An own spray brand is a way for specialist retailers, workshop chains, industrial suppliers and brand owners to retain customers and stand out from the competition. At Aerosols Germany, the own brand spray process follows a clear pattern: from the range via formulation and label to samples, approval, series filling and logistics. This guide describes the individual steps, names the decisions you make as the client and shows which factors determine effort and costs.

Step 1: Define the range

At the beginning stands the question of which products should appear under your brand. Most own brands start with a manageable selection of items that are already in demand in your sales channels and extend the programme later. A look at the product groups of technical sprays is helpful:

Cleaners: brake cleaner, contact cleaner, degreaser, industrial cleaner
Lubricants: chain spray, silicone spray, PTFE spray, multi-purpose spray, spray grease
Corrosion protection: zinc spray, zinc-aluminium spray, cavity spray, protective wax spray
Paint sprays: RAL shades, primer, clear coat spray, plastic paint
Marking sprays: marking paint in signal colours
Car care: penetrating oil, starter spray, cockpit silicone, wheel silver
Electronics: contact spray, freezer spray, battery terminal protection spray
Welding sprays, adhesives and sealants, testing sprays

For range planning, clarify:

Which target group buys the brand: workshops, industry, trades, end consumers via retail?
Which items are fast movers and which are additions?
Which can sizes suit the point of sale and the application?
Should the brand have a consistent look across all items or vary by product group?

Step 2: Formulation from stock or development

There are two routes for the formulation.

Existing formulation

The faster route uses an existing formulation from the Aerosols Germany range. Classification, safety data sheet and filling parameters are available and tests are complete. You select the product, define can size and valve and concentrate on label and marketing. For most own brands, this route is the sensible basis.

Special formulation

If a product is to have special properties, such as a particular scent, a different viscosity, a shade outside the programme or a formulation without certain ingredients, it is developed together with the production partner. Development includes samples from the production partner, stability tests in the aerosol, coordination of propellant and valve, and classification of the new mixture. This extends the schedule and increases the effort, but makes a product possible that exists only under your brand.

Criterion	Existing formulation	Special formulation
Time to series production	Short, approval depends on the label	Longer, with additional development and testing
Effort	Low	Higher due to development, testing, classification
Documentation	Available	Newly created
Differentiation	Through brand and label	Through brand and product properties

Step 3: Label and labelling requirements

The label carries your brand and at the same time all legally mandatory information. Both must fit together. You supply the brand logo, colour scheme and desired design; Aerosols Germany provides the labelling-relevant content: product designation, CLP classification with pictograms, signal word, H and P statements, the notes under the Aerosolpackungsverordnung (German Aerosol Dispensers Ordinance), fill quantity, batch field and the details of the placer on the market.

The following needs to be clarified:

Who is the placer on the market? For an own brand, usually you as the brand owner. This entails obligations such as keeping the safety data sheet available.
Which languages? For sales in several countries, the mandatory information must appear in the respective official languages. This affects label size and design.
Which type of label? Wrap-around label, partial label, direct printing or folded label for extensive texts.
Which marks and logos? Marks such as the Green Dot should no longer be included on new labels because their use is being phased out under the EU Packaging Regulation.

The label review is a separate step: the draft is checked for completeness of the mandatory information, legibility, pictogram sizes and correct wording before it goes to print.

Step 4: Samples

Before the series run, you receive samples. Depending on the project, these are:

Product samples from stock so that you can check spray pattern, odour, drying and effect in your application.
Samples from the production partner for special formulations, to coordinate properties and fine-tune where necessary.
Label samples as a proof print or as a labelled can, so that you can assess appearance, colour reproduction and the fit of the label on the can.

Pass samples on to the people who will later use or sell the product. Feedback from practice can still be implemented with little effort at this stage.

Step 5: Approval

Approval is the formal conclusion of the preparation. You confirm in writing the formulation, can size, valve and spray head, label draft with all mandatory information, packaging unit and quantity. From approval onwards, labels are printed and components are scheduled. Changes after approval cause additional effort because labels or components already procured may be affected. Therefore check the approval version carefully, in particular spelling, contact details and mandatory texts.

Step 6: Series filling

After approval, Aerosols Germany schedules the filling at the European production partner. Series filling comprises:

Provision of formulation, cans, valves, spray heads, caps and labels.
Batch preparation of the product and testing before filling.
Filling, propellant charging and sealing.
Leak and function testing in accordance with the requirements for aerosol dispensers.
Labelling and batch marking at the partner, followed by quality control and packing into the agreed unit in Iserlohn.

The batch marking ensures that every filling remains traceable. You receive the batch documentation with your delivery.

Step 7: Logistics

Aerosols are dangerous goods within the meaning of the transport regulations. Packaging, marking of the shipping units and shipping documents must comply with the rules for road transport. Aerosols Germany packs the goods accordingly in Iserlohn and agrees with you whether the delivery goes to your central warehouse, directly to branches or to a logistics service provider. For storage at your premises, the notes on the label apply: cool, dry, protected from sunlight and heat sources. Depending on the quantity stored, operational regulations on the storage of aerosol dispensers must be observed.

What determines effort and costs

Own brands differ considerably in effort. The most important cost drivers are:

Quantity per item. Set-up times, batch preparation and label printing are spread across the quantity. Small runs per item are more expensive per can than larger ones.
Number of items. Every item needs its own labels, its own approval and its own set-up. A lean range with good quantities is more economical than many items in small quantities.
Can size and components. Can, valve, spray head and cap are bought-in parts; special formats and special colours increase procurement effort and minimum quantities at the supplier.
Special formulation. Development, testing and classification are one-off costs that are only spread over the lifetime of the brand.
Label effort. Multilingual labels, folded labels, special colours and finishes increase printing costs and review effort.
Packaging unit and shipping. Outer carton, palletising and dangerous goods packaging are part of the calculation.

Raise these points early. Choosing an existing formulation, a standard can and a uniform label layout across all items often reduces the effort considerably without the brand losing impact.

Schedule

Qualitatively, the process can be summarised as follows: the range decision and the choice of formulation rest with you and determine the start. For existing formulations, label development with review of the mandatory information is the step that determines the timing. For special formulations, development and testing are added. After approval come label printing, component procurement and scheduling of the filling. Repeat orders with an unchanged label run considerably faster because approval and documentation are already in place.

Your own brand with Aerosols Germany

Aerosols Germany, the spray brand of Berger & Schröter GmbH in Iserlohn, has technical sprays for industry, trades and retail produced by partner plants in Europe, tests and dispatches them in Iserlohn and accompanies own brands from the range idea to delivery. You have one contact for formulation, labelling, samples and filling.

Would you like to build your own spray brand or extend an existing programme? Then send your enquiry to Aerosols Germany with your range idea and the desired can sizes, and we will get back to you with a proposal for the process.

Own brand spray: the process from range to series production