A factory visit is the single most valuable due-diligence step in cosmetics sourcing. A certificate scan proves documentation exists; a walkthrough proves it is followed. Here is the checklist we use ourselves when auditing suppliers — and what we invite our own clients to check at our plant in Guangzhou Baiyun.
Before You Fly: Documentation Review
- Business License and Cosmetic Production License — check the legal entity name matches your contract party.
- GMPC / ISO 22716 certificate — note the issuing body and expiry date.
- FDA facility registration number — verify it online before the visit.
- Sample test reports from third-party labs (heavy metals, microbiology).
On Site: Production Floor
- Personnel flow: do workers enter through changing rooms with hand-washing and gowning? Does the flow keep raw materials, semi-finished and finished goods separated?
- Air handling: check the cleanroom classification signage and whether doors to filling rooms stay closed.
- Filling lines: are lines labelled by product? Is there a visible line-clearance procedure between batches (checklists on the wall)?
- Weighing area: digital scales with calibration stickers and a double-check step for raw material dispensing.
- Maintenance: look at the reality, not the brochure — stained floors, open containers and unlabelled drums tell you more than any certificate.
On Site: QC Laboratory
A real factory runs in-house QC — microbial testing, viscosity/pH checks, and batch retain samples. Ask to see: the lab's own test records for the last batch of the product you plan to order, how retain samples are stored (identifiable, kept for at least the shelf life), and whether shade matching is done by instrument or by eye.
On Site: Warehouse & Raw Materials
- Raw materials stored off the floor, labelled with name, batch and expiry.
- Segregation of quarantined / released materials.
- Finished goods area with batch traceability (every carton traceable to a production batch).
The Questions That Separate Facilities
- "Show me the batch record for your last batch of [product type]." — A real factory can produce it in minutes.
- "Who approves a formula change, and how do I get notified?" — Change control is the #1 hidden risk in OEM.
- "What happens to a failed batch?" — Rework plan versus scrapping policy shows quality culture.
- "Can you run a trial batch purely for my market's stability requirements?"
- "Which documents do you provide with the shipment?" — MSDS, COA, test reports, FDA registration confirmation, CPNP support.
Our Own Invitation
We welcome visitors at our factory near Longgui Metro Station, Baiyun District, Guangzhou — 3,500 m² of GMPC-certified production space with 37 automated filling, pressing, mixing and packaging machines. Bring this checklist; if any item fails, we want to know. If it passes, you have found a long-term manufacturing partner.