Understanding how customers are searching for beauty products

For beauty retailers and cosmetic service providers, determining how consumers search for products online is vital. In this analysis of five years' worth of Google Trends data, we uncover insights into how beauty shoppers search on Google.

Beauty search trends

Beauty search terms and keywords

With influencers and trends online dominating the beauty industry, cosmetic retailers and service providers have no choice but to keep up with them. Below are some of the most popular beauty trends everyone online is talking about.

• Clean girl makeup: "Clean girl makeup" has become increasingly prevalent online, as many people are moving to apply makeup in a way that appears more natural. This means a heavier emphasis on concealer, mascara, and light blushes as opposed to heavy eye makeup and full-coverage foundation. 
• Skincare: With makeup trends favoring lighter makeup, skincare is essential. Consumers online have been searching for "best skincare products" more than ever. Korean skincare has become particularly popular, as many wish to emulate the "glass skin" effect popularized in Korea.
• Brands: Many influencers online like to recommend specific products to their viewers. This results in consumers searching for particular products online. For example, "elf camo concealer" has steadily risen in search volume over the past five years as it has been recommended many times online. 
• Semi-permanent makeup: A significant trend over the past five years has been the idea of "high maintenance to be low maintenance." That means that many consumers will get semi-permanent cosmetic services to avoid the daily duty of applying makeup. Examples include lash extensions, acrylic nails, laser hair removal, eyebrow microblading, and more. 
• DIY Makeup: Homemade cosmetics have increased as the demand for more organic products has risen. Search terms like "diy dry shampoo" and "rosemary oil" have increased in volume as many tutorial videos online show how easy it is to use products at home to enhance your look.

Keyword search volume and seasonality

Search trends for beauty also shift depending on the season. Take "self tanner," for example. A common misconception is that self-tanner is used more during winter since tanning in the sun is less viable. However, according to Google Trends, the search term "self tanner" still has the highest search volume during the summer months.

Self-tanner search volume has been consistent but is seasonal.

Keyword search regionality

For the search term "beauty products near me," the cities with the highest search volume were Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York. The combination of population density, diverse demographics, and the presence of beauty influencers and retailers makes cities a prime hub for beauty product search traffic.

Next steps 

Taking action on beauty search terms: local listings

Retailers and service providers for cosmetics can take advantage of these trends by using them to optimize their local listings. 

• Google Business Profiles: GBPs are a great place to incorporate the terms consumers seek. GBP attributes like owner descriptions, posts, reviews, Q&As, service descriptions, and more should be optimized with key terms.
• Apple Business Connect:  Apple Business Connect is the new player in town, but it brings a high-income audience. Attract upscale customers with Apple Business Connect.
• Bing Places: While Bing Places is less well known as Google Business Profiles, it is still critical that beauty retailers account for them.

Taking action on beauty search terms: local ads

Now that we know what beauty consumers are searching for, here are some options to take advantage of.

• Google Performance Max: Google's new multichannel ad campaigns can be optimized with the terms and seasonality reelected in this analysis. Reach beauty customers across Google Search, YouTube, Gmail and more.
• Google Local Inventory Ads: Google LIAs are mandatory for retailers.
• Google Local Service Ads: Google LSAs are necessary for cosmetic service providers.
• Microsoft Local Inventory Ads: Microsoft LIAs are often overlooked but provide the same LIA experience as Google, just to a different audience.
• Microsoft Local Service Ads: Microsoft LSAs are another service often underestimated but can offer a new audience to help promote your beauty service, just like Google.

dbaPlatform has been helping beauty retailers and service providers win with local searches for six years. Please reach out below to see how we can help.