Best Shopify Apps for Beauty & Skincare Brands (2026)
The best Shopify apps for beauty brands cover six jobs: bigger orders (Oxify Cart Drawer & Upsell, our app), free samples and gifts (EG Auto Add to Cart or BOGOS), subscriptions (Appstle or Recharge), reviews that filter by skin type (Okendo or Judge.me), email and SMS (Klaviyo), and a skin or shade quiz (RevenueHunt).
We checked 59 well-known beauty brands on Shopify, and 50 of them run Klaviyo. Before you install anything, check your words: FDA reads ads, web pages, and promo text, not just labels.
Picture a shopper named Maya. She finds your $42 vitamin C serum, loves it, and buys one bottle. Her skin also needs a cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen. Nothing in your cart told her that. She checks out with one item, and your store did exactly what she asked and nothing more.
That is the beauty gap. Beauty shoppers buy routines, shades, samples, and promises. A routine needs a bundle. A shade needs a match. A sample needs a gift rule. A promise needs a careful eye.
We build Shopify apps, and we read the public code of 59 real beauty brands to see what they actually run. This guide gives you that data, our picks, live prices, and the rules most app lists skip. It is written for US beauty stores, so prices are in US dollars and the rules are US rules (FDA, FTC, and USPS).
Short answer (checked October 6, 2026):
- Bigger orders: Oxify Cart Drawer & Upsell (our app, 4.9 stars from 40 reviews, Built for Shopify, from $9.99 a month): routine upsells, a free-mini goal bar, a subscribe-and-save upgrade, and post-purchase offers.
- Routine kits and build-your-own sets: Oxify Quantity Breaks & BYOB (our app, $14.99 a month) or Kaching Bundles.
- Free minis and gifts: EG Auto Add to Cart Free Gift (free plan) or BOGOS. Shopify's own discount does not add the gift for you.
- Subscriptions: Appstle (5.0 stars from 8,932 reviews, free to $500 a month in subscription sales). Reviews: Okendo or Judge.me.
- Email and SMS: Klaviyo (on 50 of 59 brands). Quiz: RevenueHunt (free to 100 responses a month).
- Check first: your bundle names, quiz results, and cart messages are promotion, and FDA reads promotion. See the claims check.
Jump to: Best app for each job · Install order by store size · What real brands run · All apps compared · Our #1 pick · Samples and gifts · Routine bundles · Subscriptions · Reviews · Quizzes and shades · Email and SMS · Loyalty, video, chat · Claims check · Refill clock · App overload · FAQ
Who we are and how we picked:
- We make Oxify, so two apps on this list are ours. We rank Oxify first for one job, raising order value, and we say where other apps beat it.
- Every rating, review count, badge, and price comes from the live App Store listing, read on October 6, 2026.
- Rules and statistics name their source. Where something is our own math, we say so.
- This guide is for brands that sell beauty products online. Salons that need appointment booking, and brands that want a mobile app builder, need a different kind of app.
The Best Shopify App for Each Beauty Job
Start here if you know the job you need done. Prices are the lowest paid or free starting point on each live listing.
| Job | Best pick | Also good | Starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bigger orders in the cart | Oxify Cart Drawer & Upsell (ours) | Selleasy, Rebuy (bigger brands) | $9.99/mo |
| Free minis and gift goals | EG Auto Add to Cart Free Gift | BOGOS, Oxify's reward bar | Free |
| Routine kits and build-your-own sets | Oxify Quantity Breaks & BYOB (ours) | Kaching Bundles, Easy Bundles | $14.99/mo |
| Subscriptions and refills | Appstle | Recharge, Seal | Free |
| Skin-type review filters | Okendo or Judge.me | Junip, Loox (photos) | Free |
| Email, SMS, refill flows | Klaviyo | Postscript | Free |
| Skin or shade quiz | RevenueHunt | Octane AI | Free |
| Loyalty and gift cards | Smile | Rise, Growave, LoyaltyLion | Free |
| Support and live chat | Gorgias | Tidio | Free to $10/mo |
Which Beauty Apps to Install First, by Store Size
Do not install all of these at once. Add the next layer when your orders call for it.
| Stage | Install | Wait on |
|---|---|---|
| Just launching (under 100 orders a month) | Oxify Cart Drawer ($9.99), Judge.me (free), Klaviyo (free), RevenueHunt (free quiz), Appstle (free plan) | Virtual try-on, SMS, loyalty |
| Growing (100 to 1,000 orders) | Okendo or Junip for skin-type filters, a bundle app for routine kits, Smile, Postscript, Gorgias | Heavy A/B testing tools |
| Scaling (1,000+ orders) | Recharge or Skio, deeper quiz funnels with Octane AI, per-market goals for each country you sell to | Tools that overlap what you already run |
What to skip: two cart or upsell apps at once, a quiz that names a condition, virtual try-on before you know shade is your problem, review gating, and years of stock on eye products.
