Quick Answer
A skincare line sheet is the wholesale document a buyer orders from. Each SKU row lists the product name and size, SKU code, GTIN, wholesale price, suggested retail price and case pack. A terms block then sets the opening and reorder minimums, payment terms, who pays freight, ship lead time, tester policy and how damage claims work. Set every term from stock you have and ship dates you can keep.
A spa owner who loves your sample still can't order it from an email thread. She needs one page that says what she is buying, what it costs, how many come in a case and what happens if a box arrives crushed. That page is the line sheet.
A common first draft lists products and prices and stops there. The order terms, the part that lets a buyer say yes on the spot, get pushed to a follow-up email. My rule for a first line sheet is simple: if a buyer has to write back before she can place an order, the sheet is not finished.
Key Takeaways
- A line sheet has two halves: the facts for each SKU and the order terms. First drafts often stop after the first half.
- Order terms are your decisions, not industry rules. Write each one so a buyer could quote it back to you.
- Under GS1 rules the brand owner normally assigns the GTIN, wherever the product is made.
- On Faire, the platform decides which retailers get Net 60 terms. Keep platform terms and your own terms apart.
- Wholesale minimums are not production minimums. Case packs and carton counts get set with your Korean manufacturer before production.
What Is a Skincare Line Sheet, and What Does a Buyer Do With It?
A line sheet is a wholesale selling document that lists every product you offer to stores, with its facts, its prices and the terms you accept orders on. A buyer uses it to pick products, check her margin against your suggested retail price and place the order.
It is not a brochure. Lifestyle photos and your founder story belong in a lookbook or pitch deck. The line sheet answers four questions: what, how much, how many and when.
At an independent spa or boutique, the person reading it is often the owner, reading between appointments or after closing. So the sheet has to work without you in the room. Keep one product per row and put the terms on the same page.
The Product Facts Every SKU Row Needs
Every SKU row needs seven facts: product name, size, SKU code, GTIN, wholesale price, suggested retail price (MSRP) and case pack. Add a small product photo and one line of copy that matches your approved label claims.
| Field | Why the buyer looks | Settle before you print |
|---|---|---|
| Product name and size | Matches what arrives in the box and on her shelf tag | Size in fl oz and mL, exactly as printed on the carton |
| SKU code | Lets her order and reorder the same item by code | One code per size and variant; never reuse a retired code |
| GTIN (barcode number) | Scans into her point-of-sale system | Assigned by the brand owner; one per size |
| Wholesale price | Her cost per unit | Your price ladder and advertised-price policy |
| MSRP | Her shelf price and her margin | Same ladder; match your own website price |
| Case pack | How many units she buys per item | Fixed with the factory before production |
| One claim line | What she can tell a customer | Copy only approved label and website claims |
One rule on barcodes: GS1 says the brand owner, the company that owns the product's specifications, normally assigns the GTIN regardless of where and by whom it is made.
The math behind the wholesale price and MSRP is its own decision. Work it out first with this guide to wholesale pricing, MSRP, keystone and MAP, then copy the results onto the sheet.
Some buyers also ask how long a product lasts, because unsold stock sits on their shelf, not yours. If you list shelf life, use the numbers from your stability file; how much shelf life a Korea-made product needs to sell online explains where those numbers come from.
Which Order Terms Should a Line Sheet Spell Out?
Spell out eight terms: opening order minimum, reorder minimum, payment terms, freight, ship lead time, tester policy, damages and returns, and the date the prices take effect. No rule fixes these values. Each one is a number or policy you choose and then keep.
Payment terms need the most care. Net 30 is a payment term that makes the full invoice due 30 days after the invoice date. Prepaid and payment on shipment are the other common choices, and you can offer different terms to first orders and to repeat accounts.
| Term | What it means | What to decide first |
|---|---|---|
| Opening order minimum | The smallest first order you accept, by dollar value or by units per item | What one order costs you to pick, pack and ship |
| Reorder minimum | The smallest repeat order you accept | Whether you want small, frequent reorders or fewer, larger ones |
| Payment terms | When the invoice is due: prepaid, on shipment or Net 30 | How long you can wait for cash without delaying your next production order |
| Freight | Who pays shipping, and any order value that ships free | Your real cost to ship one case to each region |
| Ship lead time | Business days from accepted order to shipment | Stock on hand, not stock on order |
| Testers and samples | Whether testers are free, discounted or charged, and how many per order | Tester units planned into the production run |
| Damages and returns | How fast a buyer reports damage or shortage, and what you replace or credit | A photo rule and a claim window you can check against carrier records |
| Price effective date | The date these prices and terms start | Change it every time a term changes |
Write each term as a sentence a buyer could quote back to you. "Opening orders: any mix of products, by the case" is clear. "Flexible minimums, just ask" is not, and it invites a negotiation on every order.
