What Mariposa Labs does

Mariposa Labs is a privately held, full-service personal care contract manufacturer founded in 2003 and headquartered at 270 E. 50th Street, Boise, Idaho. The company produces custom-formulated body care, facial/beauty, hair care, men's grooming, spa, children's care, pet care, and home care products on a B2B basis for national and international brand owners across specialty retail, multi-level marketing, health food and natural retailers, direct sellers, national brand and box-store channels, and the spa/resort/hotel hospitality segment. Its core technology centers on in-house formulation chemistry (under Technical Director and Formulation Chemist Kelly Kropf) backed by a laboratory testing program that exceeds industry norms (Standard Temperature, Freeze/Thaw, and 104-degree Oven tests covering preservation, emulsion, stability, viscosity, color, fragrance, and overall look-and-feel), yielding a minimum 1-year shelf life guarantee with a typical 18-month guarantee. The company is FDA registered and inspected, operates under cGMP compliant with ISO-22716 cosmetics GMP standards, and holds memberships in the Personal Care Products Council, Society of Cosmetic Chemists, International Beauty Association, and Organic Trade Association.

Mariposa's offering is end-to-end, spanning custom formulation or reverse engineering, iterative testing (typically three months), and packaging from 1/3 oz. jars and tubes through 36+ oz. bottles up to 5-gallon buckets, fiber drums, and 2,000-pound totes, including tamper-evident heat-induction seals, shrink bands, and full-wrap or spot labeling. Its formulations can be produced to meet Whole Foods Market, Credo, Clean at Sephora, Beauty Counter, Cruelty-Free International, Halal, Gluten-Free, and Vegan ingredient standards, and its brand-owner clients' products have won placements and editorial recognition including Oprah Magazine O-Wards, Good Morning America features, Natural Solutions' Beauty with a Conscience award, Best of Baby Products, and the Blackstar Award.

Revenue is generated through per-batch contract manufacturing orders with a 5,000-unit minimum order quantity per item, supplemented by R&D and reverse-engineering services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is sales-led, with a Director of Business Development engaging clients from conception through launch across diverse customer tiers ranging from independent direct sellers (SMB) through mid-market natural retailers to enterprise national brands and hospitality chains. Mariposa is co-owned by Milt Gillespie (Owner and President since 2003) and Hollis Brookover (Owner and Director of R&D since 2020), employs 51-100 staff with near-zero turnover and average tenure exceeding ten years, and operates without external investors, parent companies, or public funding events.

Name

Mariposa Labs

Legal name

Mariposa Labs

Website

https://mariposalabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mariposa Labs is a privately held, FDA-registered and ISO-22716-certified personal care contract manufacturer in Boise, Idaho, founded in 2003. It provides end-to-end custom formulation, rigorous testing, and flexible packaging services to national and international brands, MLMs, natural retailers, and hospitality operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Care Contract Manufacturing

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Material (CTM) Manufacturing & Supply CDMO (HLAGABAK)

Keywords

• Contract manufacturing
• Personal care products
• Custom formulation services
• Cosmetic manufacturing
• Skincare product manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Boise

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing: Mariposa Labs generates revenue through custom personal care product manufacturing services. They produce products for clients including body lotions, creams, oils, facial products, hair care, baby products, and pet products. Revenue is generated through per-batch production orders with minimum orders of 5,000 units per item.
2. Research & Development Services: R&D services for new product development and reverse engineering. The technical director and formulation chemist provides creative product solutions, working to improve existing formulas and reformulate to meet consumer trends and demands for more natural products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mariposa Labs is a contract manufacturer that designs, formulates, tests, fills, and packages custom personal care products on behalf of brand clients. Its offering spans eight product categories (body care, face/beauty, men's grooming, spa, hair care, children's care, pet care, home care) and includes R&D, custom formulation, multi-protocol stability testing, and filling into containers ranging from 1/3 oz jars to 2,000-lb totes, all delivered from its FDA-registered, cGMP-compliant, ISO-22716 facility in Boise, Idaho.

