MAC brush fakes in China

Many customers may realize that almost every makeup brush manufacturer declares that they once made makeup brushes for MAC. In makeup brush industry, everyone know that MAC is somewhat the representation of high quality and high grade, if the makeup brush factory can produce MAC brushes, this factory must be very good and offer high grade makeup brushes.

In fact, the situation is not true in China; I do not know the situation of MAC’s OEM factories in other countries. But in China, it is not always true. We all know that it is impossible for MAC to release their brush production to so many factories, while due to the good fames and popularity of MAC brushes, also to gain more orders, many Chinese makeup brush factories declare that they can and once made brushes for MAC.

They may really make brushes labeled MAC, but not for MAC company. They get orders from trading companies in China or abroad who require MAC logos but at much lower price. At such target price, it is impossible to have brushes with the same quality level as MAC. Therefore, under the permission of customers, they reduce the grade of material and craft. For example, the MAC powder brushes are usually with ZGF top grade goat hair and copper ferrule, to meet the customers’ very low target price, they will use BJF or even HJF goat hair and aluminum ferrule which is much much cheaper, it will greatly reduce the cost on material; also with such material, the craft will not so good either. In fact, the customers have known that they can not get MAC equivalent at such low price, their purpose is to get fakes just labeled MAC.

The result is: in China, the brushes labeled MAC is even worse than unknown brands. Everyone knows that there are too many MAC fakes in China and having no ability to distinguish real and fakes, they have to buy from abroad at much higher price or choose other brands which may be better and cheaper than MAC labeled brushes. As to gain more profit, the suppliers offer MAC fakes at high price which is far away from the quality level.

Of course, it is illegal to label MAC logo without the permission of MAC. Toney, as a responsible and professional makeup brush manufacturer, always require customers to provide the approval documents from MAC on logos, so that we can agree to label MAC logo for our customers.

Anyway, the customers should note that:

1.       Not every factory who declare they can offer MAC brushes is good;

2.       To evaluate a makeup brush factory, you should firstly require samples made by them;

3.       If you buy MAC brushes at very low price, you probably get fakes;

4.       If you want to custom makeup brushes but have very low target price, it is impossible to get MAC equivalents.

Frequently update makeup brush information

Makeup brush, as a part of beauty industry, requires frequent innovation on its appearance and function.

The makeup brush users are mainly ladies who always would like to see more beautiful and fresh things, that is also why the female clothes have new styles every season and year.

Therefore, most makeup brush manufacturers rack their brains to develop makeup brushes with newer and better appearance, color, shape or material every year. Once if a new style is accepted by users and become popular, many other manufacturers may copy the brush to gain more orders, however, they will not be able to compete with the original manufacturer who has got pre-empt customer resources.

No matter you are a makeup brush factory or the dealer or trading company, once if you are involved in makeup brush industry, please frequently update your makeup brush information and pictures on your website, catalogue or all related documents. Just think about that, if the makeup brushes shown on your website or catalogue are the obsolete styles which have been not popular several years ago, will the potential customers take any time to stop and send you any inquiry?

So, it is necessary to update the information frequently, once if you release a new makeup brush, immediately put it on your website to show your creation ability as a factory and then attract more customers. Also, update information on your website is helpful for the Google ranking of your website.

Even at the same quality level and with the same material, ladies are eager to seeing new and fresh things. Therefore, keeping creative and timely update information will help you gain more and more opportunities

The makeup brushes for the 10th Anniversary of our Graduation from the Middle School

2012 will be our 10th Anniversary of the Graduation from the Middle School, and we are planning an anniversary celebration. In our plan, there should be a gift for all participants. It really troublesome the organizer as it is not easy to source a gift which will be loved by everyone.

Recently, many female classmates send me messages after they get known I am in makeup brush business, and wonder whether I can sell them professional makeup brush sets when I come to the celebration party. It really inspires me about the gift. Why not give makeup brushes for all participants? The males can give them to their wives as present; the female can use these brushes to make them more beautiful…..

