Skincare Unboxed | 🧠 Outthink Last Click Attribution

Plus, CeraVe’s global partnership that’s changing access to dermatology.

Author

Sophie Bruxner-Randall
April 09, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 22 minutes

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Welcome to Skincare Unboxed, your go-to newsletter for skincare eCommerce insights.

Editor’s Pick 🌟

Curious to know the optimal way to allocate your Google Ads budget? Fospha’s latest analysis of top performers reveals key insights into balancing Performance Max (PMAX) and Paid Search:

🥇 The Optimal Budget Split for Beauty Brands: Fospha found that top-performing cosmetics brands allocated 43% of their Google budget to PMAX and 15% to Paid Search. By contrast, the top-performing Consumer Goods brands allocated far more to Paid Search at 28%.

Why? Consumer goods adopt search-heavy strategies because their products often address specific functional needs that consumers actively search to solve. Beauty and fashion brands, by contrast, primarily sell products through visual storytelling and emotional appeal, better suited to other Google ads formats.

🏢 Size Matters: Note, the optimal allocation does vary slightly between different brand sizes. Across all industry verticals, top-performing small brands were found to have a 52% PMAX / 15% Paid Search split, while top-performing large brands allocated more to PMAX, with a 59% PMAX / 9% Paid Search split.

Unlock the full potential of your Google Ads budget! Fospha’s new Performance Max and Paid Search Playbook is your guide to cultivating cross-channel synergies, reducing wasted ad spend, and maximizing blended performance.

Sector Spotlight 🎥

GLOBAL HEALTH DERMATOLOGY

CeraVe, in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, has launched the L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty - CeraVe Endowed Chair in Global Health Dermatology to improve access to dermatological care for underserved populations worldwide. This initiative, led by Dr. Esther E. Freeman, supports mentorship, research, and advocacy, promising significant improvements in skin health and quality of life for vulnerable global communities. By removing access barriers, CeraVe and Mass General address a crucial gap in dermatological care, underscoring the importance of accessible skin health resources on an international scale.

AI BEAUTY ADVISORY

Beautinow introduces an AI-powered Sunscreen Advisor and Sun Protection Guide, offering comprehensive skincare insights. This tool, backed by reputable data sources, provides precise, myth-breaking answers to sunscreen inquiries such as SPF levels and expiration. Marketing professionals can leverage this innovative approach to underscore product value and customer education in the competitive skincare market.

BIOTECH BEAUTY TRENDS

Biotechnology is transforming skin care by integrating sustainable, lab-grown, and cruelty-free ingredients, meeting consumer demands for transparency and efficacy. This shift benefits marketers by optimizing product appeal through reduced costs and enhanced performance. As biotech redefines industry standards, opportunities emerge for strategic positioning in the beauty market.

BEAUTY INDUSTRY DISRUPTION

Caroline Hirons is challenging the beauty industry hierarchy with Skin Rocks Pro, emphasizing respect for beauty therapists and offering exclusive professional products beyond retail formulations. By ensuring consistent product quality and therapist training, the brand aims to enhance trust and drive more clients into salons without competing with online discounts.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Clinique, in collaboration with the Skin of Color Society Foundation, has launched a three-year Dermatologists of Tomorrow Scholarship to aid medical students committed to health equity in dermatology. The program offers financial assistance for application-related expenses and mentorship, promising to support 100 students, thereby fostering a more inclusive dermatological field.

BEAUTY INNOVATION BREAKTHROUGH

Cell BioPrint, developed by L'Oréal and NanoEnTek, offers a rapid skin analysis, assessing biological skin age and ingredient responsiveness in five minutes. It enables personalized skincare by predicting potential issues, aligning with consumer demands for tailored products. For marketers, this exemplifies how leveraging technology can enhance product differentiation and consumer engagement in the eCommerce-driven beauty industry.

Influencer Corner 📣

In our Shoptalk 2025 wrap up with ClickZ.com, one thing was clear | Lee Arthur

This industry is operating in a new reality. From full-funnel AI to omnichannel orchestration, the conversations weren’t speculative,they were tactical.

Here are the biggest shifts we heard on the ground:

🔹 AI is everywhere
“AI isn’t a concept -it’s a capability,” summed up by voices across the floor. From text-to-buy to media measurement, brands are moving from testing to scaling.

🔹 Omnichannel is baseline
“Omnichannel isn’t a trend - it’s the new baseline,” said Sam Carter, CEO at Fospha. The new standard is unified journeys online and off.

👀 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱… 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗴𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 $𝟯.𝟯𝟳.
| Naomi Omamuli Emiko

The Ordinary is selling eggs for $3.37 in NYC this weekend. Yes, eggs. 🍳 And it’s one of the smartest beauty marketing moves I’ve seen lately. Eggs in NYC are hitting $6+ (sometimes even $15). So this isn’t just a random stunt - it’s a masterclass in price anchoring.

✨ DECIEM | THE ABNORMAL BEAUTY COMPANY's The Ordinary has always positioned itself as the anti-inflation skincare brand, challenging the markup-driven beauty industry with transparency and radically affordable pricing.

❗By selling eggs at a “reasonable” price, they aren’t just getting people into the store - they’re making a cultural statement: Pricing should make sense.

Optimization Hub ⚙️

SOCIAL MEDIA INSIGHTS

Instagram is testing a new monthly recap feature that offers detailed insights, such as total views, comparative data, and follower activity. This recap aims to help marketers keep track of their performance by highlighting optimal posting times, which are crucial for strategic growth. Though the data exists in the app's insights, a monthly prompt could serve as a valuable reminder to enhance content strategy.

ECOMMERCE OPTIMIZATION

Optimize your Google Ads by focusing on key metrics like Impression Share and Search Lost IS. Address revenue losses by adjusting your Target ROAS and daily budget incrementally. These adjustments enhance your ads' visibility and profitability without compromising margins, offering practical value to marketing professionals.

SEARCH STRATEGY EVOLUTION

AI-driven search is transforming how brands are found online, as AI models like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT deliver insights and shape buyer decisions. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is crucial for B2B marketers to remain visible, ensuring content is authoritative and structured for AI-driven responses, in contrast to traditional SEO that focuses on Google rankings.

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