SHOPIFY STORE BREAKDOWN · BEAUTY
Top Beauty Stores on Shopify: 12 Brands to Learn From in 2026
Beauty is one of the hardest categories to sell online. Shoppers can't swatch a lipstick, test a serum on their skin or smell a body lotion through a screen, so the best beauty stores on Shopify have to do that work with design: shade tools, ingredient education, real-people reviews and routines that make the next purchase obvious.
We've designed and built more than 3,000 websites since 2012, including stores for beauty and skincare brands, so we reviewed these 12 storefronts the way we audit a client's: what's working, why it works, and which ideas you can borrow without a celebrity budget.
In this article
Key takeaways
- The strongest beauty stores remove purchase doubt: shade finders, ingredient breakdowns and reviews you can filter by skin type.
- Founder and community content outperforms generic product copy — but you don't need a celebrity to use it.
- Bundles, routines and subscriptions turn a single purchase into a habit.
- Third-party proof (dermatologist testing, certifications, before-and-afters) sells harder than adjectives.
- Rich media only helps if the store stays fast on mobile.
The 12 stores, at a glance
| Store | Category | What it does best | Idea to steal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kylie Cosmetics | Makeup, skincare, fragrance | Founder-led merchandising | "Founder's picks" tags and how-to notes |
| Rare Beauty | Makeup | Mission built into the brand | Put your "why" inside the shopping journey |
| Fenty Beauty | Makeup, skincare | Shade inclusivity as UX | Reviews filterable by skin type and concern |
| Rhode | Skincare, lip | Tight hero lineup | Fewer SKUs, deeper product pages |
| Glossier | Makeup, skincare | Community content | "Complete the routine" bundles |
| ILIA | Clean makeup, skincare | Shade matching at scale | Side-by-side shade comparison |
| Jones Road | Makeup | Hero-product strategy | A limited hero kit instead of a sitewide discount |
| Tower 28 | Sensitive-skin makeup | Verified trust | Certifications next to Add to Cart |
| Summer Fridays | Skincare | Retention | Subscribe-and-save on replenishable heroes |
| Gisou | Haircare | Origin story | Turn your ingredient story into visual identity |
| Nécessaire | Body care | Category repositioning | Borrow the language of a premium adjacent category |
| Topicals | Skincare | Personality + a specific problem | Speak to one skin concern, in one clear voice |
Kylie Cosmetics
Makeup, skincare & fragrance
What stands out
Kylie Cosmetics runs on Shopify Plus and is built to handle launch-day traffic spikes from a massive social audience. The smartest part isn't the celebrity — it's how the store turns the founder into the merchandiser. Founder-favourite tags, personal how-to notes and social-led collections give shoppers a shortcut through a large catalogue, and product pages lean on high-production imagery and proof that the product performs.
Rare Beauty
Makeup
What stands out
Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty is one of the clearest examples of a mission-led beauty brand on Shopify. The brand's commitment to mental-health support through its Rare Impact Fund is part of the identity, not a footnote, and the store's soft, minimal aesthetic keeps the focus on easy-to-understand products and a message of self-acceptance.
Fenty Beauty
Makeup & skincareWhat stands out
Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 with a 40-shade foundation range and made inclusivity the product, not a campaign. On the store, that becomes UX: helping shoppers find their match is central, tutorial content is shoppable, and reviews can be narrowed down so customers hear from people with similar skin.
Rhode
Skincare & lipWhat stands out
Hailey Bieber's Rhode proves a small catalogue can feel premium. With a tight hero lineup, every product page can go deep — founder video, full ingredient lists and packaging details — wrapped in calm, neutral art direction. Rhode also turned packaging into a product, with a phone case designed to hold its lip treatment.