I, as one of the organizer of the celebration, also as a sales manger in a makeup brush factory, will offer a professional makeup brush set for each participant. Of course, it is free; I will place an order to our factory, afford the cost by myself, and give them free to my classmates, I will not earn any money from the celebration, just hope that my classmates can become more beautiful and happier while using our makeup brushes.

So, if you also are planning some celebration or party, why not consider using makeup brushes as the gift to the participants? It must make them happy and surprised.

Why Chinese makeup brush factory not accept L/C payment

Many customers are really puzzled about why most Chinese makeup brush manufacturers refuse the L/C payment terms. Per their understanding, L/C at sight is benefit for both the suppliers and the customers.

The reason is: almost makeup brush factories in China are not so big. As the makeup brush is a manual work, no need of high-technology or advanced equipment or strict management, therefore, most of the factories are small workshops, most of the staffs are workers, only a few staffs to control the production, marketing and quality. They have not too much energy to control the payment risks. So they usually accept payment via wire transfer which is very simple and quick.

While the L/C payment even L/C at sight, it contains a certain risk, and the main reason is the handle of L/C is too complex for most Chinese makeup brush manufacturers. It requires professional staff to examine all L/C documents terms by terms, and once a term does not match, the factory may not be able to get the payment. Also the fee of L/C is too high, which relatively decrease the margin of the factory. If handle L/C via the import and export companies, the cost will be higher.

We know that the customers have their own regulations on payment terms, while it is the situation that most Chinese makeup brush factories will not accept L/C payment terms, so if you would like to get factory direct price, the L/C payment may not feasible. Then many customers go to the traders to buy makeup brushes with much higher price.

We really hope the customers and Chinese manufacturers can find a way to solve such problem and gain two-win.

Any kind of inquiry on makeup brushes is welcome

You may be a freshman on makeup brushes and would like to better understand this product;

You may be a makeup artist who would like to deeply understand the makeup brush material and craft;

You may be a makeup brush supplier who wants to buy factory direct makeup brushes;

You may be a makeup or cosmetics manufacturers who would like to custom makeup brushes with your own style.

You may be just a female who wants to buy makeup brushes but not know the difference between different brushes and materials, and needs some professional suggestion;

You may just want to ask some questions on makeup brushes…………

No matter who you are, what you need, what questions you have, and whether you have orders on hand, we welcome your any inquiry on makeup brushes, you can send us inquiry via email or just call us, our professional sales will give you feedback ASAP.

Do not worry about how frequent you ask us and how easy your questions are, we will patiently and immediately reply your any inquiry, and will never be annoyed. We know the importance of the communication with our customers according to our experience as a makeup brush factory for more than ten years. Even if you will not buy brushes from us, that is also ok, professional suggestion and advice is part of our service.

Only after the customers or users deeply understand all information on makeup brushes, our communication can be effective, and our business can be smooth. Therefore, please feel free to send us your any inquiry on questions, materials, price etc on makeup brushes.

Chinchilla hairs VS squirrel hairs

Some information on Chinchilla hair?

Chinchilla hair is considered the softest in the world and is thirty times softer than human hair.

Chinchillas have the highest fur density of any land animal with more than 20,000 hairs per square cm. whereas humans grow one hair from each follicle, a chinchilla has more than fifty hairs from a single follicle.

Some information on squirrel hair?

Squirrel hair is a thin hair with a pointed tip and a more or less uniform body. It is soft and absorbent, and it has a natural affinity for itself, which means that when a brush made of squirrel hair is fully wet, it can come to an exceptionally fine point. But Squirrel hair has little or no spring.

Some may ask: for powder brushes, which is better, Chinchilla hair or Squirrel hair? Just judging from the bristle material, Chinchilla hair is better and much more expensive than Squirrel hair, as Chinchilla hair is rarer and softer than Squirrel hair, so the Chinchilla hair price is almost ten times of Squirrel hair, so the powder brushes made of Chinchilla hair will be much expensive.

Also, there are only about 3 factories that can make Chinchilla hair all over the China, with such high risk; the makeup brushes made of Chinchilla hair will certainly become rare and expensive.

There are few customers who can afford the high cost of Chinchilla hair makeup brushes, once a European customer orders 1000pcs powder brushes with Chinchilla hair, and the factory price is about USD50.0.