Why Beauty Stores Need Different Apps
- Skincare is a routine. A cleanser, a serum, a moisturizer, and sunscreen. One purchase should lead to the next step.
- Shoppers fear the wrong match. A foundation in the wrong shade or a serum for the wrong skin type is a return, or a lost customer.
- Samples drive trial, and bottles run out. Free minis, refill emails, and subscriptions pay off more here than in most stores.
- Your words are regulated. In the US, claims decide whether a product is a cosmetic or a drug. Your apps write a lot of those words.
What Real Beauty Brands Run on Shopify (We Checked 59 Stores)
Most app lists guess. We looked. On October 6, 2026, we loaded the homepage and one product page of 69 well-known beauty, skincare, haircare, and fragrance brands. 64 loaded, and 59 of those run on Shopify.
How we scanned, and what we cannot see:
- We counted an app only when its Shopify app block (it looks like
shopify://apps/okendo/blocks/...) or its own script domain showed up in the page code. - We cannot see apps that load only in the cart, at checkout, or on pages we did not open. A tool in the code is not proof it is switched on.
- So read every number as "at least." The brands are mostly well known, so a new store does not need this full stack.
| Tool found | Job | Stores | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klaviyo | Email and SMS | 50 of 59 | 85% |
| Any review app | Reviews | 51 of 59 | 86% |
| Okendo | Reviews | 21 of 59 | 36% |
| Yotpo reviews | Reviews | 20 of 59 | 34% |
| Any named subscription app | Subscriptions | 34 of 59 | 58% |
| Recharge | Subscriptions | 22 of 59 | 37% |
| Skio or Ordergroove | Subscriptions | 10 of 59 | 17% |
| Any loyalty app | Loyalty | 25 of 59 | 42% |
| Gorgias | Support | 24 of 59 | 41% |
| Attentive or Postscript | SMS | 31 of 59 | 53% |
| Tolstoy or Videowise | Shoppable video | 26 of 59 | 44% |
| Rebuy | Upsells | 17 of 59 | 29% |
| Any quiz or shade tool | Quizzes and shade finders | 23 of 59 | 39% |
| Any free-gift app | Free gifts | 13 of 59 | 22% |
| Rise | Gift cards and store credit | 10 of 59 | 17% |
| Any bundle or build-a-box app | Bundles | 9 of 59 | 15% |
| Back-in-stock tool | Restock alerts | 6 of 59 | 10% |
| Intelligems or Shoplift | A/B tests | 18 of 59 | 31% |
| Global-e | Cross-border checkout | 8 of 59 | 14% |
What stands out:
- Klaviyo is close to universal. 50 of 59 stores load it.
- Almost everyone has a review app. 51 of 59 (86%) load one. Okendo and Yotpo lead among big names. Judge.me appeared on none of the 59.
- Subscriptions are common. 34 of 59 stores (58%) had a named subscription app. Recharge led with 22.
- Free gifts are real. 13 of 59 stores (22%) run a free-gift app. EG Auto Add to Cart led with 10, and BOGOS ran on 3.
- Video and loyalty are everywhere. 26 stores (44%) load shoppable video, and 25 (42%) run a loyalty app. Most app lists give both a single line.
- Quizzes and shade tools show up on 23 of 59 stores (39%). Octane AI ran on 14, and 5 loaded the shade finder Findation. Few use a standard bundle app: only 9 of 59 (15%), though big brands may build kits by hand.
- Big brands sell worldwide. 8 of 59 run Global-e for cross-border checkout. That makes goals by country matter, and Oxify can set reward goals per market. See different free gifts for each country.
- None of the 59 run Oxify yet. Rebuy ran on 17.
One more data point. The tool maker StoreInspect scanned 19,026 beauty stores in March 2026. It found Klaviyo on 27.0%, Judge.me on 9.6%, Yotpo reviews on 6.8%, Loox on 3.2%, and Okendo on only 0.6% (StoreInspect). Put the two scans side by side and a pattern shows. Small beauty stores lean on Judge.me. Larger brands lean on Okendo and Yotpo. Your best review app depends on your size.
For a wider look across 10 verticals, with a different sample and a fixed list of 30 tracked apps, see our October 2026 check of 475 live Shopify stores. Its counts will not match the 59-store counts here, so we do not mix them.
