They must be laughing
Tiny pots of stuff they must make in massive vats sold for pounds instead of pennies. I can't even begin to guess the profit margin on cosmetics. The other day my wife spent £7 on a small concealer/foundation thing ( I have no clue but it was small square and flesh coloured) and I bet it cost under 10p to produce.
( Peej, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 9:22, 1 reply)

The actual chemicals would typically cost a few pence per pot.
The filling labour, packaging, labels, shrink-wrap, cases, storage, transit etc. account for the rest of the manufacturing cost, which may be about 50 or 60p per pot (unless the customer wanted really swanky packaging.)
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 20:45, closed)

Hmmm Lipstick
The contents will cost not too much, even if they have loadsa really expensive stuff in there, as they weigh very little indeed (*Hint* If it doesn't declare how much you get in there, its less than 5g)
Packaging is always expensive, can be a couple of quid for a custom made lippy container. If it takes a lot of putting together by hand thats more expensive than running a bottle down a line.

As a rough guide use the rule of 3. If the RRP=£9, it will cost at most £3 to make, including labour and factory profit packaging etc etc etc. The really fancy brands charge a lot more for a lot less, so change the number to 4 or 5.

Hint: Aldi aren't as greedy, and run on tighter margins. If you ain't a snob, the Lacura stuff they sell *is* good quality stuff, and looking at the ingredient listing they are using expensive stuff, and selling it for pennies
(Sir Tainley Barking Ezekiel 23:20, Wed 6 Oct 2010, 0:47, closed)

Aye, it's mostly mineral or castor oil, with an adhesive (usually polyisobutene) and waxes to bulk it out. Plus a few grams of dye.
Even though PIB is a lot more expensive than the other stuff it's still very cheap to make - that is, unless the thermostat breaks, the temperature soars and you wind up with 200kg of lumpy burnt shite that's too thick to pump anywhere.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Wed 6 Oct 2010, 22:22, closed)