Makeup isn’t simply a solution that transforms one’s appearance. It’s also a way to pamper yourself or someone you care about.

The world of cosmetics is enormous, and Etsy dominates as a place where buyers flock for deals and novelties that can’t be found elsewhere.

Are you a seller considering entering this niche?

Here’s what you need to know.

How big is the market for makeup and related products?

To understand the scope of Etsy’s makeup market, we used Sale Samurai’s Search module and typed in “makeup”.

The tool instantly revealed that “makeup” accumulates an approximate monthly search volume of 347,234. This number is high and suggests a sizable niche. In addition, a total of 420,775 listings rank for the seed keyword “makeup”.

At the same time, the search term “cosmetics” brings back 403,990 listings with a total Etsy search volume of 107,398.

These results strongly indicate that the makeup space on Etsy is both attractive and competitive.

But that’s not all.

These findings are incredible as the search volume for “makeup” nearly matches the total number of related listings on the platform.

This means that there’s more than sufficient demand. However, to compete in this arena, sellers will need a reliable, result-guaranteed sales strategy.

Before we get into the tips and tricks for entering this niche, let’s get to know the market better.

Below, we explore popular keywords, tags, pricing, and more.

Search volume

Using Sale Samurai, we identified the top 10 makeup-related keywords with the highest search volume. This enabled us to pinpoint where buyer demand is situated.

This is what we found:

• “Makeup”: search volume – 347,234
• “Makeup organizer”: search volume – 125,543
• “Makeup vanity”: search volume – 123,173
• “Makeup pouch”: search volume – 119,495
• “Permanent makeup”: search volume – 72,835
• “Highlighter makeup”: search volume – 40,794
• “Makeup case”: search volume – 37,292
• “50s makeup”: search volume – 34,906
• “1950 makeup”: search volume – 25,323
• “Vegan makeup”: search volume – 19,798

Clearly, the seed keyword “makeup” produces the highest amount of searches.

But with so many sub-products under this category, it’s worth exploring more narrow niches that shoppers browse for.

The data from the list uncovers that organizers, vanities, pouches, and cases receive the highest search volume.

This signals that buyers are not necessarily looking for eye shadow, blush, lipstick, or mascara. Instead, they’re in search of a place where they can store their existing items.

Also worth noting is that permanent makeup generates a considerably high search volume. This product type is followed by highlighter makeup and makeup for era-specific offers, namely, the 1950s.

Finally, it appears that vegan makeup is trendy as buyers look for more environmentally friendly solutions in efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.

These insights are key to product creation. They can guide you to produce appealing items and popular listings.

Tags

Next, we analyze the tags that sellers are utilizing to help boost rankings and receive more attention from shoppers.

Etsy provides 13 tag spaces per listing. By optimizing your offers with these backend keywords, you can help buyers find your product better and increase your discoverability.

According to Sale Samurai, some of the leading tags in the makeup category on Etsy are:

• “Makeup bag”: search volume – 353,057
• “Makeup”: search volume – 347,234
• “Make up”: search volume – 346,798
• “Skincare”: search volume – 203,187
• “Makeup brushes”: search volume – 125,996
• “Make up brushes”: search volume – 120,125
• “Cosmetic bag”: search volume – 119,698
• “Cosmetics”: search volume – 107,398
• “Lipstick”: search volume – 100,949
• “Mineral makeup”: search volume – 77,189

A couple of important conclusions can be made from this information.

First, vanity bags or makeup bags dominate the scenes, followed by “makeup” and its spelling variations (for example, “make up”).

Other frequently used tags include “skincare”, “makeup brushes”, “cosmetics”, “lipstick”, and “mineral makeup”.

With all of these niche ideas in mind, sellers can successfully diversify their portfolios and gain a competitive edge.

But no product will score high sales numbers if not priced properly.

What are adequate prices in the makeup space on Etsy?

Let’s find out.

How are sellers pricing their makeup products?

Makeup products are not among the most affordable items on the marketplace. The lowest, highest, and average prices in this niche make this clear.

