A growing number of Jamaicans are turning kitchen-table ideas into skincare products, soaps and beauty brands, but many are struggling to move beyond small-scale production.

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) is hoping to change that through the establishment of a dedicated cosmetic manufacturing incubator, a project that has been years in the making and is now moving closer to reality with funding support under the Second Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI II) Project.

The latest step came this week when the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) invited bids for the supply and delivery of equipment for the facility, including mixing and blending systems, heating and melting equipment, filling and bottling units, soap-processing tools, laboratory instruments, packaging equipment and related production accessories. Rather than constructing a new building, JBDC is repurposing an underutilised 540-sq foot library area within its Incubator and Resource Centre to house the operation.

David Harrison, director of JBDC’s Incubator and Resource Centre, said the project is being developed in response to a noticeable increase in entrepreneurs entering the cosmetics and personal care market.

“We’re seeing a growing number of clients in the space for skin care, body care and other types of cosmetic items,” Harrison told the Jamaica Observer. “There’s a tendency or a trend nowadays towards more natural products. People are moving towards natural products and they want it locally made.”

The initiative is expected to build on work already underway through JBDC’s essential oils incubator and strengthen links between agriculture and manufacturing by encouraging the use of locally sourced ingredients.

“Not everything you grow, you eat. We grow things that we use in cosmetics,” Harrison said, noting that extracts and essential oils derived from Jamaican plants are increasingly finding their way into personal care products.

For many small manufacturers, access to suitable production facilities remains one of the biggest barriers to growth.

“A lot of them are running their business from their kitchens, everywhere is suitable in the home to minimise costs,” Harrison explained. “But the incubator provides them with an opportunity to grow their business, to come out of the home into a proper production space where they can manufacture and package their products and then go to market.”

He noted that some cosmetic products require chemicals and processes that are not ideally suited to residential settings.

“Soaps, for example, use lye and some very strong chemicals. It’s a proper space that will be designed to handle those things safely and with appropriate equipment,” Harrison said.

The incubator model is designed as a stepping stone for entrepreneurs who have outgrown hobby production but lack the capital required to purchase specialised equipment or lease dedicated production space.

JBDC expects between 30 and 50 entrepreneurs to use the facility during its first year of operation, with businesses booking production time as needed to manufacture batches of products such as soaps, lotions and shampoos.

The goal, Harrison said, is ultimately for successful users to outgrow the incubator and establish their own operations.

“Success would be to have the client move into the space, see their sales grow and ultimately move out of the incubator further into their own space,” he told the Business Week.

Beyond access to equipment, the facility will offer support in areas such as product development, formulation, packaging, branding and labelling compliance.

Harrison said many entrepreneurs enter the market with promising products but often lack the technical expertise needed to meet commercial standards.

He noted that while some products perform well in small home-based batches, scaling up for retail shelves requires attention to issues such as shelf life, formulation stability and product safety.

“When you get on board as a client, you also get assistance with product development,” Harrison said. “We’ll look at what you’re doing and help you adjust the formulation if necessary so that it’s shelf stable and suitable for sale to the public.”

Entrepreneurs accepted into the programme will not be charged to become JBDC clients or to access technical support services. However, users will be required to pay a fee to access the manufacturing space itself. Harrison said the charge is not intended to reflect commercial rental rates but rather to help cover operating costs while encouraging entrepreneurs to adopt a business-oriented mindset.

“There will be a cost to the actual use of the incubator space, which really is not going to be a market price. It’s all about creating that mindset of now I’m in business and I’m looking after my business,” he said.

The project is being supported through REDI II, a US$40-million World Bank-funded programme being implemented by JSIF. The programme is intended to improve market access and strengthen economic opportunities for targeted beneficiaries. Harrison declined to disclose the cost of the incubator or its equipment package, noting that the procurement process is currently under way.