§1What this business is
Deionised water, alcohol, glycerin and carbomer are mixed and warmed in a steam-jacketed kettle, homogenised into a gel, then filled and sealed in tubes. The report plans 1,400 tubes of 100 g a day. Buyers are cosmetic shops, salons and distributors.
Capacity: 1,400 tubes of 100 g a day; 4,20,000 tubes a year; year 1 at 45% (1,89,000 tubes).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with a cosmetics or salon-trade network who can build or serve a brand.
Who it is not for
Someone without a sales plan for a crowded shelf.
Advantages
- Young buyers use styling gel regularly
- Process uses common cosmetic machines
- Tubes are light and easy to ship
- Can supply salons and private labels
Drawbacks
- Packing material is the biggest cost (₹12 a tube)
- Thin profit in the first two years
- Needs a cosmetics licence
- Heavy selling cost to build a brand
Skills you need
- Gel formulation and viscosity control
- Tube filling and sealing
- Cosmetic labelling rules
- Distributor sales
Why difficulty 3/5: Easy to make; licence and brand selling decide success.
§3Market
Who buys
- Cosmetic shops and general stores
- Salons and barber shops
- Distributors and online sellers
How it sells
- Distributors and wholesalers
- Direct supply to salons
- Online marketplaces
Good to know
- The report sells a tube at an average ₹40 in year 1, rising ₹2 a year.
- It cites rising demand for natural and organic hair-care ingredients.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Steam-jacketed kettle | 1 | — |
| Agitator | 1 | — |
| Homogeniser | 1 | — |
| Paste (tube) filling and sealing machine | 1 | — |
| Storage tanks and transfer pumps | — | — |
| Plant & machinery (total in the cost of project) | — | ₹15,00,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Hair Gel (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Deionised water30,000 kg a year at ₹15/kg (full capacity)
- Ethyl alcohol11,500 kg a year at ₹95/kg
- Glycerin5,500 units at ₹150
- Carbomer 9401,200 kg at ₹450/kg
- Triethanolamine1,200 units at ₹650
- Tubes and packing material4,50,000 pcs at ₹12 each — the largest raw-material cost
- Flavour and other consumables₹2.50 L a year lump sum
From: PMEGP sample project report — Hair Gel (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- Cosmetics manufacturing licence from the State Drugs Controller (Cosmetics Rules, 2020)
- Udyam
- GST
- Legal Metrology packaged commodity registration
- Trademark
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
₹23.17 L manufacturing project fits PMEGP (up to ₹50 L) and CGTMSE; Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women founders. Above MUDRA's ₹20 L ceiling.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Report cost of project ₹23.17 L: plant & machinery ₹15.00 L, furniture ₹1.50 L, working capital ₹6.67 L; building 2,000 sq ft own or rented (not costed). Finance: term loan ₹14.85 L, own ₹2.32 L, working-capital loan ₹6.00 L.
Working capital: Working capital ₹6.67 L (bank ₹6.00 L) — 20 days of raw material and 10 days of finished stock.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
The report covers the home market only; it does not discuss export.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Brand competition
- Licence or labelling lapses
- Packing-material price rise
- Unsold stock going past shelf life
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working hair gel manufacturing unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Cosmetics manufacturing licence from the State Drugs Controller (Cosmetics Rules, 2020), Udyam), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Hair Gel Manufacturing?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.