So, if you would like to buy makeup brushes with Chinchilla hair, you should firstly have an idea on your target price, or you may shocked by the high prices quoted by the makeup brush manufacturer.

About logo on brush samples

We all know that the reason to custom makeup brushes is to promote brands, so most customers will require logo printing on the brush handles or bags or both.

While before ordering large quantity, customers usually require makeup brush samples for their evaluation on quantity etc, and the makeup brush manufacturer usually sends them samples without logo. Some customers can not understand this, per their opinion, quality evaluation should also include the logo, if not, how can the makeup brush factory ensure that the logo can be on the right place in the right way?

The reason is: to print logo on handles or bags, it needs typesetting which just like a mould, and the typesetting fee itself is about USD100.0 which customers only need to pay one time; and since the samples are for quality evaluation, if customers are not satisfied with the samples and do not want to place orders, the typesetting fee is really a pay for a dead horse.

Also, it is totally unnecessary to worry about the logo printing. Once the samples pass the evaluation and customers plan to place orders, the makeup brush manufacturer will ask for the logo documents from the customers, the logo documents should clarify the logo place and color etc in detail. Any professional makeup brush factory will certainly have no problem on the logo printing.

Therefore, if you would like to custom makeup brushes, and require makeup brush samples from the suppliers, you should foresee and understand that there should no logo on the makeup brushes or bags.

The high grade powder brushes and blush brushes

There is usually no difference between powder brushes and blush brushes, both are used to apply powder, therefore should have good powder hold capacity. Most professional makeup brush factories believe that powder brush and blush brush are the same, so we will use powder brush to represent both type brushes in the following.

The powder brushes have different grades depending on different demand. The significant difference is on the bristle material. The powder brush bristle is usually goat hair, while goat hair has more than 20 grades, for the top grade powder brush, the most popular hair is ZGF top grade goat hair. ZGF is the best goat hair, most of MAC powder brushes are with ZGF hair, then is BJF and HJF goat hair. For the high grade powder brush, the hair material should be at least HJF goat hair, and with different hair, the brush price will have big difference, for example, with the same ferrule and handle, the brush price with ZGF will be ten times of the brushes with BJF.

Besides the goat hair, the top grade powder brushes can also use chinchillas or squirrel hair, which will be much expensive than even if ZGF goat hair. The powder brushes with chinchilla’s hairs may reach $200.0 per piece.

Although the hair material is the most important, the ferrule and handle material are also very important. The most common ferrule material is copper for high grade powder brushes, some lower grade will use aluminum; and the handle material is usually wooden, some can be bamboo. The wood material also varies a lot. It can be schima superba, mahogany, rubber wood, birch wood, Dalbergia odorifera, sandalwood, etc. Different wooden handle will have different price. The most popular and cost-effective material is birch wood.

The powder brushes can have flat top or slant top or natural shape depends on different usage. The size also varies, the large powder brush diameter (the part connects the handle) usually 18mm and 16mm; and the length of each part can also be different.

So during your custom makeup brushes, it is best to know your product positioning, as well as your detailed imagination on the brushes, so that you can evaluate your budget and then send enquiry to your makeup brush suppliers accordingly.

Who would like to buy makeup brushes from China?

Made-in-China products have been so popular around the world, while at the same time, in some customers eyes, made in china products also mean poor quality; they dare not buy from Chinese suppliers easily. Although it is just caused by few bad suppliers, it is really very difficult for Chinese companies to promote products all over the world.

Therefore, it is very hard for the Chinese makeup brush manufacturers to enter into the top end market. People traditionally believe that makeup brushes from China are equal to low grade and cheap price.

In fact, there really exist very good makeup brush factories in China, and since the makeup brush is a manual work, not so technical, the cost mainly depends on the material, those bad brushes mainly due to the bad material. Therefore, as long as the customers specify the detailed material and dimension to the manufacturers during custom makeup brushes, the quality will meet the exact requirements; the factory will know the brush grade according to the material configuration.

While it is really true that Chinese manufactures are hard to enter into top end market, then who will be the biggest customers of our Chinese makeup brush factories? Some are the medium and low end market customers who pay more attention on the cost control; some are very familiar with china and know where and how to find the best Chinese suppliers who can offer top grade makeup brushes; some have been buying makeup brushes from several certain suppliers or factories and have established trust with these suppliers…….

