Guangzhou and Yiwu are the two main places to source cosmetics in China, with the most mature supply chains and more overseas buyers than other cities.
Each has its own strengths and suits different sourcing needs. In this guide, we’ll look at how to choose between them and whether you can customize cosmetics in small quantities.
Guangzhou: full beauty supply chain sourcing
When sourcing beauty products in China, Guangzhou is often the first place that comes to mind. Guangzhou is China’s largest cosmetics trading and distribution hub, with a complete supply chain covering raw materials, cosmetic packaging, manufacturing, and trade.
Most of Guangzhou’s major cosmetics wholesale markets are concentrated in Yuexiu and Baiyun districts.
For example, Beauty Exchange Center (美博城) is China’s leading cosmetics wholesale market, covering everything from skincare and makeup to beauty devices and wellness products. Typical overseas buyers include:
- Beauty salons, hair salons, and other offline beauty businesses: sourcing professional-use products, equipment, and supplies.
- Supermarkets and chain retailers: buying shampoos, nail polish, skincare sets, and other mass-market beauty products in bulk.
Yiwu market: affordable, trending beauty products in one place
Very efficient for cosmetics sourcing
From basic skincare to makeup and beauty tools, you can find almost everything in District 3 of Yiwu International Trade City.
Products are clearly categorized and neatly organized, making it easy to compare similar products and suppliers. You can often compare dozens of suppliers and finish your first round of sourcing in a single day.
Strong in affordable beauty accessories & fast-moving cosmetics
Yiwu is especially strong in affordable lip products, eyeshadow, makeup brushes, puffs, false lashes, nail products, and other beauty accessories. You’ll find a huge variety of these SKUs packed here, and many come with flexible MOQs.
Trend-driven products and packaging
Many beauty products that go viral on social media can be found in Yiwu Market, and packaging designs also quickly follow trends on TikTok and other platforms.
If you’re constantly looking for trending beauty products and want to test how they perform in the market, Yiwu is definitely worth checking out.
You can source a full range of cosmetics and beauty accessories, then move on to toys, gifts, jewelry, and other small commodities within the Yiwu market.
Can I customize cosmetics in small quantities?
Yes. Cosmetics customization often starts at a few thousand units, but for some products, the MOQ can be as low as a few hundred, depending on the product and the level of customization.
- Everyday skincare and body care products, such as facial cleansers and body scrubs, are usually made by blending several ingredients. Factories typically keep these common ingredients in stock, so the MOQ can be as low as 300–500 pcs. If special ingredients are required, the MOQ will be higher.
- For makeup, some products can start from around 500 units when using the factory’s mature formulas and existing product designs.
- If you’re only doing private label, for example, adding your logo to the packaging of body scrubs or facial cleansers, many products can simply use labels, with a labeling MOQ of around 1,000 pcs. If you want the logo printed directly on the cosmetic bottle, the MOQ is usually much higher — around 10,000 pcs.
Buyers usually don’t need to understand complex formulations themselves. For makeup, you just need to tell the cosmetics manufacturer the shade, texture, and finish you want. The manufacturer will select the right ingredients, develop the formula, and confirm the result through sampling.
Or you can send a reference sample to the factory, and they’ll analyze the ingredients and proportions.
Final thoughts
Hope this guide gives you a better idea of where to source cosmetics in China and what MOQs to expect when customizing your products.
We’re JingSourcing, a China sourcing company with an established cosmetics sourcing network in Yiwu and Guangzhou. We can help you find and verify reliable suppliers, negotiate prices, control quality, and arrange flexible shipping—all through one team.
If you have a cosmetics sourcing project in mind, feel free to chat with us.