All the Apps Compared (October 2026)
Ratings, review counts, badges, and prices come from each live App Store listing, read on October 6, 2026. "BFS" means the Built for Shopify badge.
| App | Best for | Rating | BFS | Price from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxify Cart Drawer & Upsell (ours) | Bigger orders: routine upsells, gift goals | 4.9 (40) | Yes | $9.99/mo, 14-day trial |
| EG Auto Add to Cart Free Gift | Free minis and samples | 4.9 (1,135) | Yes | Free (1 rule); $14.99 |
| BOGOS | Free gifts, BOGO, bundles | 5.0 (4,450) | Yes | Free for 30 orders; then $29.99 |
| Oxify Quantity Breaks & BYOB (ours) | Routine kits, build-your-own sets | 4.9 (13) | Yes | $14.99/mo, 14-day trial |
| Kaching Bundles | Most-reviewed bundle app | 5.0 (6,178) | Yes | $14.99/mo |
| Appstle Subscriptions | Subscriptions for most stores | 5.0 (8,932) | Yes | Free to $500/mo in subscriptions |
| Recharge | Larger brands, many tools | 4.8 (3,127) | No | $25/mo for first 50 subscribers |
| Okendo | Skin type and shade reviews | 4.8 (1,426) | No | Free to 50 orders/mo; $19 |
| Judge.me | Free reviews | 5.0 (48,044) | Yes | Free; $15 for filters |
| Junip | Review filters, unlimited orders | 4.8 (1,159) | Yes | Free; $79 for filters |
| Loox | Photo reviews | 4.9 (9,758) | Yes | Free to 500 orders |
| Klaviyo | Email, SMS, refill flows | 4.7 (3,354) | No | Free to 250 contacts |
| RevenueHunt | Skin or shade quiz | 4.9 (459) | Yes | Free to 100 responses/mo |
| Octane AI | Deeper quiz funnels | 4.7 (208) | No | $50/mo |
| Rise | Gift cards and store credit | 4.7 (760) | No | $19.99/mo |
| Smile | Points for repeat buyers | 4.9 (4,618) | Yes | Free to 200 orders/mo |
| Tolstoy | Shoppable video and UGC | 4.7 (279) | No | Free plan |
| Gorgias | Support and complaints | 4.3 (704) | No | $10/mo (50 tickets) |
1. Oxify Cart Drawer & Upsell: Best for Bigger Beauty Orders (Our Pick)
4.9 stars from 40 reviews. Built for Shopify. See the listing. Yes, it is our app. Here is why we put it first for beauty stores, and where it is not the right fit.
A reviews app builds trust, and a subscription app brings buyers back, but neither makes today's order bigger. A cart drawer for cosmetics does. The shopper has already said yes to one product, so the cart is the best moment to show the next step in the routine. For the how-to, see how to add a cart drawer upsell on Shopify.
The beauty offers it runs:
- Routine upsells in the cart drawer. Show the cleanser next to the serum, or SPF next to the moisturizer. Pick the products by hand, or let it use Shopify's "complementary" recommendations. More on in-cart recommendations.
- Free-mini and free-gift goals. "Add $14 more for a free travel size." The gift is added automatically, and goals can be set per market, so a UK shopper and a US shopper can see different amounts.
- Subscribe-and-save upgrade on the cart line. One tap turns a one-time bottle into a refill plan. It works with Shopify subscription apps such as Recharge, Appstle, Skio, and Seal. See subscribe and save inside the cart drawer.
- Offers after checkout. Post-purchase and thank-you page upsells, plus checkout upsells on Shopify Plus. A shopper who just bought a serum can add sunscreen in one tap. See post-purchase upsell apps.
It also adds a free-shipping bar, an announcement bar, cart add-ons, and a product list widget that can show related products, Shopify's complementary products, a hand-picked list, or recently viewed items.
Cart and upsell tools compared
| Tool | Best known for | Rating | BFS | Price from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxify Cart Drawer & Upsell (ours) | Cart drawer, upsells, gift goals, post-purchase | 4.9 (40) | Yes | $9.99/mo |
| Selleasy | Many upsell and cross-sell types | 4.9 (2,742) | Yes | Free to 50 orders/mo; $9 |
| Upcart | Cart drawer upsells | 4.7 (955) | Yes | $29.99/mo |
| Rebuy | Personalization, search, A/B-tested flows | 4.7 (854) | No | $25/mo |
| ReConvert | Post-purchase and thank-you upsells | 4.8 (3,095) | No | Free to 50 orders/mo |
| AfterSell | One-click post-purchase offers | 4.9 (1,089) | Yes | $34.99/mo |
On 11 October 2026 the Upcart and AfterSell listings (both from Rokt) showed "not currently available" on the App Store, so the ratings and prices above are from our October 6 read. Check each listing before you install.
Pick one cart app, not three. For more head-to-heads, see best Shopify cart drawer apps, Rebuy alternatives, and best Shopify upsell apps.
What one haircare brand's dashboard shows
Replenhair is a UK brand that sells natural haircare for textured hair. Its products cost £14.99 to £49.99, and it already ran sales of 20% to 50%. Instead of cutting prices again, it added a cart drawer with a matching-product offer, a free-shipping bar, a product page offer, and a one-click offer after checkout. Here is what Oxify's own dashboard showed:
- Total app revenue: £15,451.
