A cosmetics marketing agency that helps shoppers find their shade before they buy
Color is the hardest thing to sell through a screen. We plan ads, product feeds, email and texts around shade, launches and the gift season, then judge it all on profit.
Free, 30 minutes, and you'll leave with at least one clear next step.
Why makeup is harder to sell online than skincare
We haven't published a cosmetics case study yet. Here is what we'd check first in a makeup brand's numbers.
The shade is a guess
Every phone screen shows color a little differently. Shoppers pick a foundation from a swatch and hope.
Opened makeup can't be resold
A wrong shade that comes back is usually a write-off, so each bad match costs you the whole product.
Trends move faster than stock
A lipstick takes off on TikTok, sells out in days, and the ads keep running on an empty shelf.
Wide shade ranges spread money thin
One product with many shades means a few sell fast and the rest sit. Ads often push the shades you have least of.
How do you sell foundation to someone who can't try it on?
You lower the risk of guessing wrong. A shade finder that asks a few questions about undertone and depth gets shoppers closer than a grid of swatches. Swatch videos on several skin tones, shot in daylight, show the color the way it really looks.
A free shade swap removes the main reason people hesitate. If someone picks wrong, they get the right shade instead of their money back, and you keep the customer.
After the order, ask whether the shade matched. Save the answer, along with the shade they bought, to their profile. Now you know who wears what. When a new concealer launches, each customer hears about the shade that fits them. When their foundation runs low, the reminder names the exact shade. That one piece of data makes almost every later email more useful.
What we run for makeup brands
A Google Shopping feed by shade
Every shade listed with its own image, color name and title, grouped under one product, so shoppers see the right one.
Paid adsCreative that shows color on skin
Swatches across skin tones, application videos and creator looks on Meta and TikTok.
Paid adsShade-aware email and texts
Launches, restocks and reorder reminders that name the shade each customer wears.
Email marketingProfit by shade and product
Sales, swaps and returns by shade next to ad spend, so budget follows what makes money.
Ad tracking and reportingA daily read on the store
Data Driven Decisions Daily (D4) means daily updates, weekly reports and a weekly meeting. You also get day-to-day access to the team doing the work.
Premium ecommerce brandsPlanning a makeup launch or limited edition
Start the waitlist early. A text sign-up for a new palette or shade range tells you how much interest there is before you place the final order. It also gives you a list of people ready to buy on day one.
On launch day, the waitlist hears first, then email, then ads. Ads get paced to the stock you have, so you don't pay for clicks on sold-out shades. If a product is truly limited, say so plainly and mean it. Fake scarcity wears out trust fast.
After the launch, the job shifts to the people who bought. Send them the products that go with it, like the brush, the setting spray or the matching liner. A restock email, when it comes, goes first to the people who joined the waitlist and missed out.
What we look at first in a cosmetics ad account
- Sales by shade against ad spend, and which shades the ads push most
- Whether the Google Shopping feed lists shades with their own names and images
- Which creative shows the product on skin, and how it performs
- Swap and return reasons, broken out by shade
- New customers from TikTok compared with Meta, after returns
- Profit on last year's holiday gift sets once discounts came out
Gift sets and the holiday rush
Holiday gift sets can be one of the best times of year for a makeup brand to win new customers. The sets have to be planned months ahead, because packaging and production take time. Ads and creative should be ready before November, so you're not testing in the most expensive weeks.
Gift buyers and self-buyers act differently. Gift buyers want help choosing and a clear delivery date. Self-buyers want the value and the shades. We split them in ads and email where we can.
In January, the people who bought a set for themselves get a nudge toward the full-size version of their favorite piece. That turns a holiday deal into a long-term customer. Valentine's Day and Mother's Day get the same planning on a smaller scale.
Cosmetics and makeup questions
How do you reduce returns on foundation and concealer?
Help shoppers pick right the first time with a shade finder and swatches on several skin tones. Offer a free shade swap instead of a refund. Then track swap reasons by shade to find the ones that cause trouble.
Should each makeup shade be its own item in Google Shopping?
Yes. Each shade should have its own image, color name and title, grouped under one product. Shoppers searching for a specific shade then see the right one.
Does a makeup brand need to be on TikTok?
Not always, but most makeup brands should test it. Short videos show color and finish on skin better than photos do. Our beauty page explains how we set up a TikTok Shop test and when we'd stop it.
How early should we plan holiday gift sets?
Months ahead, since packaging and production take time. Ads and creative should be tested and ready before November, when ad costs climb.
Can makeup ads use filters or heavy editing?
We avoid it. Ads that show a product doing more than it does can mislead shoppers and draw complaints. We keep the product's effect on skin unedited.
Do new FDA cosmetics rules affect our marketing?
The 2022 federal cosmetics law, called MoCRA, added facility registration, product listing and safety record duties for brands. For marketing, claims still need support and labels need to be right. We aren't lawyers, so your legal team makes those calls.
Related
See which shades your ads are really selling
We'll look at your shade-level sales and ad spend on the call, and show you where money goes to shades you can't keep in stock.