Personal care contract manufacturer · Minnesota · Est. 1993
Kapra Cosmetics is a chemist-founded contract manufacturer for hair, skin, body, baby, pet and household products. We formulate, compound, fill, pack and ship, so you only manage one partner.
Who we work with
Startups, national brands and retailers all need the same three things from a manufacturer: the right price, consistent quality, and product that ships when promised.
We formulate from scratch or develop to a benchmark, sample until it is right, and pilot at 15 gallons before you commit to a full run.
Our lines fill up to 150,000 units a day, and we carry safety stock and ship EDI so national retailers stay in stock.
Flexible machinery changes over quickly between products, and we add shifts for rush orders. Bring your formula or bulk, we fill it.
What we do
Our in-house laboratory develops products to your goals, whether that is a new concept, a reformulation, or a formula to match a benchmark. Batches are sampled by chemists throughout compounding.
Hot and cold process mixing for creams, lotions, gels, shampoos, conditioners and pomades, with high shear and counter-rotational agitation for stable, consistent emulsions.
Liquid, tube, packet and hot fill lines that handle containers of any shape from a quarter-ounce packet to a gallon jug. Finished-product storage tanks keep the lines running without interruption.
We source and select bottles, tubes, jars, closures and cartons through a large supplier base, or fill the components you supply.
Kitting, gift sets, displays and retail-ready packing. Our production team applies a QA check during fulfillment and pack-off so every product, packaging and shipping requirement is met.
Short-term warehousing of safety stock, EDI order handling, and a customer service team that understands what national retailers require to keep shelves full.
What we make
Shampoo, conditioner, mousse, gel, pomade, ethnic hair care
Lotion, wash, scrub, hand and glycerin soap, bath salt, deodorant
Shampoo, lotion, body oil, bubble bath
Shampoo, conditioner, waterless bath, detangler, balm, ear wash
All-purpose, window, laundry, carpet, dish, air and fabric freshener
How a project runs
Each step ends with something in your hands: a quote, a sample, an approved pilot, finished goods, and a shipment.
Tell us the product, the target cost, the packaging and the launch date. We come back with options and a price.
Our chemists develop or adapt the formula and send lab samples. We iterate on feel, fragrance, viscosity and cost until you sign off.
A pilot batch in our smallest kettles proves the formula at scale and confirms fill and packaging compatibility.
Full batches are compounded, sampled by chemists and micro-tested, then filled on the line that fits your package.
Assembly, retail-ready packing and QA at pack-off. We ship direct, hold safety stock, or fulfill retailer orders by EDI.
Why Kapra
Most contract fillers are either a lab that outsources production or a filler that outsources the chemistry. Kapra was started by a chemist who wanted control of both, and that is still how we run.
Read our storyRakesh "Rocky" Atreya was the first full-time chemist at Minnetonka Labs, the creator of Softsoap, and a VP of R&D at a Gillette division before starting Kapra. Formulation is where we begin, not an add-on.
A dedicated hot fill line for pomades, deodorants, glycerin soaps and candles. Tube fillers with design-a-seal. Packet filling from 2.5 inches. Containers from 7.5 mL to over a gallon.
EDI capable, with management experience serving national retailers. Products we make are on shelves at Target, Walmart, Costco, Ulta, Sephora, CVS and Walgreens.
Chemists sample throughout the batch, and every batch is tested both in our lab and by an outside microbiological testing lab before it ships.
Confidentiality and protection for all private label formulas and proprietary information. We build your brand, not ours.
We do not test on animals. Kapra is a minority-owned business, and everything we make is compounded and filled in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
Made by Kapra, sold at
Though many people think I am the boss, I in fact believe that our customers are the boss. They give us the opportunity to serve and they pay our salaries. If we provide quality, service and the best price, our customer would not look for another manufacturer.RAKESH "ROCKY" ATREYA · FOUNDER, KAPRA COSMETICS
Common questions
We do not publish a fixed minimum. Our smallest kettles run 15-gallon batches, which is where most pilot runs and first orders start. Tell us your target quantity and packaging and we will quote it.
Yes. Our lab develops formulas to a benchmark as well as from scratch, and our formulation library covers hair, skin, baby, pet, ethnic and natural lines across every price point.
Either. We source and select packaging through a large supplier base, and we also fill customer-supplied components. Our filling equipment handles containers of any shape from 7.5 mL to over a gallon.
Chemists sample formulations throughout the batch process. Every batch is tested in Kapra's lab and by an outside microbiological testing lab. A separate QA process runs during fulfillment and pack-off.
Lead time depends on formula, components and testing, but we are built for speed: flexible machinery that changes over quickly, the ability to expand shifts, and a raw material supplier network with fast turnaround.
Yes. We are EDI capable, hold short-term safety stock, and our management has extensive experience with the operations and logistics that mass retailers require. We also have experience with international regulatory requirements.
Send the product, target cost and quantity. You will hear back from a person who can quote it, not a form autoresponder.