Run your cosmetics exports from formula to shipment on one platform
In cosmetics and personal care exports, winning the order is only the start: formula BOMs, lot and shelf-life tracking, the destination market's certificate set and the private label customer's sample approval all have to run at the same time. When that flow is split across spreadsheets and separate programs, revisions get mixed up, short-dated lots sit forgotten in the warehouse and a missing document delays the shipment. Sighthem brings the whole operation of a cosmetics exporter onto one platform, from finding distributors to recipe-based production, quality control, export documents and the COMMERCIAL INVOICE.
Find distributors and private label buyers: marketing built for cosmetics
In cosmetics exports the buyer usually comes from two profiles: distributors putting products on shelves in the target market, and private label customers looking for a manufacturer for their own brand. Sighthem is set up to find both and speak to each in its own language.
- List cosmetics distributors, retail chain buyers and private label brands in your target market with company discovery, and confirm decision-maker emails with the verification service
- Build separate email sequences for distributor and private label segments; see who opened the catalog and clicked the price list, and move interested contacts into the pipeline as leads
- Scan the business cards you collect at beauty trade fairs with the mobile PWA and let OCR create leads automatically; no manual data entry after the fair
- Message foreign buyers over the official WhatsApp API or call them with live translation; every touchpoint lands on a single customer card
Private label orders: sample approval and revisions on record
Brand customers revise packaging, fragrance and fill weight again and again; once it is unclear which version was approved, production starts wrong. In Sighthem, quote, proforma and order are one flow, and every revision goes into a dated record.
- Create the quote with product, fill weight, packaging and quantity details; log sample shipments as activities on the customer card and make buyer approval a precondition for the order
- Convert the approved quote into a proforma and the proforma into an order with one click; Incoterm, payment terms and multi-currency are set correctly once and carry into the following documents
- When price, quantity or packaging changes, the revision history shows which version was approved and when; the debate over which PDF was current ends
- Tie critical steps to the approval hub: converting a quote into an order or starting production does not move forward without manager approval
Lot, expiry and FEFO: track shelf life in the system, not in the warehouse
Cosmetics buyers set remaining-shelf-life requirements at delivery, and demand lot-level traceability when something goes wrong. Sighthem keeps stock by lot and expiry date and steers picking by FEFO.
- Record every production batch and goods receipt with a lot number and expiry date; see instantly which lot sits in which warehouse and how much is left
- Let FEFO drive picking: the lot with the nearest expiry ships first, so short-dated product does not sit forgotten on a shelf until write-off
- Scan the GS1 barcode to record which lot was shipped; when a buyer complains, find in minutes which lot went to which customer
- Manage raw material, packaging and finished goods locations separately with multi-warehouse and transfers; bulk-import your current stock from Excel
Formula BOM, work orders and quality control in one chain
The formula is a cosmetics manufacturer's most valuable asset, and production lives by staying true to it. Sighthem ties the recipe to the product card, opens the work order from the recipe and closes quality with a record.
- Define each product's formula as a bill of materials (BOM): raw materials, fragrance, packaging and label items flow automatically into the work order
- Restrict access to the recipe with role-based permissions; only R&D and the production lead see the formula, the sales team does not
- Route work orders through the production approval flow; when the batch is done, enter the QC record and issue a conformity certificate or a non-conformity report
- Manage raw material and packaging purchases with purchase orders (PO); check invoice, order and goods receipt with three-way matching, and watch supplier quality with the incoming goods QC report
Shipment, customs, inward processing (DIIB) and VAT refund: the regulatory side is built in
For a cosmetics exporter producing with imported fragrance and packaging, the inward processing permit (DIIB) and the VAT refund are direct profit items. Sighthem runs the physical shipment and the regulatory tracking from the same record.
