Embarking on your own K-Beauty brand journey is an exciting venture, and the first tangible step towards bringing your vision to life is through getting samples from manufacturers. At Mayk, we believe in a transparent and collaborative sampling process designed to give you confidence in your product before committing to production. This stage is crucial for perfecting your formula, whether you're selecting from our proven Retail-Ready options or crafting a unique Custom Formulation.
Let's walk through how sampling works at Mayk.
Mayk offers distinct sampling paths depending on your chosen service.
For our pre-developed, Retail-Ready Formulations, the process is straightforward:
You can purchase individual samples for each product listed in our catalog.
For just $20, you'll receive one sample for one specific product.
Exploring multiple Retail-Ready options? We offer curated sample packages to help you discover the perfect fit:
Starter Package: Get a 31% discount! Instead of paying $100 for 5 individual samples, you pay only $69 to receive 5 Retail-Ready samples you choose directly from our catalog. This package offers flexibility and savings for exploring various options.
Bestseller Package: New to the beauty industry and unsure where to start? For $72, you'll receive 6 of our bestselling Retail-Ready formulations. We've done the thinking for you, providing established, high-demand products for easy evaluation. (Choices are fixed for this package.)
For truly unique product concepts, our Custom Formulation sampling process is more iterative:
Initial sample: Based on your initial consultation and detailed preferences, our chemists will create a first sample. For $199 (for Core Custom Formulation projects) or $249 (for Full Custom Formulation projects), you'll receive this initial customized sample along with one round of revisions.
Revised sample: We'll then create a revised sample, reflecting your feedback on the initial version.
Additional revisions: Should you wish to make further refinements after the first two samples, additional sample revisions are available for $69 each.
Learn the differences between Core Custom Formulation and Full Custom Formulation here.
When you receive your sample package, you'll be getting the formulations themselves in test bottles or simple containers, not the final packaging or actual containers. This means, the samples will not look like the finished product at all.
The key purpose of samples is for you to evaluate the formulation only – its texture, scent, performance, and feel. This applies to both Retail-Ready and Custom Formulations.
Nailing the formulation is the crucial first step especially for custom formulation projects. Once the custom formulation is confirmed, we can then proceed to source and test for packaging compatibility.
Our sample revision process for custom formulations is designed to help you perfect the sensory experience and aesthetic of your product:
Texture: Whether you envision a richer cream, a lighter serum, or a unique gel consistency, we can adjust the texture in revision rounds.
Color: If you're aiming for a specific tint or a slightly different shade for your product, we can refine the color in the revised sample.
Scent: The fragrance is a key sensory element. If the initial scent isn't quite what you had in mind, we can explore alternative scents or adjust their intensity during revision.
Sample lead times vary depending on the type of formulation:
Retail-Ready Formulations: These samples are generally available much faster and can typically be shipped within 1-2 weeks of your request.
Custom Formulations: Developing a unique formula from scratch requires meticulous Research & Development. Samples for custom formulations typically take about 3-6 weeks to develop. Each subsequent round of revision, if needed, will also take approximately the same amount of time. To help us hit the mark faster and minimize revisions, we strongly recommend providing a benchmark product. This helps our chemists quickly understand and gauge the specific textures, absorption, or sensory profiles you want to achieve.
Investing in a sample is the true starting point for creating your brand's unique product. It's a small, calculated fee – just $20 for a Retail-Ready sample, or starting from $199 for a Custom Formulation sample – that unlocks a tangible representation of your big dream. There's truly nothing to lose by taking this first step!
What's more, for all Full Custom Formulation projects ($249), your initial sampling fee will be credited directly towards your final production cost! This isn't the industry norm, but it's a special benefit Mayk offers to support our clients' journey from concept to market.
Most importantly, receiving a sample from Mayk comes with no strings attached to production. Whether to proceed with a full manufacturing run is a completely separate consideration, and it's entirely optional based on your satisfaction with the sample. You can evaluate the quality and align it with your vision without any commitment to a larger order.
Our sampling process primarily focuses on perfecting your product formulation. This is because the formulation's stability and characteristics often dictate the most suitable packaging. Typically, packaging is finalized after the formulation has been confirmed.
However, if you have a specific container or application method in mind (e.g., a serum stick, an airless pump), it's crucial to disclose this upfront during your initial consultation. This allows our chemists to formulate the product with that specific packaging in mind from the very beginning, ensuring compatibility and stability within your desired container.
From the point of your sample payment, you will have one year to finalize your formulation (if custom) and decide if you wish to proceed with full-scale production. This generous timeframe allows you to thoroughly evaluate your samples and plan your market entry.
If, after this one-year period, you decide to proceed with production for a sample developed over a year ago, we would require you to re-initiate the sampling process (and pay the associated fee again). This ensures that we are producing your product with the most current formulation, optimal ingredient stability, and up-to-date compliance standards, guaranteeing the best possible quality for your launched product.
As insiders, we want to share a key insight into how Korean manufacturers typically operate. The K-Beauty industry thrives on speed and efficiency. For manufacturers, this often means preferring to work from an established base or benchmark rather than starting entirely from scratch with a completely novel concept.
While it's illegal and unethical for any manufacturer to simply "copy" an existing product's exact formulation or reuse another brand's proprietary formula for a new client, we excel at establishing a precise alignment with your vision.
This means if you have a benchmark product – a specific product whose texture, color, or scent you admire – we can work to replicate those sensory qualities (like consistency, viscosity, absorption, etc.) in your custom sample. Then, we expertly tweak the concept ingredients and active components to create a unique formula that perfectly aligns with your marketing direction, desired claims, and ingredient preferences. This method allows us to leverage proven production techniques while ensuring your product remains distinct and proprietary to your brand.
Creating something truly "from scratch" without a benchmark, or developing formulations that require entirely novel ingredient combinations or complex, untested stability profiles, demands significantly more R&D time and resources. This approach typically requires higher MOQs and more substantial costs to be feasible within the typical K-Beauty manufacturing framework.
From our experience, brands that embark on custom formulations without a clear benchmark often require multiple sample revisions, incurring additional fees ($69 each) and extending the overall development timeline. Furthermore, depending on the manufacturer, developing a truly novel formula without a benchmark can be exceptionally challenging or even unfeasible within their standard operational framework. Repeated revisions can also strain the manufacturer relationship, as their processes are optimized for efficiency once a clear direction is established. It's an important consideration that can sometimes be a roadblock for smaller brands aiming for highly experimental formulations.
For Retail-Ready Formulations, head over to our catalog to purchase individual samples for $20 each.
Starter Package: Get a 31% discount! Instead of paying $100 for 5 individual samples, you pay only $69 to receive 5 Retail-Ready samples you choose directly from our catalog. This package offers flexibility and savings for exploring various options.
Bestseller Package: New to the beauty industry and unsure where to start? For $72, you'll receive 6 of our bestselling Retail-Ready formulations. We've done the thinking for you, providing established, high-demand products for easy evaluation. (Choices are fixed for this package.)
For Custom Formulations, purchase a custom formulation service:
Core Custom Formulation: $199 for one custom formulation project
Full Custom Formulation: $249 for one custom formulation project
Learn the differences between Core Custom Formulation and Full Custom Formulation here.