Anyway, Chinese market has been prosperous for many years, and our Chinese makeup brush factory has found our way to explore new market.

Why the big cosmetics brands usually do not accept new suppliers

Since there are so many companies who manufacture and sell color cosmetics, there must be a lot of chances for makeup brush manufacturers and suppliers to promote their products; also since Made-in-China products have been so popular around the world, the Chinese makeup brush factories may have more chances to gain orders from these companies.

While the fact is, most makeup brush manufacturers can not gain orders from famous brands like MAC, BB, Lancôme etc, therefore, although the sales of the Chinese makeup brush factory send hundreds emails to these brands, they seldom get any feedback.

The reason is that these companies have had there regular suppliers who may be the manufacturer, trading company or distributors from china or other countries. They only accept these suppliers, as they must have done a lot of work before establishing relationship with these suppliers: they must have come to the makeup brush factory to fulfill factor audit, evaluate the makeup brush quality as well as the delivery issues during their previous cooperation. If they aim to accept another factory or supplier, everything needs to be back to the very beginning step, which will waste a lot of time, money and manpower. And if the new suppliers are not better or even much worse than the previous suppliers, it is really a great loss. Therefore, sourcing new suppliers is somewhat not cost-effective and really has big potential risks. That is the major reason why the famous brands would like to keep relationship with the original suppliers as long as there is no big or serious conflict.

In fact, the makeup brush manufacturers should not limit on these famous brands, there are so many trading companies and not so famous color cosmetics companies who would like to do business with us, and these customers have very big potential.  

long and stiff communication-high quality makeup brushes should have high price

During the passed two months, we kept discussing with a customer who wants to custom makeup brushes from us. At the initial communication, the customer deeply and strongly expressed that they need the best quality makeup brushes for their customers who are usually makeup artists.

 

According to such information, we sent many pictures of our high grade makeup brushes for his reference, but he was not satisfied and said the quality was not good enough. As a professional makeup brush manufacturer, we know the price varies a lot depending on material and craft, so we asked him about his target price for several times but got no reply.

 

After about one month later, the customer sent us some pictures of MAC brushes also with the MAC part number; he said he would like to have these brushes with totally the same quality level but different logo.

 

It is know that MAC brushes are extremely in high quality and price level. Per our experience in the makeup brush field for tens years, we know that seldom customers can afford such high cost. However, we have to follow customer requirements, so we made a detailed quotation sheet which explained the bristle, ferrule and handle material, and also indicated the size of each part, in case that the customer was badly scared by the high price.

 

However, the customer did not reply our email till our several follow-ups, he expressed his shock on the extremely high price. We explained a lot and promised that we have quote the best price, just the material is so expensive and the craft is very complex for the MAC equivalent brushes. Also we asked of the target price again and would like to find ways to push the project move forward. But, the customer became annoyed and would like us to note that they do not negotiate either on pricing or quality…..That means they would like MAC brushes but very very low price.

 

As it is said: what you pay, what you get. Everyone know that Chinese products are cheap, but it is just relatively speaking, the international customers can buy products at USD1.0 from Chinese factory and sell USD15.0 at USA or Europe, but it is impossible to buy at USD1.0 but require USD100.0 quality level. No Chinese makeup brush manufacturer can meet such requirement, if only you really can buy at USD1.0, the quality could not reach USD100.0 level but just USD15.0.

 

In a word, high quality makeup brushes should have high price. People should not expect to get MAC brushes at ill-made price.

Makeup brush roll quality

Makeup brush roll is essential for makeup artists, as it can not only protect the brushes from being polluted, but also convenient to take during travel.

Therefore, many customers would like to custom makeup brush roll together with makeup brushes. They can have their own logos on the brush roll, and their own design and ideas can also be revealed on the brush roll, that is the charm of customization.

While the price and quality of makeup brush roll varies a lot depending on the material and craft. The high-grade brush roll will be made by high-grade leather and with perfect craft, then the price will be very high, such brush rolls are usually equipped with high grade makeup brushes to show the quality grade of the whole makeup brush set.

