Frequently Asked Questions
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ALTAMEET is a New York-based K-beauty manufacturing and sourcing consultancy. We help indie beauty brands launching in the United States and Europe connect with Korean manufacturers and coordinate product development and launch preparation. We work with multiple manufacturing and packaging partners, selecting partners based on each client's product requirements and project needs. ALTAMEET is paid only by the brands it represents, never by manufacturers.
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The first 15-minute introductory call is free. ALTAMEET is paid only by you, the brand: we do not accept commissions, referral fees, rebates, or margin from manufacturers or partners, and you pay manufacturers at their quoted price. Production-Ready Development starts at US$3,000 for one SKU on an existing ODM base, through your written approval of the final formula and packaging, billed US$1,500 at kickoff and US$1,500 on approval. Additional SKUs (US$1,500), custom formulation (US$2,000 per SKU), and custom packaging (US$1,000 per SKU) are added per project. Production Management is optional and billed separately at 8% of the manufacturer's invoice value (minimum US$1,000), decreasing on larger orders. Branding, design, regulatory, and marketing partners bill you directly.
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Tell us your number. We will scope what can be done within it, or tell you plainly that it is not enough yet. Our rates do not change; the scope does.
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No. ALTAMEET is paid only by the brands it represents. We do not accept commissions, referral fees, rebates, or margin from manufacturers or partners. You pay manufacturers at their quoted price, and ALTAMEET's fees are invoiced separately, so you always see what the factory charges and what we charge.
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Separately. Manufacturers quote you directly, and you see their original quote. ALTAMEET's fees appear on their own line in your proposal and are invoiced by ALTAMEET, never collected through a manufacturer or added to a factory price. Sample fees, development fees, testing, freight, and duties are paid to the provider that charges them.
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Manufacturing and third-party expenses—such as samples, formulation development, testing, packaging, shipping, duties, and external specialist services—are separate from ALTAMEET’s service fees unless your proposal expressly includes them. Your proposal identifies known inclusions and exclusions. Costs that depend on final specifications or third-party quotations are confirmed before the relevant work or order is authorized.
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We provide full project support in English and Korean. Conversational Italian is available for initial consultations, though production workflows are conducted in English or Korean.
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ALTAMEET offers one core engagement, Production-Ready Development: manufacturer sourcing and vetting, product brief and RFQ development, sample coordination with up to three revision rounds, packaging sourcing, and coordination of testing, labeling, and MoCRA checkpoints, through your written approval of the final formula and packaging. Production Management, covering PO negotiation, production scheduling, QC oversight, and shipping coordination, is available as an optional add-on. Branding, packaging design, regulatory filing, and marketing are coordinated through vetted partners who bill you directly. Every project is run by a bilingual project lead in New York.
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ALTAMEET supports skincare, body care, hair care, feminine care, make up (color cosmetics), and men's care products. We match each project with manufacturing partners based on its product requirements and scope. Every project starts with the same engagement, Production-Ready Development. U.S. sunscreen and other OTC-drug projects require additional regulatory and manufacturing review and are evaluated separately.
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Most cosmetic products do not require FDA premarket approval, although color additives generally require FDA approval for their intended use, and a product may also be regulated as a drug depending on its intended use and claims. Cosmetics sold in the United States must comply with applicable safety, labeling, ingredient, adverse-event, and other requirements. Under MoCRA, facility registration and product listing may be required, subject to statutory exemptions. Facility registration and product listing do not constitute FDA approval or certification.
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Under MoCRA, the Responsible Person is the manufacturer, packer, or distributor whose name appears on the product label. The Responsible Person handles product listing, safety substantiation, serious adverse-event reporting, and the required adverse-event contact information on the label. The owner or operator of a non-exempt manufacturing or processing facility is responsible for facility registration, and a foreign facility must designate a U.S. agent. A U.S. agent and a Responsible Person are separate roles.
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As of September 4, 2026, covered goods of South Korea are subject to a USTR Section 301 tariff framework under which the combined MFN and additional Section 301 duty is generally 12.5% when the MFN rate is below 12.5%. If the MFN rate is 12.5% or higher, the additional Section 301 duty is zero. Product exclusions and other trade measures may change the result. The exact duty depends on the product’s HTSUS classification, country of origin, entry date, and current Chapter 99 treatment, so importers should confirm each shipment with a licensed customs broker. Duty-free de minimis treatment remains suspended, so shipments under $800 are not automatically duty-free.
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With ODM (Original Design Manufacturing), the base formula belongs to the manufacturer, and your branding is yours. Rights to changes developed specifically for your brand are agreed with the manufacturer in writing before development starts. If you want full rights to the formula, ALTAMEET negotiates those terms with the manufacturer at the same stage.