Custom Cosmetics Formulation & Contract Manufacturing

Distil helps beauty and personal care brands move from concept to commercial production with R&D-led formulation, ingredient expertise, and scalable manufacturing support. From texture and sensory tuning to batch visibility, IP protection, and reliable scale-up, our team builds custom cosmetic solutions designed for performance, consistency, and faster market readiness.

Cosmetic formulation and manufacturing lab team

Our Custom Cosmetics Formulation & Contract Manufacturing Services

From formulation and fragrance support to scale-up and protected production, Distil offers end-to-end cosmetic development services.

R&D Formulation

Application-specific cosmetic development led by an experienced R&D team, including trials, performance tuning, and formula refinement for beauty and personal care products.

Personal Care Ingredients

Specialty ingredient solutions for personal care, including mineral UV systems, cosmetic esters, and mild surfactants designed for sensory performance, stability, and gentle cleansing.

Fragrance Support

Aroma chemicals, essential oils, naturals, and carrier systems that help brands build fragrance-forward cosmetic products with compatibility, stability, and olfactive precision.

Contract Manufacturing

Flexible, asset-light production through a trusted manufacturing network, enabling brands to scale cosmetic formulas without heavy capex while maintaining quality consistency.

Supply Chain Execution

Integrated logistics and execution support from lab to commercial scale, with a single point of contact and visibility into batch yields and production progress.

IP Protection

Structured controls, permission-based access, and process safeguards help protect proprietary cosmetic formulas while preserving customer ownership of data and development work.

Cosmetic product development process in lab

Our Cosmetic Development Process

Define Product Goals And Claims

We begin by understanding your product vision, target consumer, texture goals, ingredient preferences, and performance requirements so the formulation strategy aligns with your brand and launch objectives.

Develop And Tune The Formula

Validate Performance And Quality

Scale Through Manufacturing Partners

Manage Delivery And Ongoing Support

Trusted By Brands

Success Stories

See how brands benefit from expert formulation, protected IP, and scalable cosmetic manufacturing support.

"Distil's R&D-Led Formulation service transformed our skincare line. Their team of PhD chemists understood our vision instantly and delivered formulations that performed beautifully at scale. Game-changing partner."

Priya Deshmukh

"Distil's team at Navi Mumbai R&D centre is world-class. Their application-specific tuning and mineral UV protection solutions elevated our sunscreen formulations beyond what we'd developed internally. True partnership, not just a vendor."

Dr. Anand Malhotra
The Distil Difference

Why Choose Distil?

Distil combines technical depth, manufacturing flexibility, and execution support for brands building custom cosmetic products.

Expert R&D

Specialized team brings 45+ years of combined formulation and application development experience.

Protected IP

Customer data ownership and permission-based controls help safeguard proprietary cosmetic formulas.

Scalable Production

Asset-light manufacturing network enables reliable scale-up without requiring heavy production capex.

Single Partner

One point of contact manages development, manufacturing, logistics, and batch visibility end to end.

Meet The Distil Team

Experienced leaders across R&D, operations, and growth.

Portrait of Atanu Agarrwal, Co-founder and CEO of Distil

Atanu Agarrwal

Co-founder & CEO

Atanu Agarrwal is the Co-founder and CEO of Distil, the Mumbai-based specialty chemicals platform he helped launch in 2024. An IIT Bombay alumnus, Atanu brings deep expertise as a seasoned private equity professional with significant experience managing control deals at a $1 billion New York-based fund. At Distil, he leads the company's strategic direction, investor relations, and North America expansion, having helped secure a $3 million seed round and a $7 million Series A. Atanu is committed to enabling global brands to diversify production and accelerate sustainable sourcing while protecting intellectual property. His financial acumen and global perspective are central to Distil's mission of delivering high-performance specialty chemicals engineered at scale.

Portrait of Viraj Shah, Co-founder and COO of Distil

Viraj Shah

Co-founder & COO

Viraj Shah is the Co-founder and COO of Distil, playing a pivotal role in shaping the company's operations and growth since its founding in 2024. An IIT Bombay alumnus, Viraj is a consummate operator with a proven track record of scaling high-growth technology and supply chain ventures. At Distil, he oversees day-to-day operations, supply chain execution, and partner network management, helping build a base of 20+ suppliers and 100+ customers within the company's first year. Viraj's hands-on expertise ensures seamless delivery from lab to commercial scale, embodying Distil's commitment to end-to-end partnership and flexible, asset-light manufacturing for global specialty chemicals clients.