According to different demand, the makeup brush factory also can provide the low-grade brush roll, which may just plastic or imitation leather with simple craft, and the price may less than USD1.0. Of course, the makeup brushes with such brush roll will not be in high grade.

While communicating with the makeup brush manufacturer on the brush roll, customers should specify your detailed requirements on material and craft, and the target price on the brush roll will be best. So that the factory or manufacturer can be clear on the brush roll you would like to get.

Just for your reference, although the makeup brush roll can be in different colors, it will be best if the brush roll color can be identify with the handle color of the makeup brushes.

The painting on makeup brush handles

During custom makeup brushes, most customers have requirements on handle color, maybe black, red, pink, yellow, silver, coffee etc. While the wood itself has not so many colors, so it has to be fulfilled via painting.

There are mainly two kinds of painting methods on the makeup brush handles: spray painting and baking varnish. Spray painting is more common due to its low cost and simple technology, just that if the handle diameter is too big (like powder brushes, blush brushes), there will some “dark point” on the handle end, that is because the paint flow together to the end and then caused a so called dark point. It is in fact the paint and has no any affect on the brush quality or usage. And if the diameter of the makeup brush handle is not so large (like eyeshadow brushes, lip brushes, liner brushes etc), there will be no such point.

If customers really care a lot on this imperfection, the makeup brush factory can really avoid of this by using baking varnish instead of spray painting. However, as the baking varnish is very complex, so the cost on the painting will be much higher, that will greatly affect the whole makeup brush cost, and the general lead time will be a little longer.

While contacting the makeup brush manufacturers, the professional manufacturers will explain to you the detailed difference between the spray painting and baking varnish, then customers will have exact judgment on the painting ways and color selection.  

The importance of customers' profession

During makeup brush business, people believe that professional is the case of the makeup brush manufacturer or seller instead of the buyer. They believe that as long as the makeup brush supplier is professional enough, the communication will be move quickly.

In fact, it is really a misunderstanding. It just like that a clothes buyer sends an email to a seller: hey, I need red cloth; can you please send me quotation? How should the seller quote since there is no picture, no dimension, and no any detail explanation?

It is the same for makeup brush business. We often receive emails like that: please quote us sable hair brush……We have so many makeup brushes with sable hair, which one should we quote? Then we send emails to ask for detailed dimension or pictures, the customers always are not so clear about that. It is really hard for us to move forward.

If customers would like to buy our existing makeup brushes, it is easy, just let us know which type you like, and then you will get quotation from us.

While for custom makeup brushes, customers should at least offer pictures for the makeup brushes they need, if the pictures are clear enough, we, as the professional makeup brush factory, can get known the material and dimension of the makeup brushes from the pictures, it will be enough for quotation; if no picture, customers should describe their detailed requirements on material, size, colors etc; if customers have no picture, and have no idea on material and size requirements, please at least let us know your target price, so that we can suggest you some of our similar or existing brushes for your reference.

The customers’ professional is so important not only during initial quotation but also in the following communication of the order processing; if customers are professional, the makeup brush factory can immediately feedback and resolve all related issues about the makeup brush orders. It will greatly help to push the order fulfillment more quickly and effectively.

Nickel-plated ferrule

Many customers send us emails and would like to have silver ferrule, we explained that we seldom use silver for ferrule, while they are really puzzled about it and show us the pictures of MAC brushes which has shinning “silver” ferrule.

In fact, if they check the detailed description of all MAC makeup brushes, they will find that all MAC makeup brushes are brass ferrule with nickel-plated. The brass can be plated into limited colors, such as light chrome color, light Nickel color, Matte Chrome, Matte Nickel color, light black, matte black, light gold, matte gold, etc.

Therefore, bright yellow does not mean gold ferrule, shinning silver does not mean silver material. Usually, the most common ferrule material is aluminum and copper/brass. For top-grade makeup brushes, the customers will require cooper ferrule while for low-grade brushes, the ferrule material is usually aluminum which is much cheaper than copper.

