In the booming world of online beauty, getting seen is half the battle. But what are the cosmetics keywords that can make or break a brand’s visibility? Simply put, they are the exact words and phrases customers type into search engines when looking for beauty products and advice. With millions of people searching every day, understanding this language is not just an advantage, it’s a necessity. A staggering 83% of consumers have bought skincare after an online search, proving that your brand’s visibility on Google can directly translate to sales.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from the basic types of keywords to the advanced strategies for finding and using them to attract customers.
What Are Cosmetics Keywords and Why Do They Matter?
At its core, a beauty product keyword is any term someone types into a search engine when looking for cosmetics, skincare, or hair care. Think of terms like “red lipstick” or “hydrating moisturizer”. These are the digital breadcrumbs your customers leave behind.
The online beauty space is enormous. In the third quarter of 2025 alone, beauty and cosmetics websites saw a jaw dropping 2.15 billion monthly visits globally. With nearly 60% of that traffic coming from search engines, it’s clear that mastering cosmetics keywords is your ticket to capturing a massive audience.
The Core Categories of Cosmetics Keywords
Not all beauty searches are the same. Understanding the different categories helps you create content that perfectly matches what a user is looking for.
By Product Type (Skincare, Hair, and Makeup)
The most basic way to categorize cosmetics keywords is by the product itself.
- Skincare Keywords: These are terms related to skin health, like “face wash for oily skin” or “retinol cream”. The skincare market is one of the most searched beauty categories online, driven by consumers looking for solutions to specific problems.
- Hair Beauty Product Keywords: This category covers everything from “shampoo for curly hair” to “heat protectant spray”. Hair care searches are incredibly popular, with terms like “hair color” getting around 165,000 searches every month in the US alone.
- Skin Beauty Product Keywords: This is a broad category that includes both skincare treatments and makeup applied to the skin. It covers everything from “full coverage foundation” to “body lotion for glowing skin”, making it a huge part of the beauty search landscape.
By Consumer Need and Intent
Many users search based on a problem they want to solve or an ingredient they’ve heard about.
- Skin Concern Keywords: These queries revolve around a specific skin issue, like “how to get rid of acne scars” or “best moisturizer for eczema”. Content that targets these problem solution searches tends to convert well because it offers a direct answer to a user’s need.
- Ingredient Focused Keywords: Today’s consumers are savvy. They search for specific ingredients like “hyaluronic acid benefits” or “products with vitamin C”. The term “hyaluronic acid” alone gets about 246,000 monthly searches in the US, showing just how educated shoppers have become.
By Niche and Values
Modern consumers often shop based on their values, which is reflected in their searches.
- Natural Beauty Product Keywords: Searches including words like “organic”, “clean”, or “vegan” are surging. For example, “cruelty free skincare” is searched over 940,000 times a month globally, presenting a huge opportunity for brands that align with these values.
Understanding Searcher Intent: From Broad to Specific
As customers move from awareness to purchase, their search terms change. A successful cosmetics keywords strategy targets every stage of this journey.
Non-Branded vs. Branded Keywords
- Non Branded Keywords: These are generic queries like “long lasting lipstick” that don’t mention a brand. They are perfect for attracting new customers who are in the discovery phase. A huge majority of search queries, over 70%, are non branded and long tail.
- Branded Keywords: These searches include a specific brand name, such as “Fenty Beauty foundation” or “The Ordinary Niacinamide serum”. This user already knows the brand and is likely ready to make a purchase.
Getting Hyper Specific with Product Keywords
A product specific keyword is a highly detailed search for one particular item, like “Maybelline Fit Me Matte Foundation in shade 120”. While these have lower search volume individually, they have incredibly high purchase intent. In fact, these types of specific, long tail keywords have conversion rates 2.5 times higher than broader terms.
E-commerce and Business Focused Cosmetics Keywords
Beyond individual consumers, your SEO strategy should also consider other types of searchers who use unique cosmetics keywords.
Keywords for Online Shoppers
An online beauty product keyword signals a user wants to buy on the internet, using phrases like “buy foundation online” or “skincare free shipping”. With about 78% of beauty consumers preferring to shop online, optimizing for these transactional terms is critical.
Keywords for B2B and Wholesale
A wholesale beauty product keyword is used by businesses looking to buy in bulk, such as “wholesale cosmetics suppliers” or “bulk hair products”. These searches have lower volume but represent high value opportunities, as a single conversion could mean a large, recurring order.
The Power of Local: Winning in Your Neighborhood
For brick and mortar stores, spas, and salons, local SEO is a game changer.