- Cart drawer: £8,742 (57% of the total).
- Product page upsells: £4,136.
- One-click offers after checkout: £2,573.
It is one store, not an average. The numbers are "app-attributed," which means the app counts orders where a shopper took one of its offers. Some of those orders might have happened anyway. Use it to see what is possible, not what is promised. Read the full Replenhair story.
Our setup for a beauty store: turn on the drawer and a free-shipping goal just above your usual order, add one routine upsell per best-seller, add a free mini at a higher goal, switch on the subscribe-and-save upgrade, then check average order value after two weeks and change one offer at a time.
- Price: $9.99 (to 100 orders a month), $19.99 (200), $29.99 (500), $49.99 (1,000), with higher tiers as you grow. 14-day free trial.
- Our promise: Cart Drawer & Upsell comes with a 30-day ROI guarantee. If your average order value has not increased within 30 days of going live, we refund 100% of what you paid.
- Where others win: Rebuy ran on 17 of the 59 beauty brands we checked, and it also covers search and A/B-tested flows. Selleasy and Kaching Bundles have far more reviews than our apps. Oxify covers the main cart jobs (add-ons, gift goals, subscription upgrades, post-purchase) from $9.99 a month.
- Skip it if: you only want reviews and email. Oxify does not run quizzes, reviews, or email.
Our two apps for beauty stores:
- Oxify Cart Drawer & Upsell: routine upsells, free-mini goals, subscribe-and-save upgrade, and post-purchase offers. From $9.99 a month, with a 14-day free trial.
- Oxify Quantity Breaks & BYOB: routine kits, build-your-own sets, and quantity breaks for refills. $14.99 a month, with a 14-day free trial.
Best Apps for Free Samples, Minis, and Gift With Purchase
"Spend $50, get a free mini" is a beauty habit. It lets shoppers try a product before they commit. The question store owners ask is almost always the same: "What shows 'you're $10 away from a free gift' in the cart?" There is a catch on Shopify.
Shopify does not add the gift for you. Shopify's own Buy X Get Y discount works like this, in Shopify's words: customers must add all items to their cart manually, and the free or discounted item is never automatically added (Shopify Help Center). To add a gift on its own, you need an app.
Real beauty brands know this. 13 of the 59 stores we checked (22%) run a free-gift app.
Three kinds of gift and sample apps
| Kind | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Progress bar plus auto-add gift | Shows "$10 away," adds the gift when the cart hits the goal | Oxify Cart Drawer & Upsell, Turbo Cart Progress Bar & Gift, Kai Progress Bar & Free Gift |
| Auto-add rule engine | Adds a gift when a rule is met, such as cart total, quantity, or a product | EG Auto Add to Cart Free Gift, BOGOS |
| Shopper picks the sample | Lets the customer choose free or low-price samples once the cart reaches a value | Sample Products – Try N Buy, Product Samples by Luke |
- Oxify Cart Drawer & Upsell (our app). A reward bar with free-gift goals that adds the gift on its own. Goals can be set per market. See the listing.
- EG Auto Add to Cart Free Gift: 4.9 stars from 1,135 reviews, Built for Shopify. It ran on 10 of the 59 stores. The free plan has 1 live gift rule. Standard is $14.99 a month for 3 rules, and Unlimited is $29.99. See the listing.
- BOGOS: 5.0 stars from 4,450 reviews, Built for Shopify. It ran on 3 of the 59 stores. Free for your first 30 orders, then paid plans from $29.99 a month. It also covers BOGO, mix and match, and bundles. See the listing.
- Turbo Cart Progress Bar & Gift: 4.8 stars from 19 reviews, Built for Shopify, free. See the listing.
- Sample pickers: Sample Products – Try N Buy (3.2 stars from 7 reviews, $4.99 a month, made for cosmetics, health, and pet brands) and Product Samples by Luke (5.0 stars from 39 reviews, $12 a month). Sample Products · Product Samples.
The subscription gift trap. Say a first-order gift is added as a $0 line on a subscription. Depending on how the app builds it, that gift can repeat on every renewal. Appstle's help center, for example, lets you fire a gift rule only "when subscription is created" (Appstle help).
How to test a renewal before launch:
- Turn on your gift rule and make a test subscription.
- Place the first order and check that the gift is on it.
- Run the next renewal from your subscription app's admin or test mode.
- Open the renewal order. The mini should not be there.
Because "free" has legal rules too, see the claims check. For more setups, read 4 ways to set up a free gift with purchase, letting customers choose their gift, adding a free gift in the cart drawer, and tiered cart rewards.
