Do you run an online cosmetics store selling products made in your own lab or brought in from small producers? Then you know that the people who buy them read the label. They want to find out what is in the cream, what kind of skin it is meant for and how long a bottle lasts.
Many stores of this kind start from an off-the-shelf theme in which the ingredients are a photo of the label, impossible to search or filter. We start the other way round: first the product data, entered in separate fields, then the design that displays it.
The ingredient list and the rest of the product page
We enter the ingredients as text, in the order shown on the packaging, using their INCI names (the international nomenclature used on cosmetics labels). Because it is text and not an image, the list can be read by Google, searched in the store and linked to a small glossary: a click on “niacinamide” shows what the ingredient does and which other products contain it.
This is also where the answers to the questions people send in by message belong.
- Who it is for: the skin or hair type and the concern it addresses.
- How to use: the steps, the amount, the time of day, its place in the care routine.
- Shelf life: the period after opening and, where relevant, the batch expiry date.
Filters by skin type and by concern
Filters are product attributes, not categories. The difference matters: a cream can be “for dry skin”, “for sensitive skin” and “fragrance-free” all at once, and the buyer ticks all three and sees only what fits. We settle the list of attributes before a single product is uploaded.
A short quiz (“what is your skin like”, “what bothers you”) can lead the buyer to a selection of products. We build it as a filter, not as a diagnosis: it does not apply medical labels and does not promise results.
Online cosmetics store: repeat orders, samples and reviews
Cosmetics run out, and a satisfied customer wants the same product without having to look for it again. WooCommerce (the store side of WordPress) lets customers repeat an earlier order from their account as standard; we bring that to the front, in the account and in the emails. A subscription with delivery at a chosen interval can also be added, if the payment processor accepts recurring card payments.
Reviews are worth something only if they are genuine. We tie them to orders, so that only someone who has bought the product can write one, and we display the critical ones too. Consumer protection rules require you to say whether and how you verify reviews; you settle the wording with a lawyer.
- Reminder email: sent when a product is probably running low, only to those who have agreed to receive marketing communications.
- Samples: sachets chosen at the end of the order or sets sold separately, with stock tracked as for any other product.
- Verified reviews: requested by email after delivery, with an optional photograph.
What you are allowed to claim about a product’s effects
What may be said about a cosmetic product is regulated. A cosmetic cares for, cleanses, protects, perfumes; it does not treat and it does not cure. Wording such as “eliminates acne” or “treats eczema” pushes the product, in the eyes of the authorities, towards being a medicine. Likewise, “natural”, “organic” or “dermatologically tested” have to be claims you can prove.
It is not for us to decide what is permitted. You check the copy with your safety assessor or with a cosmetics regulatory consultant, and product notification and labelling are your responsibility, as manufacturer or importer. Our part: we write descriptions about ingredients, texture and how to use the product, and we flag risky wording to you.
Discounts call for the same care: the old price shown next to the new one has to comply with the rules on the lowest price previously charged, so we add a price history record.
From the product spreadsheet to the first order
We begin with a spreadsheet in which every product has the same columns: name, quantity, ingredients, skin type, concern, how to use, shelf life. As long as the spreadsheet has gaps, the store will have them too.
On the technical side, we use WooCommerce with a theme we write ourselves and with structured data, invisible markup that tells Google the price, the stock and the review rating. With Google Analytics we measure searches in the store, items added to the basket and repeat orders. What the figures do not show is whether the product really suited the person; for that you still have the reviews and the messages.
- Structure: few categories, well-chosen attributes, routine pages and ingredient pages.
- Design: built around your photographs and packaging, checked on a phone first.
- Payments and delivery: card, cash on delivery, courier and collection points.
- Testing: test orders with samples, discount codes and out-of-stock products.
- Along the way: we watch what people search for and do not find, then fill in the filters and the copy.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell homemade cosmetics online?
Technically, yes. Legally, cosmetics placed on the market come with safety, notification and labelling requirements that apply to small producers as well. Clarify them with a consultant in the field before you invest in a store.
Is a subscription with delivery at a fixed interval worth it?
It is worth it for products that are used up at a predictable rate, such as daily care products. It does bring extra work, though: expired cards, pauses, changes of address. Start with repeat orders and the reminder email.
Can I use reviews collected on social media?
You can quote them with the consent of the people who wrote them, but not among the verified reviews in the store. The buyer has to be able to tell an opinion tied to an order from one picked up elsewhere.
This is a typical project description: it shows how we usually approach this kind of work and does not present a project carried out for a particular client. Every real project starts from your company’s situation, and the stages, timescales and price are agreed after the initial discussion.