"I'm Liz, I run altameet from Manhattan, NYC. Every term on a line sheet is a promise. I would rather see a founder print a longer ship time she can keep than a short one she misses. If you want a quick gut-check on whether Korean ODM fits your project, I'll give you 15 minutes free."
How Do Spa Buyers Read a Line Sheet Differently From Boutiques?
A boutique buyer reads for the shelf: retail sizes, MSRP, testers and display. A spa buyer often reads for two uses at once. She resells some products at the front desk and her staff use others in treatments, which can mean a separate professional size with its own price.
If you offer a treatment size, give it its own rows and price column so it never mixes with retail units. The route into med spas and how a professional price list works are covered in this guide to the US med spa channel.
For boutiques, the questions are about the shelf. Does a case fit her display? Are testers available, and do they cost anything? Can she sell at your MSRP without being undercut online? Answer the tester question on the sheet itself.
Both kinds of buyer may ask for paperwork before a first order. Some retailers and wholesale platforms ask for a certificate of product liability insurance, and this guide to product liability insurance for beauty brands explains what that policy covers.
Set Terms You Can Keep, Starting From Stock and Ship Dates
Decide your terms in this order: stock on hand, ship date, reorder capacity, minimums, payment terms. Each term rests on the one before it. A minimum or payment window set before you know your stock is a promise you may not keep.
- Count sellable stock per SKU. Subtract what your own website and samples need for the season.
- Set a ship lead time from that stock. Count business days, with a holiday buffer.
- Check reorder capacity. Work out how many reorders you can fill before your next production run lands.
- Set opening and reorder minimums. Make each one cover your pick, pack and freight cost per order.
- Choose payment terms you can carry. Then write the price effective date on the sheet.
Wholesale minimums and production minimums are different numbers. An opening order minimum decides how much a store buys from you. It does not change how your manufacturer runs production.
Plan stock per SKU from the factory's run size, not from your first wholesale orders. Production-Ready Development projects at ALTAMEET start at 3,000 units per SKU, so wholesale accounts draw from a batch planned before the first order arrives.
Where wholesale fits next to your website, Amazon and specialty retail, and when to approach buyers at all, is in the US launch playbook for Korean cosmetics.
When You Sell on Faire, Who Sets Which Terms?
On Faire, the platform sets the retailer's payment terms and its own commission rules, and your line sheet sets the rest. Faire says retailers with a Faire account get their standard terms, Net 60 or payment on shipment, and not every retailer that signs up qualifies for Net 60.
Commission depends on where the buyer came from. Per the same help article, an opening order you write through Faire, or an order for a retailer who is not on Faire, carries no Faire commission. A reorder from a retailer who first found you on the Faire marketplace does carry one.
So keep two lists. Platform terms are whatever the platform publishes this season; check its brand help center before repeating them. Brand terms are your prices, case packs, minimums, testers and ship times, and they read the same on and off the platform.
Case Packs and Carton Counts Get Decided Before Production
A case pack is the fixed number of units of one SKU that a buyer orders in. It has to match how the factory packs inner boxes and shipping cartons, so settle it with your Korean manufacturer before production, not after the goods land.
A master carton refers to the outer shipping box that holds several inner packs. Changing case packs after production means repacking or relabeling cartons in a US warehouse.
Agree on three things with the factory: units per inner box, inner boxes per master carton, and what the carton label shows, such as SKU, GTIN and lot number. Then copy those numbers onto the line sheet. Case quantity and carton count are items to align with your Korean manufacturer before production starts.
Line Sheet and Order Terms Checklist
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should the wholesale price and MSRP sit on the same line sheet?
Yes. A buyer checks her margin by comparing the two, so put them side by side in every SKU row. Use a separate price sheet only for a different buyer tier, such as a distributor.
Do I need GTINs before I send a line sheet?
Stores that scan at checkout need a barcode for every item, so assign GTINs before you print the line sheet and the cartons. Under GS1 rules the brand owner normally assigns them, even when a Korean factory makes the product.
What file format should a line sheet be?
Send a PDF that reads well on a phone, and keep a spreadsheet version for buyers who build orders in their own systems. Put the price effective date and your contact details on every page.
How often should I update my line sheet?
Update it whenever a price, SKU, size or term changes, and change the effective date each time. A buyer who orders from an old sheet will expect the old terms.
By Liz Song, K-beauty sourcing consultant.