It is good for customers to let us know their exact thoughts and requirements during their custom makeup brushes, so that we can get known your ideas on the makeup brushes and explained details to customers if they have some wrong understanding; as long as the makeup brush manufacturers and the customers have deep and detailed communication, the customers will get satisfied brushes, which will certainly promote their future cooperation with the makeup brush factory.

The handle shape of makeup brushes

Each part of the makeup brushes has its own significance. The bristle decides the touch feeling to skin, the ferrule affects the whole appearance, and the handle decides the comfort level of makeup artist hand. That is why the makeup brush factory always tries best to perfect their each brush part to reach the most comfortable feeling.

For the makeup brush handle, to reach the most comfortable level, the makeup brush manufacturers design various shapes and length according to the brush function. For mini brush, they may make a finger groove on the handle for easier holding; and the large brushes may have longer and larger handles, anyway, the handle size should be too large for holding.

For the handle shape of makeup brushes, it can be flat, or has steps, or irregular shape; it can be with the same diameter of the whole handle, or one top is much bigger than the other….. No matter what kind of shape or dimension, it is to gain more comfort level for makeup brush users.

We can offer makeup brushes with whatever kind of handles you need. Just let us know your thoughts or demands during custom makeup brushes, we will give you professional suggestions and comments for your reference.

The fee to have your logo on the makeup brushes

During custom makeup brushes from the makeup brush factory, most customers will require to have their company logo on the brushes and the makeup brush bags or packages. It is true that the logo cost is a part of the whole brushes, while it is somewhat different from other parts, or we can say that the logo cost is individual.

The reason is that in fact the logo template fee is one-off, that is you just need to pay the template fee in the first order, in the second or following orders, you needn’t pay logo template fee any more. Of course, some makeup brush manufacturers will share the logo template fee into the unit price, but it is not beneficial for customers, as in this way, you will need to pay the template fee every time! Therefore, if you would like to have your logo on the brushes or bags, it is best to let the makeup brush manufacturers quote you the logo template fee individually. And for customer reference, the logo template fee on the brush bags or packages is usually much more expensive than that on the brush handles.

Of course, to have logo on the brushes or bags, it is not enough to just have the template; the makeup brush manufacturers should print the logo on the brushes, that is called screen printing. The screen printing fee is calculated by quantity, that means the printing fee is usually involved in the unit price, as a part of the brush cost.

In a word, in fact, to have your logo on the brush handles and packages, customers should pay two parts: the template fee and the screen printing fee; the template is one-off, while the screen printing fee is involved in the unit price. Of course, customers should offer the logo drawing to the makeup brush factory, so that the factory can ensure the logo is exactly what customers need.

Why you get quotation with big difference on makeup brushes

Many customers may have such experience: they have purchased makeup brushes from a certain makeup brush supplier for long time, one day, on impulse, they find another supplier and then send emails for inquiry, the result is they are shocked by the significant difference on the quotation and become puzzled: what is wrong? Why so big difference? Do I suffer great loss on previous purchasing?

In fact, it is really normal, the price varies a lot due to different material and dimension. So, while enquiring, you should clearly explain your material, dimension and all other requirements on the makeup brushes.

If you have described the totally same requirements to different suppliers and still get quotation with big difference, that maybe because of your supply source.

1.       If your suppliers are from the same location, the price difference maybe because they are not the makeup brush factory or manufacturer but the distributor. That is you do not get the factory direct price. For example, the EXW price of makeup brush is $1.0, the first distributor will quote at least $1.2 (some even quote $2.0), the second distributor may quote $1.5, and so forth. Then the quotation to the end customers may reach $3.0 which is three times of the original EXW price.

2.       If your suppliers are from difference country, that is easier to understand, just think about that buy a makeup brush from a Chinese makeup brush factory may just need $1.0, but if you buy form an European makeup brush manufacturer or factory, the factory price may reach $20.0

3.       If your suppliers are the Chinese factory and European distributor, the price difference will be much bigger, we usually get known that we offer makeup brushes to our overseas customers at $1.0, and their selling price is $100.0. The shocking difference, right? But it is really the truth.

That is why so many customers prefer to custom makeup brushes directly from Chinese manufacturers, they can get much more profit from such sourcing with the same quality,