You know all about magnetic eyeliner, lashes, and cosmetics, but what do you know about everything that happens behind the scenes? From pallets of merchandise being packaged and shipped out in stretch wrap to the clamshell containers that hold your lash kits, the beauty industry is more complicated than it might seem.

If you’ve ever wanted a front-row seat to learn about the inner workings of the cosmetics industry, there are a few things to know.

Try and Try Again

Whether it’s a magnetic lash, a new liner, or a glue that doesn’t clump like the competition’s, beauty gurus and product developers go through tons of stages before settling on the goods you pick up at the store or online. For magnetic eyeliner and lashes, the magnets need to be tested over and over again before they’re ever packaged into their stretch wrap. False eyelashes need to stay on without making eyelids look droopy. Eyeliner needs to accentuate the lash line and add pop to natural lashes. To make sure all of this happens, there’s a good amount of trial and error involved. And it makes sense: Imagine if you bought a new lash glue based on a review you read online. Maybe when you got it in the mail and tried it with your favorite lash kit and eyeliner, the glue turned out to be clumpy and difficult to clean off. Total dud, right?

The beauty industry has to go through multiple rounds of testing and product formation to create best-sellers that ensure customer satisfaction. Before a product is loaded onto a pallet and sent to the stretch wrap machine, it needs to pass quality assurance. This is especially important for magnetic lash products that include compounds like iron oxide and double-strength magnets. A liner’s iron oxides need to be formulated to perfection so they don’t have any adverse effects on your lower or upper lash line. For an industry that’s all about cosmetics, there’s a large amount of technology development involved.

Shipping and Handling

Many people assume that once they’ve ordered lash extensions, liquid eyeliner, or a lash system, it’s as simple as packing the merch into a box and shipping it via UPS. For smaller businesses that are selling for the first time, this might even be true. However, as beauty brands grow, they become incredibly reliant on commercial packaging and shipping. Especially if beauty products are being sold in popular retail stores, large amounts need to be packed and shipped efficiently.

The packaging process is a lot more interesting than you’d suspect. Once individual components are sealed and ready for sale, they’re typically tied up with a pallet wrapping machine. This piece of packaging equipment uses stretch film to create a wrap around stacked pallets of progress. This stretch wrapper prevents products from falling off the pallets in transit and helps avoid unstable loads. While there are still users of conventional hand film, many beauty brands have turned to automatic pallet wrappers or semi-automatic pallet wrapping machines. Brands that need technical advice on the kind of automatic stretch wrapper they need often turn to a city partner business or service business partner for input.

Building Partnerships

Unless it’s a major brand that can afford its own rotary arm stretch wrap machine or turntable stretch wrap machine, chances are most brands, from magnetic eyelashes to lip liners and beyond, rely on partnerships to help their packaging and supply chain. Stretch wrap machines are cost-prohibitive for a lot of beauty brands, so they outsource the packaging process. It’s a win-win for both the businesses involved.

This is only a small look at the behind-the-scenes of the cosmetics industry. Beyond packaging and shipping, there are hundreds of other moving parts. Next time you look in the mirror and admire your luscious lashes, don’t forget all the hard work that goes into the products that help you feel beautiful.