- Bind cartons and pallets to the shipment and produce the packing list from the system; on partial shipments, track line by line how much of each item has gone
- Keep forwarder and container details on the shipment record and watch demurrage risk; link the customs declaration to the shipment so you see which shipment belongs to which declaration
- Store GTIP codes on the product card; tariff positions in cosmetics vary by product type, so the correct code is ready the moment the declaration is filed
- Track imported raw materials and packaging under the inward processing permit (DIIB): follow inputs, offsets and commitment closure in the system, and collect the VAT refund file's documents and amounts attached to the export transaction
Certificate sets, letters of credit and the COMMERCIAL INVOICE: documents ship complete
In cosmetics, a shipment is only as good as its document set: without the analysis certificate, free sale certificate, origin and insurance, goods wait at customs. Sighthem links the document set to the order and shipment, and watches the dates on letters of credit that tie payment to paperwork.
- Collect the document set each market requires (free sale certificate, analysis certificate, certificate of origin, insurance, bill of lading, packing list) in the documents list; spot a missing document before dispatch
- On L/C sales, set alerts for the latest shipment and presentation dates; extract the terms line by line with AI-assisted letter of credit reading
- Issue the export invoice as a COMMERCIAL INVOICE and domestic sales as GIB-compliant UBL-TR e-invoices; the system works with your e-invoice integrator
- Customize order, shipment, production, incoming goods QC and DIIB reports with the column picker and download to Excel; give the team role-based permissions and work with foreign partners on the same screen in the TR+EN interface
Define the document set each target market requires as a documents checklist from day one. On the second shipment to the same country you copy the list and only update the dates; a missing certificate surfaces days before shipment, not at customs.
When sample approval, revision history and production are linked in one chain, the question of which version the customer actually approved disappears; every work order opens with the latest approved recipe and price, cutting the risk of producing with the wrong fill weight or outdated packaging.
Many cosmetics buyers set a remaining-shelf-life requirement at delivery. Shipping without lot and expiry tracking means a short-dated lot ends in rejection or return at the buyer. FEFO picking and lot recording at dispatch stop that risk while the goods are still in your warehouse.
Frequently Asked Questions
What separates Sighthem from a generic CRM as cosmetics export software?
A generic CRM stops at contacts and opportunities; it has no answer for a cosmetics exporter's formula BOMs, lot and expiry tracking, quality control, certificate sets or letters of credit. In Sighthem, recipe-based production, FEFO stock, export document tracking and the COMMERCIAL INVOICE are parts of the same platform. The distributor pipeline, production and shipment feed from the same record, so copying data between programs disappears.
Who can see my formula in the system, and how is it kept confidential?
The recipe (BOM) is tied to the product card and access is controlled with role-based permissions. You can make the formula visible only to R&D and the production lead, and invisible to sales and warehouse staff. The team works in a single workspace, and each user reaches only the data within their own permission scope.
How do I manage my private label customer's sample and revision process?
You log sample shipments as activities on the customer card and capture buyer approval on the quote. When price, fill weight or packaging changes, the revision history shows which version was approved and when. The approved quote converts to a proforma and an order with one click, and production always opens with the latest approved version.
What does lot and expiry tracking give me in a recall?
Every lot is tracked together with its production record, warehouse movements and shipments. In a buyer complaint or recall, you pull from the reports in minutes which customers received the affected lot and on which shipments. GS1 barcode scanning records the lot automatically at dispatch and removes manual entry errors.
How do I track the certificates and documents the destination market requires?
Certificates, origin, insurance, the bill of lading and the packing list are collected in a document set linked to the order and shipment; a missing document shows on the list before dispatch. On L/C sales you set alerts for the latest shipment and presentation dates. AI-assisted letter of credit reading extracts the document terms line by line.
I use imported fragrance and packaging; is there DIIB and VAT refund tracking?
Yes. You track imported inputs under the inward processing permit (DIIB), following the input-offset relationship and commitment closure in the system. The documents and amounts needed for the VAT refund file are collected attached to the export transaction. You can customize the DIIB report with the column picker and download it to Excel.
Bring your cosmetics exports onto one platform, from formula to shipment. Try Sighthem free for 14 days on the PRO plan, no card required.
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