Best Apps for Routine Bundles, Regimen Kits, and Discovery Sets
A routine kit is a bundle with one slot per step: cleanser, serum, moisturizer, sunscreen. Shoppers do not have to guess what goes together, and you sell four products instead of one. For bundle types and discount math, read frequently bought together for beauty and skincare stores.
- Oxify Quantity Breaks & BYOB (our app): 4.9 stars from 13 reviews, Built for Shopify, $14.99 a month with a 14-day trial. Quantity breaks, mix and match, a bundle builder, upsell offers, and free gifts. Good for "build your own routine" and "pick your minis." See the listing.
- Kaching Bundles: 5.0 stars from 6,178 reviews, Built for Shopify, from $14.99 a month. The most-reviewed bundle app we checked. See the listing.
- Easy Bundles: Bundle Builder: 4.9 stars from 1,379 reviews, Built for Shopify. Free up to $500 in bundle sales a month. See the listing.
- Appstle Bundles & Upsells: 5.0 stars from 1,149 reviews, no Built for Shopify badge. Free up to $750 a month in bundle sales, then $7.99 and up. See the listing.
- Shopify Bundles (made by Shopify): 2.9 stars from 568 reviews. See the listing.
Watch out for subscriptions. Shopify's help center says bundles built with its native Bundles feature are not compatible with purchase options, which includes subscriptions and pre-orders (Shopify Help Center). If you want shoppers to subscribe to a routine, either pick a bundle app that works with your subscription app, or let them subscribe to each product.
Kit design tips (our suggestions):
- One slot per step. Label the slots AM and PM so shoppers see how the routine fits their day.
- Let shoppers pick the shade for each slot. A kit with a wrong-shade foundation becomes a return.
- Sell a discovery set of minis, then offer the full size. Use a post-purchase offer or a refill email a few weeks later.
- Name bundles by skin type, not by treatment. "Dry-Skin Routine" describes. "Acne Treatment Kit" promises to treat something. See why.
- Price the kit on purpose. See bundle pricing strategy and mix and match bundle apps.
Best Subscription Apps for Beauty and Skincare
A bottle runs out. That is why subscriptions fit beauty. In our scan, 34 of 59 stores (58%) ran a named subscription app. A good beauty subscription needs four things:
- Skip and swap. Shoppers stockpile. Let them skip a month or change a product without calling you.
- A cycle that matches the product. A 30 mL serum and a 200 mL cleanser do not run out on the same day. See the refill clock.
- Gift rules that do not repeat. See the gift trap above.
- A payment gateway the app supports. Shopify's Subscriptions app works with Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen, and Stripe for select merchants (Shopify Help Center).
2. Appstle Subscriptions: best for most beauty stores
5.0 stars from 8,932 reviews. Built for Shopify. See the listing.
- Price: free up to $500 a month in subscriptions. Then $10 (to $5,000), $30 (to $15,000), and higher plans after that. The listing shows 0% transaction fees on paid plans.
- Why it fits beauty: the free plan already includes multiple frequencies, payment retry, and the customer portal.
- Watch out: plans step up with your monthly subscription sales.
3. Recharge: larger brands with many tools
4.8 stars from 3,127 reviews. No Built for Shopify badge. See the listing.
- Price: $25 a month for your first 50 subscribers, with no transaction fees. Starter is $99 a month plus 1.49% and 19¢ per transaction. Plus is $499 a month plus 1.34% and 19¢. 60-day free trial.
- Real-world use: it was the most common subscription app in our scan, on 22 of 59 beauty stores (37%).
- Watch out: the percent fee grows with every sale.
4. Skio, Loop, and Seal: the other three to know
- Skio (5.0 stars from 242 reviews): on 5 of 59 stores. The listing now reads "Skio, a Recharge Company." The Scale plan is $599 a month plus 1% and 20¢ per transaction. See the listing.
- Loop (5.0 stars from 779 reviews): free for 50 active subscriptions, then $99 a month plus 1%. Known for cancel flows. See the listing.
- Seal (4.9 stars from 3,126 reviews, Built for Shopify): free for up to 50 subscriptions, then paid plans from $5.95 a month. The lowest flat price we found. See the listing.
Also worth a look: Easy Subscriptions (5.0 stars from 214 reviews, Built for Shopify, free for your first 100 lifetime subscription orders) and Recurpay (5.0 stars from 571 reviews). Easy Subscriptions listing · Recurpay listing. Compare fees at your size in best Shopify subscription apps.
