We read the labels of three peptide hair serums. One of them you can launch under your brand.
The Ordinary made peptide hair serums affordable. Vegamour made them a brand. Between them sits a formula you can launch under your own name in about six weeks. Three labels, read the same way: what is in them, where it sits, and what that means on a shelf.
Your customers read the back of the bottle before the front. Then they screenshot it.
That changes what a hair serum has to survive. What has to survive is not a claim on the box. It is a list of thirty names, in order, held up next to the two brands they already know. If the list holds, the brand gets a chance. If it doesn’t, no amount of packaging brings the customer back.
So that is where this starts. Three labels, every ingredient, in the order each brand printed them. Two of the labels belong to the products that define this category. The third is a formula that exists today, in a US facility, waiting for a name.
By the end you will know whether it belongs on that shelf. Then you can hold all three and decide.
Every ingredient in label order, colored by its FormuNova library rating. Hover or tap a segment for the ingredient.
What to look for on a hair growth serum label
Four things on a label carry most of what a customer will ever learn about a serum.
- Where the peptides sit. Ingredients are listed in descending order down to the 1% line, and below it the order is the brand’s choice. A peptide at #7 is doing more of the work than one at #25. Position is the only concentration signal a label gives you, and every brand knows it.
- The supporting cast. Most labels lean on the same supporting cast: caffeine, biotin, panthenol, arginine, and the branded botanical blends sold as Redensyl, Procapil, and Baicapil. They are inexpensive, familiar, and expected by anyone who has read a hair-serum ad. What is missing is as telling as what is there.
- The base. Almost every serum is water and humectants. The one choice that matters is whether it uses alcohol for a fast-dry feel. It reads as clinical, and it is the ingredient a daily scalp notices first.
- The flags. A product used every day needs robust preservation and a label that survives a screenshot: no fragrance, no alcohol, no PEGs, no sulfites, nothing the FormuNova ingredient library rates with caution.
Read the three labels below with those four in mind. The pattern shows up fast.
Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density
This is the value benchmark of the category, and the label shows why it earned the position. Caffeine is at #5. At #6 and #7 come the two signal peptides, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1 and Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, the pair sold together as Capixyl. Larch wood extract and pea sprout extract follow at #8 and #9, the Redensyl botanicals, and scutellaria root at #10 opens the Baicapil trio, with wheat germ and soybean germ at #11 and #12. Seven recognizable actives in the top twelve of a 36-ingredient list. On position alone, this is the label to beat.
Ingredients Aqua (Water), Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caffeine, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Larix Europaea Wood Extract, Pisum Sativum Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract, Glycine Soja Germ Extract, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Apigenin, Oleanolic Acid, Arginine, Glycine, Calcium Gluconate, Zinc Chloride, Lactic Acid, Gluconolactone, Dextran, Maltodextrin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Polysorbate 20, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.
- Ingredients
- 36
- Rated
- 9 GREAT · 26 GOOD · 1 FAIR
- Peptides
- Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1 #6 · Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3 #7
- Also
- caffeine #5 · larix europaea wood extract #8 · pisum sativum extract #9 · scutellaria baicalensis root extract #10 · arginine #17 · zinc chloride #20
- Base
- water · propanediol · butylene glycol
- Preserved with
- sodium benzoate · phenoxyethanol · chlorphenesin
- Contains
- polysorbate 20 · sodium metabisulfite
- Not yet reviewed
- 0
What to actually expect. Nothing on this label is rated with caution, and its peptides sit higher than anyone else's on this shelf. The base is a conventional glycol serum. The label also carries a PPG solubiliser and a sulfite, two names a clean-label customer will ask about. It is the label to beat on paper, and the price sets the floor of the category.
Two signal peptides in the top ten. On position alone, the label to beat.
GRO Hair Serum
Vegamour built the most recognizable brand in the category around plant-derived peptides, and the label is a lesson in how a story and a formula can be two different things. Caffeine is at #6, turmeric callus extract at #7, the plant-cell ingredient the brand leads with, and biotin at #19. The peptides come last: three sh-peptides, each labeled with their Nicotiana benthamiana origin, at #24, #25 and #26 of 26. These are growth-factor-family peptides, the same family the third label uses. Here they close the list.
Ingredients Water/Aqua/Eau, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Caffeine, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Callus Conditioned Media, Citrus Bergamia Peel Oil Expressed, Sodium Phytate, Pentylene Glycol, Limonene, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Lactic Acid, (Trifolium Pratense (Clover)/Vigna Radiata) Sprout Extract, Linalool, Sodium Hydroxide, Biotin, Alcohol, Phytic Acid, Linalyl Acetate, Pinene, Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 SH-Oligopeptide-2, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 SH-Polypeptide-9, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 SH-Polypeptide-86.