Portrait of Kiro Rizk, Head of Personal Care at Distil

Kiro Rizk

Head, Personal Care

Kiro Rizk serves as Head of Personal Care at Distil, leading the company's specialty chemicals offerings for the personal care segment. With deep domain expertise in personal care formulation and application-specific chemical development, Kiro is responsible for driving customer engagement, technical solutions, and product innovation within one of Distil's core verticals. He works closely with the R&D and operations teams to ensure that brands receive tailored formulations that meet their precise performance and sustainability requirements. Kiro's industry knowledge and customer-focused approach reflect Distil's broader commitment to delivering high-performance specialty chemicals through an integrated, expert-led platform that scales reliably from development to commercial production.

Portrait of Dr. Leema Joseph, Vice President of R&D at Distil

Dr. Leema Joseph

Vice President, R&D

Dr. Leema Joseph is the Vice President of R&D at Distil, where she leads the company's research and development function across its specialty chemicals portfolio. With advanced academic credentials and industry expertise drawn from a team background spanning organizations such as Dow, BASF, L'Oréal, Huntsman, and Reliance Industries, Dr. Joseph oversees application-specific formulation, technical trials, and innovation pipelines for segments including personal care, advanced polymers, and flavours and fragrances. She ensures that every product is engineered to meet precise customer specifications while maintaining the highest quality standards. Dr. Joseph's scientific leadership is central to Distil's R&D-led value proposition and its mission to deliver specialty chemicals that perform at commercial scale.

Portrait of Raghunath V Iyer, Vice President of Operations at Distil

Raghunath V Iyer

Vice President, Operations

Raghunath V Iyer is the Vice President of Operations at Distil, overseeing the end-to-end execution of the company's asset-light manufacturing and supply chain model. With extensive operational experience in specialty chemicals and industrial supply chains, Raghunath ensures that production quality, batch consistency, and logistics performance meet the exacting standards of Distil's global brand customers. He manages Distil's network of 20+ manufacturing partners and coordinates seamlessly across the company's facilities in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Raghunath's systematic approach to eliminating process drift and enabling scalable production without capital expenditure is a cornerstone of Distil's promise to deliver high-performance specialty chemicals reliably and efficiently.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant by formulation development?

Formulation development is the process of designing, testing, and refining a product recipe so it delivers the intended performance, stability, texture, and user experience. In cosmetics, this includes selecting compatible ingredients, adjusting sensory properties, validating manufacturability, and preparing the formula for commercial production. It bridges concept creation and scalable manufacturing.

What is a cosmetic formulation?

How much does it cost to hire a formulation chemist?

What is a custom formula?

What exactly is bespoke beauty?

Can Distil help take a cosmetic formula from lab to commercial scale?

How does Distil protect proprietary cosmetic formulas?

What types of cosmetic products and ingredients can Distil support?

Still Have Questions About Development?

Talk with our team about formulation, scale-up, and manufacturing support.

Areas We Support

Distil serves brands through key operating hubs in India and North America with coordinated formulation and manufacturing support.

India & North America

Service Reach

Mumbai, Bengaluru, Navi Mumbai

Operating Hubs

20+ Suppliers

Partner Network

Need Support In Your Market?

Ask our team about formulation and manufacturing coverage.

Trusted Foundations

Awards and Recognition

IIT Bombay founders trust indicator

IIT Bombay Founders

Strong technical and strategic leadership background.

Unified quality system trust indicator

Unified Quality System

Built to reduce process drift.

IP protection trust indicator

IP Protection Model

Structured safeguards for customer-owned data.

Build Your Next Cosmetic Product With Distil

Share your product goals, formulation needs, or manufacturing requirements, and our team will help map the right development path.

Contact Us Today

For immediate assistance, feel free to give us a direct call at +91 7902 101 101. You can also send us a quick email at contact@distil.market.