Skincare Contract Manufacturing in Canada

Skincare is the highest-growth, highest-margin category in personal care. Face serums, moisturizers, cleansers, eye creams, and masks are where brands build differentiation, command premium pricing, and earn long-term customer loyalty. The contract manufacturer behind your skincare program is one of the most important commercial decisions you'll make. Petra Lab-X has manufactured skincare in Vaughan, Ontario for over 30 years across positioning from clean beauty to clinical.

This page covers what skincare contract manufacturing with Petra looks like — the categories we make, our process, and the questions brands ask us most often.

Skincare Categories We Manufacture

Petra manufactures skincare across the major positioning categories the market buys.

Face serums formulated around active systems including vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid and stable derivatives), retinol and retinoids, niacinamide, peptides, hyaluronic acid, and AHA/BHA exfoliants.

Face moisturizers in day and night, cream and gel formats, formulated to specific skin-type targets and positioning categories.

Face cleansers in foam, gel, milk, oil, and balm formats — from gentle daily cleansers to clinical exfoliating systems.

Eye creams and serums formulated specifically for the delicate eye area, with peptides, caffeine, vitamin K, and brightening actives.

Toners and essences in hydrating, exfoliating, and treatment formats, including K-beauty-inspired multi-step routines.

Face masks in sheet, clay, peel-off, and overnight formats for treatment and self-care positioning.

Spot treatments for acne (with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide as FDA OTC actives), brightening, and targeted concerns.

Mists, hydrating sprays, and essences for lightweight skincare and refresh formats.

For face serums specifically, Petra has deep formulation experience across stable vitamin C systems, retinol stability, peptide-loaded serums, and emerging actives like bakuchiol and growth-factor-positioning ingredients.

Our Manufacturing Capabilities

Petra Lab-X operates a 60,000 sq ft facility in Vaughan, Ontario. We run 12 mixing kettles ranging from pilot batches to large-scale production runs, with 10 filling lines that handle bottles, tubes, jars, sachets, sticks, and droppers — the last critical for serum packaging. Our facility is ISO 22716 certified for cosmetic Good Manufacturing Practice, and we operate four distribution warehouses across Canada and the US.

Our minimum order quantities are designed to support emerging brands launching their first product, and scale cleanly into production runs for established brands.

How a Skincare Project Works at Petra

Discovery and brief, formulation and prototyping (typically 2 to 3 prototype rounds for serums and treatments), extensive stability testing (especially critical for vitamin C and retinol systems), regulatory and labeling, production, and fulfillment.

Why Brands Choose Petra Lab-X for Skincare Manufacturing

Active stability expertise. Vitamin C, retinol, and peptide systems are notoriously unstable. The difference between a serum that delivers efficacy and one that browns in three months on shelf is formulation expertise with the specific actives. Our R&D team has developed stable systems across the most challenging actives in the category.

Clinical and clean-beauty positioning depth. Clean-beauty face cream and clinical retinol serum are different products with different ingredient palettes, claim requirements, and consumer expectations. We formulate across the full spectrum.

End-to-end without coordination overhead. Formulation, production, regulatory, and fulfillment under one roof.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you formulate stable vitamin C serums?

Yes. We work with L-ascorbic acid systems and stable derivatives (sodium ascorbyl phosphate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl glucoside) depending on the brand's positioning and stability requirements.

Do you formulate retinol and retinoid products?

Yes. Retinol stability requires specific formulation expertise around oxidation, light exposure, and packaging compatibility. We've developed retinol systems across positioning from gentle introduction to high-percentage clinical.

What about acne and OTC drug products?

Yes. We manufacture FDA OTC drug products for acne (salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide), with Drug Facts panels and regulatory submissions handled in-house.

What's the minimum order quantity?

Minimums vary by product complexity and packaging. Contact us with your project details and we'll confirm.

How long does a skincare project take?

Typical project timelines range from a few weeks for simple reformulations to several months for active-loaded serums or treatment products requiring extended stability testing.

Where is Petra Lab-X located?

Our manufacturing facility is in Vaughan (Concord), Ontario, Canada — about 30 minutes north of downtown Toronto.

Ready to Start Your Skincare Project?

Whether you're at concept stage, switching from another manufacturer, or scaling an existing line — we'd be happy to talk.

Submit a product inquiry →