Best Review Apps for Beauty (and How to Filter by Skin Type)
Beauty shoppers read reviews, but a five-star review from oily skin does not help dry skin. The best setup asks a question or two, like skin type or shade, and lets shoppers filter by the answer. For the full field, see best Shopify review apps.
| Review app | Custom questions | Shopper filters | Plan you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okendo | Ready-made skin type, skin concern, and skin tone attributes | Attribute filters in the review widget | Docs name no plan limit. Free to 50 orders/mo; $19 after |
| Judge.me | Single and multiple choice questions | "Allow filtering for this question" setting | Awesome, $15/mo |
| Junip | Single and multi-select questions | Custom attributes and filters | Growth, $79/mo |
| Yotpo | Custom questions, up to 20 per form | Yotpo says answers help shoppers filter reviews. Its doc has no setup steps | Pro, $119/mo, or higher |
| Stamped | Radio and scale questions | Can become filters "on eligible plans" | Plan not named in the doc |
- Okendo (4.8 stars from 1,426 reviews, no Built for Shopify badge): what the big beauty brands use, on 21 of 59 (36%). Free to 50 orders a month, then $19, $119, and $299 as orders grow. See the listing.
- Judge.me (5.0 stars from 48,044 reviews, Built for Shopify): free forever with unlimited reviews and photo and video reviews. It was the top beauty review app in the 19,026-store StoreInspect scan (9.6%) but appeared on none of the 59 bigger brands. See the listing.
- Junip (4.8 stars from 1,159 reviews, Built for Shopify): free with unlimited orders and review requests. See the listing.
- Loox (4.9 stars from 9,758 reviews, Built for Shopify): best for photo reviews. Free up to 500 orders, then $49.99 a month. See the listing.
Keep reviews honest: ask every buyer, do not hide the bad ones, and never tie a reward to a good rating. See the claims check.
Best Quiz and Shade-Match Apps
A shopper who cannot find her shade leaves. In a March 2026 survey of more than 4,300 US women by The Benchmarking Company, 39% said they had abandoned a brand because its shade line-up was not inclusive. Among women with darker skin tones the number was 61% (The Benchmarking Company). A quiz or shade finder fixes that before the cart.
- RevenueHunt: 4.9 stars from 459 reviews, Built for Shopify. Free up to 100 quiz responses a month, then $39 for 500. Works with Klaviyo. See the listing.
- Octane AI: 4.7 stars from 208 reviews, no Built for Shopify badge. From $50 a month for two quizzes, or $200 for unlimited quizzes. It ran on 14 of the 59 stores. See the listing.
- Shade finders: Findation loaded on 5 of the 59 stores. YouCam Virtual Try-On (from Perfect Corp, $379 a month) and Match My Makeup Shade Finder (from $200 a month) are on the App Store, but each has only 1 or 2 reviews so far. YouCam · Match My Makeup.
Our take: start with a free quiz or free samples before you pay for virtual try-on. Add try-on when your data shows shade is your main reason for returns.
Write quiz results carefully. "Your skin type: dry" describes. "We found you have acne. Here is your treatment plan" talks about treating a condition, which is how FDA separates drugs from cosmetics. That is our reading, not legal advice. See the rules.
Showing shades on the product page
- You can fit a big shade range. Shopify allows up to 2,048 variants per product, but only 3 options (Shopify Help Center). A foundation with 40 shades in 3 sizes is 120 variants, so it fits.
- Give every shade its own image or swatch, so shoppers see the color they chose.
- Put a quiz or shade-finder link right by the shade picker.
- Combined listings are Plus-only. Linking separate products into one page needs a Shopify Plus or enterprise plan.
- For option and swatch apps, see best Shopify product add-ons and options apps.
Best Email and SMS Apps for Beauty
9. Klaviyo: refill flows and skin-type segments
4.7 stars from 3,354 reviews. No Built for Shopify badge. See the listing. It was the most common tool in our scan, on 50 of 59 beauty brands (85%). Email is free for up to 250 contacts, and SMS is free for up to 150 credits. For the full field, see best email marketing apps for Shopify. To use skin type in your lists, see email list segmentation.
- Why flows matter: in Klaviyo's 2026 benchmarks for Health & Beauty, flows had a 1.96% placed-order rate and campaigns had 0.19%. By our math, that is about ten times more orders per recipient (Klaviyo).
- Use the quiz and review answers. Save a shopper's skin type as a profile property, then send routine tips that match it.
How to build the refill flow (from Klaviyo's replenishment guide):
- Start the flow when a product ships.
- Wait about 80% of the days the product lasts. Klaviyo's example is a reminder about 25 days after someone buys a 30-day supply.
- Send two reminders, then one more after the cycle has passed with a small extra, like a discount.
- Make one flow for each cycle length.
Small stores cannot use Klaviyo's "expected next order" prediction yet. It needs at least 500 customers who have placed an order and 180 days of order history, with orders in the last 30 days (Klaviyo Help Center). Until then, set the timing by hand. See the refill clock.
10. Postscript and Attentive: text marketing
- Postscript (4.7 stars from 1,207 reviews): free to install, with a $49 monthly minimum spend on the Starter plan. It ran on 10 of the 59 stores. See the listing. Attentive ran on 23 of 59 (39%).