- Ingredients
- 26
- Rated
- 5 GREAT · 16 GOOD · 4 CAUTION
- Peptides
- SH-Oligopeptide-2 #24 · SH-Polypeptide-9 #25 · SH-Polypeptide-86 #26
- Also
- caffeine #6 · turmeric callus conditioned media #7 · biotin #19
- Base
- water · butylene glycol · glycerin
- Preserved with
- sodium benzoate · potassium sorbate
- Contains
- citrus bergamia peel oil expressed · alcohol denat
- Not yet reviewed
- 1
What to actually expect. Caffeine and biotin up front, a plant story on the pack, and a decade of customers who bought it. That is what a brand does, and it counts. The label also carries four ingredients the library rates with caution, alcohol and a fragrance component among them, plus a citrus peel oil, on a product that goes on a scalp every day. It is the clearest example on this shelf of what a strong story can carry, and what it costs on the label.
The same growth-factor peptide family as the third label. Listed at the bottom of this one.
Now read the third label the same way.
Hair Growth Serum with Peptides
Water, glycerin, soy lecithin. Arginine at #5. Then, from #11 to #15, five sh-peptides in a row: sh-Polypeptide-11, sh-Polypeptide-1, sh-Oligopeptide-2, sh-Oligopeptide-10, sh-Polypeptide-9. Vitamin E at #10. Then the same botanical trio The Ordinary lists at #10 to #12, soybean germ, wheat germ, and scutellaria root, here at #17 to #19. Rosemary extract at #24, saw palmetto at #27. Preservation is a sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate system with caprylyl glycol and ethylhexylglycerin. No denatured alcohol, no PEGs, no sulfites. Twenty-seven names, all of them rated, none flagged.
Ingredients Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Lecithin, Propanediol, Arginine, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, sh-Polypeptide-11, sh-Polypeptide-1, sh-Oligopeptide-2, sh-Oligopeptide-10, sh-Polypeptide-9, Lactic Acid, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Germ Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Gluconolactone, Calcium Gluconate, Potassium Sorbate, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Gluconate, Serenoa Repens (Saw Palmetto) Extract.
- Ingredients
- 27
- Rated
- 9 GREAT · 18 GOOD · none flagged
- Peptides
- sh-Polypeptide-11 #11 · sh-Polypeptide-1 #12 · sh-Oligopeptide-2 #13 · sh-Oligopeptide-10 #14 · sh-Polypeptide-9 #15
- Also
- arginine #5 · tocopherol #10 · scutellaria baicalensis root extract #19 · rosemary extract #24 · saw palmetto extract #27
- Base
- water · glycerin · lecithin
- Preserved with
- caprylyl glycol · ethylhexylglycerin · sodium benzoate · potassium sorbate
- Not yet reviewed
- 0
View more private label product details
What to actually expect. A label a careful customer reads all the way down and keeps using: five growth-factor peptides in the top half, a base that is kind to a daily scalp, nothing flagged. Two things to know before you plan the label. Its peptides start at #11, lower than The Ordinary's pair at #6 and #7. And it has no caffeine, which many customers expect to see on a hair serum. Neither changes what the label is. Both change how you tell it.
Five growth-factor peptides in the top half of the list, and nothing flagged. The label a customer reads all the way down.
See it next to the other two. Samples ship in days.
Order samplesSide by side
| The Ordinary | Vegamour | Your BrandReady to launch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | 36 | 26 | 27 |
| Rated great / good | 9 / 26 | 5 / 16 | 9 / 18 |
| Flagged | none | 4 caution | none |
| Peptides | 2 peptides, #6–#7 | 3 peptides, #24–#26 | 5 sh-peptides, #11–#15 |
| Other actives | caffeine · larix europaea wood extract · pisum sativum extract · scutellaria baicalensis root extract · arginine | caffeine · turmeric callus conditioned media · biotin | arginine · tocopherol · scutellaria baicalensis root extract · rosemary extract · saw palmetto extract |
| Base | water · propanediol · butylene glycol | water · butylene glycol · glycerin | water · glycerin · lecithin |
| Free from | fragrance · essential oils · denatured alcohol · silicones · sulfates · parabens | fragrance · silicones · PEGs · sulfates · sulfites · parabens | fragrance · essential oils · denatured alcohol · silicones · PEGs · sulfates |
| Not yet reviewed | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Every ingredient in label order, colored by its FormuNova library rating. Hover or tap a segment for the ingredient.
Where each one leads
The Ordinary owns the position of its signal peptides and a price that sets the floor. Vegamour owns the story, and the shelf space a decade of marketing paid for. Between them is a position neither has taken: the serum whose label a careful customer reads all the way down and keeps using. Five growth-factor peptides where they count, a base that is kind to a daily scalp, nothing flagged.
