§1What this business is
Deionised water and aloe-vera gel are mixed and heated to 80–85 °C in a steam-jacketed kettle, cooled in stages while glycerine, propylene glycol, sodium PCA, carbomer, surfactant and fragrance are added, homogenised to an even gel and filled and sealed in tubes. The report plans 1,000 tubes of 150 ml a day. Demand is pushed by salons and barbershops.
Capacity: 1,000 tubes of 150 ml a day, 3,00,000 a year (8 hours, 300 days).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with cosmetics experience who can win salon chains or private-label orders.
Who it is not for
Someone without a marketing plan against national brands.
Advantages
- Gels are a growing grooming segment
- Salons and barbershops buy regularly
- Same plant can make other gels and creams
- Profit rises fast with volume (₹19.94 L by year 5)
Drawbacks
- Aloe-vera gel alone is over half the raw-material bill
- Thin first-year profit (2.7%)
- Big brands like Gillette and Nivea (named in the report) dominate
- Cosmetics licence and stability testing needed
Skills you need
- Gel formulation and temperature control
- Quality and stability testing
- Tube filling and sealing
- Salon and distributor sales
Why difficulty 3/5: Formulation and brand competition need skill; the plant itself is simple.
§3Market
Who buys
- Men buying grooming products
- Luxury salons and small barbershops (named in the report)
How it sells
- Cosmetic and general stores
- Salon-supply distributors
- Online marketplaces
Good to know
- The report cites a global shaving-foam market of US$ 569.3 million by 2025, growing 4.6% a year.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Steam-jacketed kettle with stirrer | 1 | — |
| Agitator | 1 | — |
| Homogeniser | 1 | — |
| Paste filling and sealing machine | 1 | — |
| Whole plant (above) | 1 set | ₹15.50 lakh plant and machinery |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Shaving Gel (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Aloe-vera gel14,000 litres a year at ₹400 a litre
- Sodium PCA5,000 kg a year at ₹550 a kg
- Carbomer 9401,500 kg a year at ₹450 a kg
- Glycerine2,400 litres a year at ₹150 a litre
- Propylene glycol2,400 kg a year at ₹115 a kg
- Deionised water16,000 litres a year at ₹14 a litre
- Flavour and other consumables₹2.50 lakh a year; total raw material ₹101.35 lakh at full capacity
From: PMEGP sample project report — Shaving Gel (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- Cosmetics manufacturing licence from the State Drugs Controller
- Udyam registration and GST
- State Pollution Control Board consent where applicable
- Legal Metrology registration; trademark; EPR for plastic tubes
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP fits a ₹22.55 L manufacturing unit; CGTMSE for a collateral-free loan; Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report ₹22.55 L = plant and machinery ₹15.50 L, furniture ₹1.50 L, working capital ₹5.55 L; shed of 2,000 sq ft own or rented.
Working capital: Working capital ₹5.55 L; bank ₹5.00 L.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery and raw-material prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: CHEMEXCIL
- Exports must meet the importing country's cosmetic ingredient and labelling rules.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Aloe-gel price rise
- Batch spoilage or separation
- Brand competition
- Licence or labelling lapses
§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 shaving gel 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, Udyam registration and GST), 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 Shaving Gel?
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.