- Automated texts beat blasts. Omnisend data, reported by BeautyMatter on September 13, 2026, shows standalone SMS campaigns for beauty brands fell from a 0.29% conversion rate in early 2025 to 0.18% by the second quarter of 2026, while automated SMS flows held at about 0.78% (BeautyMatter). Start with triggered texts, like a refill reminder.
Loyalty, Gift Cards, Video, Chat, and Restock Alerts
These are the "second layer" apps. Big brands run them (the scan table above), but a new store can wait.
11. Loyalty: points for repeat buyers
- Smile: 4.9 stars from 4,618 reviews, Built for Shopify. Free up to 200 orders a month, then $15 (to 500 orders). See the listing.
- Growave: 4.8 stars from 1,295 reviews, Built for Shopify. See the listing.
- LoyaltyLion: 4.6 stars from 545 reviews, with a free plan. See the listing.
- Yotpo Loyalty was the most common among big brands, on 19 of 59. Compare prices in best Shopify loyalty apps.
12. Gift cards and store credit
Rise (4.7 stars from 760 reviews, from $19.99 a month) combines gift cards, store credit, and loyalty. Its code showed up on 10 of the 59 stores (17%). Gift cards sell well for holidays, and store credit is a gentler way to handle returns. See the listing.
13. Shoppable video and UGC
Beauty is visual, and it shows: 26 of the 59 stores (44%) load a shoppable video tool.
- Tolstoy (4.7 stars from 279 reviews) and Videowise (4.8 stars from 252 reviews) both have free plans. Tolstoy listing · Videowise listing.
- If a creator posts the video, tell them to disclose any free product. Full comparison: best shoppable video apps.
14. Support and live chat
- Gorgias (4.3 stars from 704 reviews): the Starter plan is $10 a month for 50 tickets. It ran on 24 of the 59 stores (41%). See the listing.
- Tidio (4.8 stars from 1,350 reviews): has a free plan. See the listing.
Beauty support has a legal job too. FDA says that under MoCRA, the responsible person must report serious adverse events from cosmetics to FDA within 15 business days. Small businesses are not exempt from that rule (FDA). A helpdesk is not a process. Decide who reads each complaint and who flags a serious one.
15. Limited drops and restock alerts
Sold-out launches are part of beauty. 6 of the 59 stores load a back-in-stock tool (Restock Rocket or STOQ). If you run limited shades or holiday sets, read best back-in-stock and preorder apps and whether Shopify has a built-in preorder feature.
The Claims Check: Your Apps Write Your Marketing
This is the part most app lists skip. In the US, what you say about a product helps decide whether FDA treats it as a cosmetic or a drug. FDA says intended use can be shown by claims "on the product labeling, in advertising, on the Internet, or in other promotional materials" (FDA, content current as of September 2024). Quiz results, bundle names, upsell lines, and featured reviews all live on your site.
- FDA's examples of drug claims include products that "restore hair growth, reduce cellulite, treat varicose veins, increase or decrease the production of melanin (pigment) in the skin, or regenerate cells."
- "Moisturizers and makeup marketed with sun-protection claims are cosmetic/drug products" and must follow the rules for both. So the SPF step in a routine kit is not a plain cosmetic.
Where claims sneak into your apps (our reading, not legal advice):
| Where | Risky wording | Safer wording |
|---|---|---|
| Bundle name | "Eczema Relief Kit" | "Dry-Skin Routine" |
| Quiz result | "You have rosacea. Treat it with these." | "Your skin type: sensitive. Try a gentle routine." |
| Cart upsell line | "Reduce cellulite fast" | "A body lotion for soft-feeling skin" |
| Featured review | Pinning "This cured my eczema" | Pin reviews about texture, scent, and results you can see |
Do I have to register with FDA? A short MoCRA guide
FDA calls the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act "the most significant expansion of FDA's authority to regulate cosmetics since" 1938 (FDA MoCRA page, current as of August 10, 2026). It now requires facility registration (renewed every two years), product listing by the responsible person (usually the company named on the label), safety records, and serious adverse event reports within 15 business days.
The small-business exemption is narrow. You qualify if your average yearly US cosmetic sales over the last 3 years are under $1,000,000 (21 U.S.C. 364h). It covers GMP, registration, and listing, so adverse-event reports and safety records still apply (our reading). Products that regularly touch the eye, injected or internal-use products, and products meant to change appearance for more than 24 hours are not exempt at any size.
"Free" offers and reviews
- "Free" gifts: the FTC's guide says not to pay for the gift by raising the main price, to put conditions "in close conjunction" with the offer (an asterisk footnote does not count), and not to run a "free" offer on a single size for more than 6 months in any 12 (16 CFR 251.1). It uses the word "should," so treat it as strong advice.
