Kevin Lesser, founder of clean beauty skin care brand Ktchn Apothecary, wants to help small-to-midsized beauty brands fulfill their minimum order quantities with maximum results.

Lesser, who founded his line in 2016, was inspired to do an ingredient deep dive after his dog licked his freshy moisturized face, sparking concern as to whether his formulas were safe. Turns out there was room for improvement. But it was difficult for Lesser to find a company that could create small batches (which is typically considered to be under 10,000 units), not to mention clean formulas that were also cost effective. So, in addition to his line, in 2016 Lesser created his own lab, Ktchn Apothecary Labs.

Identifying an industry need by brands looking for formula solutions, this past September Lesser opened up his lab to others. “We realized we could empower emerging-to-midsized brands to do small batch productions,” he said.

Lesser’s unit requirements start at 1,000, an offering that is hard to come by. While that’s beneficial to start-ups, Lesser said that small minimum quantities could also work for larger brands looking to produce exclusives for retailers or to experiment with new items. “We give companies the ability to test and iterate without huge quantities.”

The advantages stretch beyond order quantities, explained Lesser. “When you have to buy minimum orders, your money is trapped in inventory. You could be investing that money in brand building. It’s all about cash flow.”

Additionally, many contract manufacturers often take ownership of formulas, locking brands into their facilities. Ktchn Apothecary Labs, said Lesser, gives clients 100% ownership of their formulas. “When you look at other brands — even big ones — they do not own their formulas; the contract manufacturer owns them. It creates a dependency on mass production because they aren’t going to run 1,000 [units] for you. It’s like the 1990s phone plans; you are stuck with them forever.”

At a time when launching new brands and testing new items is more challenging than ever, Lesser’s lab offers smaller brands a level playing field. “We can help brands grow faster and compete with beauty giants in ways they never could before,” he concluded.