Targeting Local Skincare Searches
A local skincare keyword includes a geographic location, like “facial treatment in Brooklyn” or “skincare stores near me”. These searches are packed with intent. Data from Google shows that 78% of local mobile searches lead to a purchase within just 24 hours.
Mastering Geographical Term Optimization
Geographical term optimization is the practice of adding location names to your keywords and content. This tells Google that your business is relevant to a specific area, helping you show up for both “near me” searches and queries that name your city or neighborhood.
Why Your Google Business Profile is a Goldmine
Google Business Profile optimization (formerly Google My Business) is one of the most important factors for local ranking. A complete and active profile with positive reviews makes your business more visible and trustworthy. Businesses that fully optimize their profile are significantly more likely to rank in the local map pack, which can drive a massive increase in traffic.
Building Your Master Keyword Strategy: A Step by Step Process
Ready to build your own list of high impact cosmetics keywords? Here is a simple framework to get you started.
Step 1: Creating Your Master Skincare Keyword List
Skincare keyword list creation is the foundational step. It involves brainstorming and using SEO tools to build a comprehensive spreadsheet of all the terms your audience might be searching for. This organized list becomes the blueprint for your entire content strategy.
Step 2: Extracting Keywords Directly from Google
You can export skincare keywords from Google Search using a few methods. Google Keyword Planner provides volume estimates, while Google Search Console shows you the exact queries your site is already appearing for. You should also extract skincare keywords from People Also Ask and Related Searches. These sections on Google’s results page, along with other SERP features, are a goldmine for understanding user questions and related topics.
Step 3: Grouping Keywords for Maximum Impact
Once you have a list, it’s time for keyword grouping by topic. This means bundling related terms together. For instance, all keywords about retinol benefits, side effects, and usage could be grouped to be targeted by a single, comprehensive guide. This helps establish topical authority and prevents your own pages from competing with each other. For a more technical approach, you can try keyword grouping by n gram, which clusters keywords based on common phrases (like “for oily skin”), revealing powerful patterns in user language.
Step 4: Selecting Keywords by Search Volume and Intent
Finally, you must select keywords by search volume, but with a catch. While it’s tempting to chase high volume terms, they are often highly competitive. A balanced strategy includes a mix of high volume “head” terms for awareness and lower volume, high intent “long tail” terms that are easier to rank for and often convert better, including informational keywords at the top of the funnel.
Putting It All Together: From Keywords to Rankings
Understanding and organizing cosmetics keywords is the first step. The next is creating high quality content at a scale that allows you to compete, often by using programmatic SEO to cover large product/topic sets efficiently. This process of research, planning, writing, and optimizing can be overwhelming for busy teams. Before you publish, run each draft through an on-page SEO checklist to catch easy wins.
That is where a modern approach can make all the difference. Services like Rankai use a powerful combination of AI and human expertise to manage the entire process for you. From vetting ROI aligned keywords to publishing over 20 optimized pages a month and rewriting them until they rank, it’s a scalable way to build topical authority and drive consistent organic growth. If you are ready to turn your keyword strategy into measurable results, booking a demo can show you what’s possible.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cosmetics Keywords
1. What’s the difference between a skincare keyword and a skin beauty product keyword?
A skincare keyword specifically relates to skin health and treatment (e.g., “acne treatment”). A skin beauty product keyword is broader, including both skincare and makeup applied to the skin (e.g., “hydrating foundation”).
2. Should I target high volume or low volume cosmetics keywords?
A healthy strategy includes both. High volume keywords can build brand awareness, but they are very competitive. Low volume, long tail keywords (e.g., “best vitamin c serum for sensitive skin over 40”) are less competitive and often have higher conversion rates.
3. How many cosmetics keywords should I target per page?
Instead of focusing on a single keyword, target a topic or a “cluster” of related keywords with one page. A single comprehensive article can naturally rank for hundreds of variations of a core topic. A top ranking page often ranks for nearly 1,000 other relevant keywords.
4. Why are “skin concern” keywords so valuable for beauty brands?
These keywords (like “redness relief for rosacea”) are used by people actively looking for a solution to a problem. If your content or product provides that solution, you have a high chance of gaining a new customer.
5. How can local businesses use cosmetics keywords?
Local businesses should focus on keywords that include their city, state, or neighborhood (e.g., “dermatologist in Seattle”). Optimizing their Google Business Profile and local landing pages for these terms is crucial for attracting nearby customers.
6. What are the best tools for finding cosmetics keywords?
Great starting points include Google Keyword Planner for volume estimates, Google Search Console to see what you already rank for, and scraping Google’s “People Also Ask” and “Related Searches” for real user queries. For a more automated, strategy driven approach, services like Rankai handle the entire research and execution process.