- Reviews: the FTC's reviews rule took effect October 21, 2024. The maximum penalty is $53,088 per violation, and the FTC said in September 2026 that it will keep the 2025 amounts for 2026 (16 CFR 1.98). Asking only your happiest customers is not banned by the rule, but the FTC says it "could violate the FTC Act" (FTC Q&A).
- Creators: if you send free product to a creator, tell them to say so in the post.
The Refill Clock: Time Your Apps to the Day the Bottle Runs Out
Every refill email, subscription, and quantity break depends on one number: how many days a product lasts. Most brands guess. Here is how to know.
Days a product lasts = bottle size ÷ how much a person uses each day.
- Measure your own dose. Press a pump 10 times into a measuring spoon and divide by 10. Now you know what one pump holds.
- Use the label's directions. Count the pumps or drops a day, then multiply.
- Check real data. Look at how many days pass between first and second orders, then set the reminder a little before that.
A worked example with sunscreen.
- The American Academy of Dermatology says to use at least 1 teaspoon of sunscreen on the face (AAD, updated August 2025).
- One US teaspoon is about 4.9 mL (our conversion). So a 50 mL face sunscreen holds about 10 face applications.
- A shopper who uses it daily and follows the advice would finish it in about 10 days, not the 90 a "quarterly" plan assumes.
Most people use less than the recommended amount, so real life will run longer. That is why measuring your own reorder data beats any rule of thumb.
| Product | What decides the timing | Reminder idea |
|---|---|---|
| Mascara | FDA says makers usually recommend tossing it 2 to 4 months after purchase | Remind at about 8 to 10 weeks |
| Face sunscreen | Dose math, plus FDA says an undated sunscreen counts as expired 3 years after purchase | Remind by dose math. Do not sell years of stock |
| Serum, cleanser, moisturizer | Bottle size ÷ your measured daily dose | Remind at about 80% of the days it lasts |
Sources: FDA on cosmetic shelf life and FDA on sunscreen. FDA also notes that US law does not require cosmetics to carry expiration dates, so stockpile deals on eye products work against your customer.
Shipping Perfume, Nail Polish, and Aerosols
Some beauty products are classed as flammable. That changes how they can ship, and it can change your free-shipping offers.
- Perfume with alcohol. USPS says it may not be shipped internationally or mailed within the US by air, but it may go by ground (USPS). A December 2025 USPS notice adds that domestic air is possible with prior authorization.
- Nail polish. USPS says flammable nail polish may be mailed domestically if it is a consumer commodity, and some can only go by ground.
- What to do: read each product's safety data sheet, ask your carrier about its rules, and make sure your shipping rates do not offer air service for those products.
How Many Apps Is Too Many? Speed and Overlap
Every app adds code to your store. In our scan, the 59 stores loaded about 7 of the 58 kinds of tools we look for, and the busiest loaded 15. A new store does not need that.
- Look for the badge. Shopify's Built for Shopify rule says an app must not reduce the storefront Lighthouse performance score by more than ten points. In this guide, both Oxify apps, EG, BOGOS, Kaching, Appstle, Judge.me, Junip, Loox, RevenueHunt, and Smile show the badge. Okendo, Recharge, Klaviyo, Gorgias, and Octane AI do not show it on their listings.
- Do not run two cart or upsell apps. They fight over the same cart.
- Count jobs, not apps. One app that does two jobs well can replace two.
- Test your speed before and after each install. See does a cart drawer app slow down your store?
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Shopify apps for beauty brands?
What apps do big beauty brands use on Shopify?
How many Shopify apps does a beauty store need, and do they slow it down?
How do I add a free sample to the cart on Shopify?
Which Shopify app shows "you're $10 away from a free gift" in the cart?
How do I let customers choose their own free sample?
How do I stop a free gift from repeating on subscription renewals?
Which review app lets shoppers filter by skin type or shade?
What is the best subscription app for beauty brands?
Can my quiz result or bundle name count as a drug claim?
Do I need to register my skincare brand with FDA?
How do I send refill reminders for skincare, and how do I show 40 shades?
What to Do This Week
- Today: read your bundle names, quiz results, and cart banners out loud. Cut any word that treats a condition.
- This week: install a review app and add one skin-type question. Install Klaviyo and build the refill flow.
- Next: add one routine upsell and a free-mini goal in the cart. Run a test subscription renewal to check the gift does not repeat.
- Then: watch average order value for two weeks, and change one offer at a time.
Want the routine upsell and free-mini goal handled? Oxify Cart Drawer & Upsell has a 14-day free trial and a 30-day ROI guarantee: if your average order value has not increased within 30 days of going live, we refund 100% of what you paid. Building routine kits or build-your-own sets? Try Oxify Quantity Breaks & BYOB. See how the cart app works on our cart drawer upsell page.
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