Product overview

Mariposa Labs is a personal care contract manufacturer offering full-service product development, manufacturing, testing, and packaging for personal care products. The company operates as a unified service offering that encompasses product formulation, rigorous testing (preservative system, emulsion, stability, viscosity, color, fragrance, and overall quality), and packaging services across multiple materials. The product portfolio spans eight distinct categories: Body Care (lotions, creams, shower gels, scrubs, bath products), Face/Beauty (moisturizers, serums, cleansers, masks), Men's Grooming (shave products), Spa/Massage products, Hair Care (shampoos, conditioners, styling products), Children's Care (baby wash, lotion), Pet Care (shampoo, deodorizers), and Home Care (cleaners, sprays). Products are formulated to meet various industry standards including Whole Foods Market, Credo, Cruelty-Free International, Clean at Sephora, Vegan, Halal, Gluten-Free, and Beauty Counter standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Body Care Product Manufacturing Custom manufacturing of body care products for brand clients, including hand cream, lotion, body cream/butter, shower gel/wash, salt/sugar scrub, bath oil, bubble bath, body spray/mist/splash, skin illuminating cream, after sun moisturizer, and exfoliators. Produced under FDA-registered, cGMP-compliant conditions with rigorous stability testing and an 18-month shelf-life guarantee.
• Face and Beauty Product Manufacturing Custom manufacturing of facial and beauty products for brand clients, including moisturizer, serum, cleanser, cleansing oil, cream, make-up remover, scrub, mask, toner, face quencher/tonic, and face mist. Formulated to clean-beauty and natural-product standards such as Whole Foods, Credo, Clean at Sephora, and Beauty Counter.
• Men's Grooming Product Manufacturing Custom manufacturing of men's grooming products for brand clients, including shave cream, shave oil, pre-shave scrub, and after shave balm.
• Spa and Massage Product Manufacturing Custom manufacturing of spa and massage products for spa, resort, hotel, and brand clients, including massage lotion/cream, massage oil, massage gel, foot scrub, foot mask, and cuticle cream/oil.
• Hair Care Product Manufacturing Custom manufacturing of hair care products for brand clients, including shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, hair lotion, shine spray, and hair gel.
• Children's Care Product Manufacturing Custom manufacturing of children's personal care products for brand clients, including baby wash, baby lotion, children's shampoo/conditioner, children's lotion, and hair detangler; formulations have received 'Best of Baby Products' recognition.
• Pet Care Product Manufacturing Custom manufacturing of pet care products for brand clients, including pet shampoo, pet conditioner, and pet bed deodorizer.
• Home Care Product Manufacturing Custom manufacturing of home care products for brand clients, including linen spray, deodorizing hand wash/cream/cleanser, "pooh" drops/spray, multi-purpose spray, and glass cleaner.
• Product Formulation Services Custom formulation and R&D services delivered by the Technical Director and formulation chemist, covering new product creation from scratch, modification of existing formulations, reverse engineering, and reformulation to meet consumer trends including demand for more natural products; grounded in disciplined laboratory procedures and personal attention through every phase of bringing a product to market.
• Product Testing Services Comprehensive stability and quality testing program that exceeds industry standards, including Standard Temperature Test, Freeze/Thaw Test, and 104-degree Oven Test, plus testing for preservation system, emulsion, stability, viscosity, color, fragrance, and overall look and feel. Products that pass are guaranteed for a minimum one-year shelf life (typically 18 months); complete testing usually takes approximately three months.
• Packaging and Filling Services Versatile filling and packaging services for bottles, jars, tubes, and other containers in metal, glass, and plastic materials, ranging from 1/3 oz. to 36+ oz., as well as bulk containers (5-gallon buckets, fiber drums, and 2,000-pound totes). Includes full wrap, two-sided, top/bottom, and spot labels, plus tamper-evident packaging with heat induction seals and shrink bands.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18-month shelf life guarantee (minimum 1 year) for products passing testing protocols
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMariposa Labs is affiliated with the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, sharing the same standards for excellence. The Technical Director Kelly Kropf is a member of the SCC.
• Personal Care Products Council (PCPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMariposa Labs is a member of the Personal Care Products Council and adheres to their guidelines. The company is also FDA registered and inspected with spotless record.
• International Beauty Association (iba)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMariposa Labs is affiliated with the International Beauty Association, sharing standards for excellence in the personal care industry.
• Organic Trade AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMariposa Labs is a member of the Organic Trade Association and adheres to their guidelines for organic personal care products.
• Whole Foods MarketOthersMariposa Labs can formulate products to meet Whole Foods Market quality standards for personal care products sold in their stores.
• CredoOthersMariposa Labs can formulate products to Credo's clean beauty standards for retail partners.
• Sephora (Clean at Sephora)OthersMariposa Labs can formulate products to meet Clean at Sephora standards for clean beauty retail.
• Beauty CounterOthersMariposa Labs can formulate products to meet Beauty Counter's ingredient standards.
• Cruelty-Free InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMariposa Labs adheres to cruelty-free standards and can formulate vegan products certified by Cruelty-Free International.
• Shipping CarriersOthersMariposa Labs has relationships with shipping carriers with whom they have discount arrangements. The Materials Manager explores options and selects carriers with best balance of price, service, and transit time.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Life Science Outsourcing: Life Science Outsourcing is a contract manufacturer serving medical device, personal care, and OTC clients with filling, packaging, and sterilization services from a US facility. Comparable to Mariposa Labs in operating as a smaller, FDA-registered contract manufacturer with formulation-adjacent and regulated manufacturing capabilities, though with a stronger medical-device focus.
• Raining Rose: Raining Rose is an Iowa-based personal care and lip balm contract manufacturer offering custom formulation, filling, and packaging for brands across retail and promotional channels. Similar mid-sized footprint and customer profile to Mariposa Labs, with comparable focus on small-to-mid brand customers requiring flexible MOQs.
• CoValence Laboratories: CoValence Laboratories is a US personal care contract manufacturer with capabilities in custom formulation, filling, and packaging for skincare and haircare brands. Comparable to Mariposa Labs in serving independent and emerging brands with full-service contract manufacturing under FDA-registered cGMP standards.
• Cosmetic Solutions: Cosmetic Solutions is a Florida-based personal care contract manufacturer offering custom formulation, filling, packaging, and regulatory support for skincare, haircare, and spa brands. Closely matches Mariposa Labs in offering depth (formulation to delivery), FDA-registered cGMP operations, and focus on indie-to-mid-market brand customers.
• Acheson Group: Acheson Group is a personal care, OTC drug, and cosmetics contract manufacturer offering formulation, manufacturing, and packaging services from FDA-registered facilities. Highly comparable to Mariposa Labs on regulatory profile (cGMP, FDA-inspected), customer channels (brands across specialty and mass retail), and full-service offering.
• Kolmar Laboratories: Kolmar Laboratories is one of the largest US personal care contract manufacturers, operating multiple sites and serving national brand and indie customers with formulation, manufacturing, and packaging services. Direct comparable to Mariposa Labs in service scope (full-service formulation, testing, filling) and customer base (specialty and mass-market personal care brands).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100084982325145
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mariposa-labs
• Xx.com/mariposalabs

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mariposa Labs