When should I ask these questions?
During shortlist comparison—before paying a production deposit. Confirm answers in writing in your purchase order or agreement.
Questions to Ask a Perfume Manufacturer Before Ordering
A pre-order question checklist—covering MOQ, paperwork, timelines, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Scope and capabilities
Clarify what the manufacturer actually does versus what they broker. Misaligned assumptions about filling, labeling, or documentation cause most production disputes.
- Do you compound fragrance, fill, crimp, label, and box in-house?
- Which product types do you support (EDP, EDT, mist, oil, room spray)?
- Can you share examples similar to our price tier and format?
- Who is our single point of contact during production?
MOQ, pricing, and payment
Request itemized quotes: juice, bottle, pump, label, box, filling, QC, documentation, and freight. Ask what triggers a requote.
- What is MOQ per SKU and per component (bottle, label, box)?
- Can MOQ be split across scents with shared packaging?
- What is the deposit schedule and balance due before shipment?
- What happens to unused components if we cancel after artwork approval?
Timeline and approvals
Get week ranges for sampling, PPS, bulk production, and shipping. Ask what they need from you to hold a production slot.
- What is typical lead time after PPS approval?
- How many artwork revision rounds are included?
- Do you provide a written timeline with approval gates?
- What commonly causes delays with projects like ours?
Compliance and documentation
Align on documents per batch before deposit. Gaps discovered at import or retailer onboarding are expensive to fix.
- Will we receive IFRA, COA, allergen declaration, and SDS per batch?
- Who is listed as responsible party on U.S. labels?
- Do you support FDA cosmetic labeling and lot coding?
- Can you provide redacted examples of prior batch files?
Quality, rework, and defects
Understand acceptance criteria and remedy if fill levels, crimps, or scent variation fail inspection.
- What QC checks run on each batch?
- What defect rate is acceptable and what triggers remake?
- How are customer complaints and batch traceability handled?
- Is exclusivity available for our market or channel?
Should I use a lawyer for the contract?
For first production runs above your risk tolerance, a short legal review of payment, IP, exclusivity, and defect remedies is worthwhile.
What if they will not answer documentation questions?
Treat that as a disqualifier if you sell wholesale, online marketplaces, or import finished goods.
