Launching a private label powder supplement in the EU.

Whitelable · Updated 30 October 2026 · 7 min read

Launching your own powder product, whether protein, creatine, electrolytes, collagen, greens or a functional drink mix, is mostly a sequence of decisions. Get them in the right order and the first batch is predictable. This guide follows the order we use with new brands.

1. Define the product and the customer

Start with one sentence: who uses it, when, and for what. “A 10 g electrolyte sachet for runners after training” already tells you the dose, the format, the flavour direction and the price level. Write down the serving size, servings per pack, the target retail price and where you will sell (e-commerce, gyms, pharmacies, retail chains).

2. Fix the formula

You can bring a finished recipe, or develop one with a formulation team. A good formula balances four things:

• Actives and doses that you can legally use and honestly describe.
• Taste and mixability: flavour, sweetener, acidity and how fast it dissolves.
• Flow and stability: powders that clump or separate are hard to dose evenly into sachets.
• Cost per serving that leaves room for your margin.

Expect at least one round of samples before the formula is final. See formulation.

3. Check the regulatory category

In the EU a powder can be a food supplement or an ordinary food (for example a protein powder sold as a food), and the rules differ. For food supplements, the key EU texts are:

• Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements: which vitamins and minerals, in which forms, and the mandatory label statements.
• Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers: ingredient list, allergens, net quantity, nutrition information and legibility.
• Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims: you may only use claims authorised in the EU register, with their conditions of use.
• Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 on novel foods: some newer ingredients need authorisation before they can be sold.

Many member states also require a notification before a food supplement is placed on the market. In Bulgaria this is done with the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA). Rules and procedures change, so confirm the current requirements for each country where you plan to sell, or work with a regulatory adviser.

4. Choose the pack format

Single-dose sachets and stick packs suit trial, travel and dose-critical products; doy-packs and pouches suit products used every day at home. Many brands launch with both from the same batch. Read sachet vs stick pack vs doy-pack.

5. Design the label and packaging

Your designer needs the final formula, the legal label text and the technical drawing of the sachet film or pouch. Ask your manufacturer for the film or pouch specification before you order print, and leave a clear area for the batch number and best-before date.

6. Quote, sample and first production

1. Brief and quote: product, format, fill weight and quantity.
2. Sample: you approve taste, colour and mixability.
3. Raw materials are sourced with certificates of analysis.
4. Blending: the whole batch is mixed for an even blend.
5. Filling, sealing and coding of every pack.
6. Boxing and delivery, with batch documents.

7. Plan the second batch before the first one sells out

Supplement brands lose most momentum when a bestseller goes out of stock. Track how fast the first batch sells and reorder early, because raw materials, film and pouches all have their own lead times.

How Whitelable fits in

We blend, formulate and pack powders in Sofia, Bulgaria, for brands across Bulgaria and the EU: sachets and stick packs from 10 to 100 g and doy-packs and pouches from 100 g to 2 kg, with every pack coded. We are a BFSA-registered manufacturer working with a HACCP system, and we have made more than 25,000 products for brands. Capsules, liquids and canned drinks are available through certified partners. Send us your brief.

Frequently asked questions