Glossier
Makeup & skincare
What stands out
Glossier was built on community, and its store still shows it: real customers and creators, a recognisable soft-pink identity and a mobile-first experience for a social-native audience. The brand rebuilt on Shopify Plus in 2023, and the store consistently nudges shoppers toward complementary products and complete routines.Source
ILIA
Clean makeup & skincare
What stands out
ILIA started on Shopify, moved to Shopify Plus, and went headless so it could serve a large library of diverse imagery without slowing the store down. The result is a stronger shade experience, including tools to find your shade and compare shades side by side.Source
Jones Road
Makeup
What stands out
Founded by makeup artist Bobbi Brown in 2020, Jones Road is a masterclass in hero-product strategy. Instead of discounting for Black Friday, the brand offered a limited mini kit of its signature Miracle Balm and sold 375,000 kits over the four-day weekend. The store keeps the range edited and lets Bobbi's expertise do the teaching.Source
Tower 28
Sensitive-skin makeup
What stands out
Founder Amy Liu built Tower 28 for sensitive skin, and the store sells on verified credibility rather than marketing claims: National Eczema Association recognition, dermatologist and allergy testing, and customer before-and-after photos published on its Shopify site. Bright, beachy branding keeps it from feeling clinical.Source
Summer Fridays
Skincare
What stands out
Founded in 2017 by Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland, Summer Fridays turned its Jet Lag Mask into a cult product. Its custom Shopify Plus store uses a modular layout built around the brand's existing photography and video, plus a subscription option and a rewards program to keep customers coming back.Source
Gisou
Haircare
What stands out
Gisou, founded by Negin Mirsalehi, is built on a six-generation beekeeping heritage, and the Shopify Plus store makes that story visible everywhere — warm honey tones, ingredient-led storytelling and a strong, consistent identity across product, landing and campaign pages.
Nécessaire
Body care
What stands out
Founded in 2018 by Randi Christiansen and Nick Axelrod, Nécessaire repositioned body care by treating the body like the face. The store uses skincare-grade language — vitamins, niacinamide, peptides — with minimal, gender-neutral design and fragrance-free options for sensitive skin.
Topicals
Skincare
What stands out
Topicals built a loyal Gen Z following by talking openly about specific skin concerns such as hyperpigmentation and eczema-prone skin, with a bold, playful visual style and an honest voice around skin and mental health.
What beauty brands on Shopify Plus actually run
The tools behind these stores matter as much as the design. Across 9,061 Shopify Plus beauty stores analysed in May 2026, beauty brands lean far harder on retention tools than the average Plus storeSource.
of Shopify Plus beauty stores use Klaviyo for email and automation
run ReCharge subscriptions — vs 9.4% of all Plus stores
use Attentive for SMS — vs 5.8% of all Plus stores
Email flows, subscriptions, SMS and reviews aren't add-ons in beauty; they're the business model. Webinopoly designs and builds these Shopify integrations as part of the store, not after launch.
8 features to build into your beauty store
- Shade or fit finder — help shoppers choose before doubt sets in.
- Ingredient education at the point of decision — key actives explained on the product page, not buried in a blog.
- Video and real-customer content on product pages — show texture, application and results.
- Reviews filterable by skin type, tone and concern.
- Routines and bundles — "complete the routine" raises AOV and results.
- Subscriptions for replenishable products.
- Third-party trust signals near Add to Cart — testing, certifications, before-and-afters.
- Mobile speed — image-heavy beauty stores must still pass Core Web Vitals, or all of the above goes unseen.
Store details reflect each brand's live site as of October 2026. Brands update their stores often, so features may change.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best beauty stores on Shopify?
Some of the strongest beauty stores on Shopify in 2026 include Kylie Cosmetics, Rare Beauty, Fenty Beauty, Rhode, Glossier, ILIA, Jones Road, Tower 28, Summer Fridays, Gisou, Nécessaire and Topicals. Each stands out for a different reason, from shade-matching tools to subscriptions and community content.
Is Shopify a good platform for beauty brands?
Yes. Shopify supports everything beauty brands rely on — fast mobile storefronts, subscriptions, reviews, email and SMS integrations, bundles and international selling — and it scales from new indie brands to celebrity launches.
Should a beauty brand use Shopify or Shopify Plus?
Most new beauty brands start on a standard Shopify plan. Shopify Plus becomes worth it when you need higher-volume launch capacity, checkout customization, B2B or wholesale, or multiple international storefronts.
What features does a beauty store on Shopify need?
At minimum: strong product photography and video, clear ingredient information, reviews, and a fast mobile experience. High-performing beauty stores add shade or skin-type finders, bundles, subscriptions and trust signals such as dermatologist testing.
How much does it cost to build a beauty store on Shopify?
Webinopoly Shopify projects start at $1,500; scope is defined after a free audit.
Want a beauty store that sells like these?
Tell us about your brand and we'll design a free mockup of your Shopify store — built around your products, your shoppers and the features that matter in beauty.