How to Write Skincare Product Descriptions That Sell

Whether you like it or not, your skincare product descriptions are a marketing tool. They are a great way to attract new customers and increase the number of sales without spending any money on actual marketing activities!

Traditionally, a well-written skincare product description contains all the information needed by customers to make an informed decision about whether they want to buy your product. But in more recent times, product descriptions have become a way for brands to distinguish themselves in the market.

Quirky and cool copy quickly stands out in a crowded space, while the technical and boring product descriptions collect dust on the shelves and in e-stores. Here’s how you can wisely use your packaging space to write interesting skincare brand descriptions to compete with your competition, who is just a click away.

Aventive Studio is a full-service branding agency that helps wellness brands make more product sales. We can create the perfect visual brand that attracts customers to your skincare products before they even have a chance to read your product descriptions! 

Learn about our branding & packaging design services here.

Know Your Skincare Brand’s Purpose

As with any other type of writing, it is important to know your brand’s purpose and messaging before you start writing. If you are selling a product that has a specific purpose, such as sun protection for people with sensitive and sun-damaged skin, make sure that’s clear in your description.

See how niche we made that? That’s how focused your purpose ought to be if you are launching a skincare line in today’s climate. If you are not clear what your brand stands for and why they should buy from you, consumers will have a hard time understanding why they need you in an already-saturated market.

The best way to identify your brand purpose is to work with a skincare branding agency that can analyze your business with outside eyes and find ways for your brand to stand out from the pack.

Contact Aventive Studio here to set up a call about our visual branding services for wellness, skincare, & self-care businesses.

Know Your Audience

Jeffree Star Skin is an ideal example of this. Let’s keep the controversy aside for a second and separate the art from the artist for the sake of learning. The brand’s cosmetics range always nails its product descriptions. It clicks with the audience, speaks their language, and addresses their thoughts perfectly.

You can see an example of a catchy skincare product description on the packaging of Jeffree Star Lip Scrub here:

Source: MakeUp and Beauty Forever

Their company constantly gets feedback that their cotton candy-smelling products are quite tempting. So, the brand addresses it in the product description because they know that that’s exactly what the customer will be thinking when reading the description!

You can only write good product descriptions when you know your buyers, which influencers they follow, and what kind of trends they align with, among more. This is why developing a buyer persona is so crucial, which a brand strategist can help you with.

Define Your Problem and Solution Statement

Let’s get technical for a minute. Your customers will only pick your product off the shelves when it speaks to them. You could have the best packaging and the most hilarious puns in your copy but if your product doesn’t solve people’s problems, it won’t sell.

So, although it is good to have a quirky one-liner on your packaging, it won’t be as efficient a marketing tool as a simple one-liner that nails the problem solved by your product. 

Skincare brand descriptions are instrumental in sales. Say, you are selling a skin care product that will help with acne problems. Since you are already competing in a crowded space, you will need a product description that will make sure your customers know what it does at the first glance.

Here’s a sample done for you using a quick Q&A:

• What problem does your product solve? – “Acne issues.”
• Who is it for? (Make it specific) – “People with dry skin.”
• What can people expect after using it? – “Visible reduction in acne.”
• Is there a specific timeframe for seeing the results? If yes, what is it? – “Shows results in 2 weeks.”
• Is it backed by science? – “Tested by dermatologists.”
• Does it have an active ingredient? If yes, what is it? – “Contains hyaluronic acid.”

When all the information is compiled, you will have a problem-solution statement that would look something like this: “Dermatologically tested anti-acne cream infused with hyaluronic acid for dry skin. See visible reduction in acne in 2 weeks.”

You could also provide proof-of-performance claims on your descriptions. For instance, if your product has a 91% success rate, put that claim front and center in your description to eliminate skepticism in first-time buyers.

L’Oréal has been using this “formula” for as long as anybody can remember. They utilize their packaging space to establish their experience and expertise in formulating beauty products very well.

Source: Amazon

Find Your Brand Voice

Your brand voice is what people use to associate to your products. This is the whole reason why you need to be familiar with your audience’s lingo. For example, if you are selling a facial moisturizer, you might say:

“This lightweight moisturizer nourishes skin with antioxidants and hydrates with vitamin E. Apply it twice a day to reduce signs of fine lines and wrinkles.”

Now, this is a perfectly fine description. It is to the point and conveys all the information that the customer might need at first glance. But does it stand out? No. Could it be better? Absolutely, yes.

“Reclaim your youthfulness with the power of antioxidants and vitamin E. Apply this intensely hydrating moisturizer twice a day to reduce signs of fine lines and wrinkles.”

Let us ask you again. Which of the above would you buy? The second one? Well, no surprises there! As part of our brand strategy & packaging design services, Aventive Studio will create a memorable brand voice that attracts your ideal customers.

Take the Reader-First Approach

One of the most important steps to making your product descriptions effective is to make sure they are relevant to your audience. When you write a skincare product description, it doesn’t matter what you are selling face creams or anti-aging serums unless your reader can relate to the product and understand how it works.

It is essential to understand that your readers don’t necessarily look for the things that you are offering. They don’t care if your night gel has avocado oil because they aren’t experts who know the benefits of having that as an active ingredient in their products. All they want to know is if this product will keep their skin hydrated all night.

In essence, make your skincare brand descriptions about the reader. Not about what you want to sell but about what your reader wants to know about your product.

In addition, structure your content on the basis of priority, which means the most important piece of information must come first. This is called the hierarchy of information. By using this technique, you can also eliminate fluff from your copy and keep things crisp.

Make Your Product Descriptions Scannable

The key to writing skincare product descriptions that sell is to make them as readable as possible. That doesn’t mean you can’t be creative, but it does mean you need to keep in mind how your potential customers will actually read your copy.

You should aim for a tone that is conversational and approachable. You want to avoid sounding like a salesperson. You want your copy to sound like a friend who wants nothing more than for them to get what they need and be happy with it.

The best product descriptions are also properly formatted. You want to make sure that your customers can easily scan the information.

• Use bullet points: It should be easy for someone to read through the different ingredients and what they do within seconds. Therefore, use bold and italics to highlight the key points in your product description.

• Use subheadings: Headings are great for scanning, so add them to quickly tell the customers what makes your product unique and worth their money.

• KISS (Keep It Simple Silly): Ditch the long paragraphs and compound sentences. Simple sentences, which are concise and written active voice, are your friend. It’s that easy!

Use Imagery to Make Your Descriptions Appealing

Powerful imageries have historically made millionaires and legends out of writers. If you play your cards right, you can achieve both of those things for your businesses.

Consider using metaphors when writing your skincare brand descriptions. You could also simply use descriptive words to create a working picture of your product in your consumers’ minds.

Philosophy famously uses its brand voice to evoke feelings of peace, hope, and happiness in its customers – giving its products names like “Renewed Hope In a Jar” with poetic descriptions to match.

But if your audience doesn’t belong to that segment, you can learn from Bioderma how to write product descriptions that make you sound incredibly sincere yet comprehensible. The use of words like “corrective care” is enough to place an image in the audience’s mind about the results they can expect after using the product:

Source: Pinterest

If you’re ready to rebrand your skincare business to reach your next level of revenue, Aventive Studio can help! We have an in-house team of branding and packaging design experts with focused experience in the skincare, beauty, and cosmetics industries. Get in touch with our Creative Director here to share about your project with us.