Meet a Manufacturer, Mayur Dave

Mayur Dave is the founder and President of Botanic Beauty Labs Laboratories and Manufacturing.  Mayur is very humble and modest, but he really is the go-to guy when it comes to formulation and manufacturing. So many brand founders who get their start making their own products at home or in their own lab wonder when and how to outsource manufacturing, so I wanted to share some solid information from someone with deep experience in this area. 

Mayur is super well versed in Ayurveda which makes him very special and unique to the industry. He is actually the person that introduced me to Ayurveda way back when, and I have been lucky enough to work with a few Ayurvedic beauty brands since then. Mayur was even friends with Horst Rechelbacher, the creator of Aveda (who I was also lucky enough to meet). Please read on!

Aimee: So, who are you exactly? Tell us!  

Mayur: I would describe myself as a creative entrepreneur who has worked in the beauty industry for 30+ years.

Aimee: Over 30 years! Wow! How did you get your start in the beauty industry? 

Mayur: I worked for a small importer and was told I made too much money, it was time to leave. Matrix Essentials, Creative Nail Design and Revlon, gave me my first few orders.  Thereafter word spread that I was doing GWP & PWP and our company grew where I created a joint venture with a Hong Kong/China based company.  This allowed me to go from bags to all different categories of imports where we created gift sets for Chain Drug Stores. When we completed a very large order from Costco, my partners in HK/China retired and I stayed home for 8 years to raise my daughters.

Not being sure what I would do next, my buddy Horst Rechelbacher recommended that I do something with Ayurveda.  Unfortunately, I was not able to find good suppliers and decided not to make only Ayurveda products but products which would be clean and natural.

I had no intention of becoming a manufacturer but it worked out well.

Aimee: I worked for Matrix back in the day! What great first clients. You have so much experience in beauty - what are your favorite things about the industry?

Mayur:  I love the creative ideas being presented to me on a weekly basis from entrepreneurs. 

Aimee: Can you tell us about the services you offer at Botanic Beauty Labs? What can you do for brands? 

Mayur: We are a Private Label/Contract Manufacturer, specializing in clean, natural formulas. Our forte are small MOQ with the ability to accelerate to larger volumes. The products we make are as follows: skincare, haircare, bath & body, and fragrances.

Aimee: Can you explain a little about how private label works? Why is this a good option and for whom? 

Mayur: For many of the startups, they cannot purchase the MOQ (usually 1,000 pieces). For that reason, our private label products require only 12 - 24 pieces as a MOQ.

Aimee: Low MOQs like that make it so much easier for emerging beauty and wellness brands. What kind of brands do you work with? 

Mayur: Small to medium size companies.

Aimee: Here’s the big question…when would you suggest that someone who might be working in their own lab (at home etc.) outsource manufacturing? 

Mayur: I believe the right number is between 1,000 - 2,500 pieces.  When you get to those numbers, you either need your own factory or to find a company such as ours.

Aimee: What is one thing you would like brand founders to know about you?

Mayur: I want them to know that  I am interested in being a partner that wants to help their brand grow.  We want an open exchange of information, which will hopefully get the brand to the next level.

Aimee: What is one thing about you that most people would never guess?

Mayur: Something that no one would guess is that I wanted to be a hermit in the Himalayas and meditate for the rest of my life. I've also taken flying lessons and have a scuba diving license - scuba diving because I am a terrible swimmer and wanted to defeat all fears and flying, just because I love adventure.  

Finally, I LOVE speed; I've had a motorcycle and a very fancy sports car.

Aimee: Minimalist or Maximalist? 

Mayur: Minimalist.