That position is open. It is not taken by a $70 brand or a $20 one.
If you are building a brand
Taking it is mostly a set of brand decisions, because the formula part is finished.
Is this a treatment or a routine? A dropper says treatment; a pump says routine. Both are yours to choose. Where does it sit on your price ladder? The 1 oz bottle is the standard; a 2 oz size changes the ladder, not the formula. One product or a set? The Smooth & Moisture Shampoo and the Exfoliating Scalp Scrub come from the same catalog and pair naturally into a scalp routine, which is where many reorders in this category come from.
Your name and logo on the label are included, and the label template is on the product page. If you want the bottle itself to be different, we do that too.
From this page to your shelf
You do not have to commit to a run to find out. Order samples and put all three on your desk; they ship in days. , so you know your unit economics before you spend anything on design. Then put your artwork on the label, choose your components, and the first run comes out of our GMP-certified, FDA-registered facility in Stone Mountain, Georgia in four to six weeks, with the specification sheet, safety data sheets and certificate of analysis that Amazon and retail will ask you for.
A first run is usually a few thousand units, sized to how you plan to sell it. If you want to test the market first, you can start smaller and scale on the reorder. If you are already moving volume, we plan production around your cadence, with dedicated capacity from 1,000 units a week.
Things people ask us
Is this the same formula as the Ordinary or Vegamour product?
No. The Hair Growth Serum with Peptides is a separate formula, designed and manufactured by FormuNova in our own facility. This piece compares what each label lists and how our ingredient library rates those ingredients; the brand, the story and the price are yours.
What does FormuNova do?
We are a US-based manufacturer of beauty and personal-care products for brands ready to scale. Development and manufacturing are in-house in Stone Mountain, Georgia, with formulation, fulfillment, design, supply-chain and regulatory support around it. See private label and custom formulation.
Can I customize a private label product?
Yes. Your label with your branding and logo is included in the base price, and the template is on the product page. Different components, such as a pump, a jar or another bottle, run through our custom packaging program. Ingredient changes are a separate custom formulation program with its own timeline; the formula on this page is offered as it is. If your brand is already running high volumes, reach out to discuss turnkey manufacturing and supply-chain management.
What is the minimum order?
A first run is usually a few thousand units, sized to how you plan to sell it, and you can start smaller to test the market and scale on the reorder. Our floor minimums for private label are 140 units with standard packaging and 500 with custom packaging; a higher minimum is listed on a product page when it applies.
What is the lead time?
Typically 4 to 6 weeks for private label orders, with an account manager assigned to manage it. For established brands we offer turnkey supply-chain management with dedicated production capacity from 1,000 units a week.
How will my order be delivered?
In bulk, EXW, by LTL freight or UPS, prepared for your warehouse, 3PL or retail platform. We can coordinate freight on your behalf, and if you do not have a warehouse we can ship to a commercial or residential address or discuss direct-to-consumer fulfillment. FBA prep and secondary packaging are quoted separately.
Can anyone launch a new brand?
With enough preparation, yes. If you are at the start, we guide you through the first steps; minimums are low enough to start, and we are equipped to help you scale.
Where are the products made, and are they FDA approved?
In our GMP-certified (NSF/ANSI 455-3), FDA-registered facility in Stone Mountain, Georgia, directly from the manufacturer. Cosmetics are not subject to FDA approval the way drugs are; our facility is registered with the FDA and follows strict quality and compliance protocols. Learn more about our GMP certification for cosmetics.
What documentation is provided?
For each SKU, a Finished Product Specification Sheet and Safety Data Sheets, and a Certificate of Analysis for every batch. We also provide GMP certification, FDA registration, proof of inventory, the Cosmetic Product Ingredient Statement and other documents that Amazon, Walmart, CVS and Shopify ask for.
What budget should I plan for?
The absolute minimum is around $2,000; most launches need $5,000 to $10,000; a competitive small private-label launch typically falls in the $10,000 to $30,000 range, not including marketing and fulfillment. Established brands: reach out for a quote aligned to your volume.
Do you offer marketing services?
No. Direct-to-consumer marketing is the core of your business and we do not believe in outsourcing the core. We handle everything else: formulation, manufacturing, fulfillment, design, supply chain and regulatory support.
How do I launch this product with FormuNova?
Order samples and test this serum against the two bottles above. . Then reach out with a short summary of your brand stage; an account manager takes it from there.
See it yourself.
Three bottles on your desk. Then decide.
Product names and images belong to their respective brands and are used for identification only. FormuNova is not affiliated with The Ordinary or Vegamour. This piece compares published ingredient lists and FormuNova’s library ratings of individual ingredients; it makes no claim about the performance of any finished product. The FormuNova formula is a cosmetic product.
