end up spending a lot of money on lab testing, so choose the right product to do so.
Pro advise: Work with a regulatory expert to review your labels and claims before launching, some manufacturers do that for you but many from Alibaba don’t.
5. Marketing & Selling Your Private Label Supplements
🚀 How to Sell Your Private Label Supplements?
- E-commerce Store – Sell via Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce
- Amazon FBA – List your supplements on Amazon for high visibility
- Wholesale & B2B – Sell in bulk to gyms, health stores, and online retailers
- Social Media & Influencer Marketing – Use TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to drive awareness
- Paid Advertising – Run Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and TikTok Ads targeting health-conscious buyers
💡 Pro Tip: Use SEO and content marketing to drive organic traffic to your private label supplement website!
Benefits of Private Labeling in the Supplement Industry
For many years we’ve been helping brand owners, ecommerce stores, retailers and influencers to increase their revenue and one of the best solutions for them is to private label products such as supplements. Supplements are great for it because they are very profitable products. The main reasons that drive to that decision is:
Higher Profit Margins – You control pricing and branding.
Faster Market Entry – No need for R&D or in-house manufacturing.
Brand Authority – Creates a unique identity in the supplement market.
Scalability – Easily expand with new product lines.
Conclusion: Should You Start a Private Label Supplement Brand?
Private labeling offers a fast and profitable way to enter the supplement market. If you choose the right product, partner with a reliable manufacturer, and invest in strong marketing, your brand can grow into a highly profitable business.
🔍 Want to start your own private label supplement brand?
🚀 Capsexpress International can help! Contact us today to discover how we can provide high-quality private label supplement manufacturing to launch your brand successfully.