These are the prices you should be aware of when entering this broad product category:

• Lowest price: $0.00
• Highest price: $12,658.23
• Average price: $80.26

At first glance, it’s evident that some makeup products go beyond an unaffordable $12,000.

Yet, the average price hovers around a more manageable $80.

While the nature of the product and production factors play a role, aiming for the $80 mark increases your likelihood of success. It positions your listings competitively and helps you stand apart from the rest.

What are the best-selling merchants doing right?

To identify the most successful strategies that help bestsellers achieve sales goals, we analyzed two top-performing listings.

Here are the details:

Seller 1

• Title: Handmade Gift: Bags and Purses, Makeup bag, bridesmaid gifts, Best selling, Bead, Coin Purse, Gift for her, Girlfriend Gift, Tote Bag, Gift
• Seller: Percrafters
• Price: $78.00

Seller 2

• Title: Makeup Blinged Brushes! | handmade Blinged brushes | Pink brushes | Pink drink inspiration | Starbucks Pink drink inspired | glitz and glam
• Seller: lasdelBoutique
• Price: $80.00

Now, let’s dissect these listings in depth.

Keyword use

Seller One’s title takes advantage of the phrase “makeup bag” – a high-search-volume keyword that guarantees traffic.

Meanwhile, Seller Two targets “makeup brushes” as their main keyword.

Both of these options are in high demand, meaning these listings are striving for high rankings.

The sellers have also diversified their titles, including descriptive words. This shows an attempt to capture as much of the search volume as possible and to describe the product in more detail.

This approach ensures that only interested shoppers click on the listing, enhancing the traffic-to-conversion ratio. This, in turn, boosts the product’s performance in the eyes of Etsy’s algorithm.

Pricing strategy

Both sellers’ pricing strategies are strategic, with each one asking for around $80 (the average in the market).

We strongly recommend this best practice. It allows the seller to turn a profit while avoiding the perception of the product as too cheap or low quality by buyers.

Images

Seller One’s listing contains nine images while Seller Two offers only four product photos.

Despite not fully utilizing Etsy’s allowance of 10 images, both sellers are still performing well.

This underscores that a robust sales strategy is not solely dependent on pricing, keywords, or images individually.

Instead, it’s the synergistic combination of all three approaches that will empower you to climb to the peak of your performance.

Our tip list for sellers seeking to enter this niche

Whether referred to as makeup, cosmetics, or any other term, this niche remains unsaturated. It presents sellers with an opportunity to tap into a search volume exceeding 300,000 – an impressive figure that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Despite potential competition, leveraging effective strategies in keywords, pricing, and images can help you establish a strong presence on the Etsy platform.

Here are our tips and tricks for achieving this.

Keywords

Using the right keywords in your title is essential. This means approaching this task strategically.

Perform extensive research (this is where Sale Samurai comes in handy) and place keywords with high search volume and low competition in your title.

The seed keyword “makeup” is a popular choice that should be a staple in your strategy. So is the word “cosmetics”, if you want to grab an even greater share of the audience.

Using both options plus adding a descriptive word will go a long way, helping you achieve higher rankings.

Prices

We strongly recommend pricing your product around the average in the category.

However, this is something that doesn’t need to take you hours to calculate.

Simply type in your seed keyword in Sale Samurai’s Search module and the tool will automatically provide the average price for you.

This will enable you to position your makeup gems competitively, attracting more users.

Images

Finally, consider your use of imagery carefully.

Product photos serve as the primary means for potential customers to interact with your product. It’s crucial to provide as much information as possible through your images as this significantly influences purchasing decisions.

If Etsy permits 10 images per listing, make sure to make the most of these available slots.

Don’t underestimate the power of quality. Upload professional, high-resolution photos that showcase your items from different angles.

The better your product presentation, the higher the chances of scooping up those sales.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, the makeup niche on Etsy is not for glossing over (pun intended).

It’s a category that has high potential with its extremely high search volume and relatively low rates of competition.

But if you’re hoping to compete with the pros, you need a professional tool that will help you get there.

Sale Samurai leads the way with millions of insights available at your fingertips. At a mere $9.99 per month, it can help you elevate your Etsy sales game.