Skincare stores have one of the most natural cross-sell opportunities in ecommerce: the routine. When a shopper buys a cleanser, they almost certainly use a toner. When they buy a serum, they need a moisturizer on top. The logical next product is usually obvious — you just need to surface it at the right moment.
Stores that do this well see AOV 25–35% higher than comparable stores that sell products as standalone items. Here's how to build this into your Shopify store.
The skincare routine as a cross-sell framework
A standard skincare routine has 4–6 steps: cleanser, toner/essence, serum, eye cream, moisturizer, SPF (morning). This sequence is your cross-sell map.
If someone is buying your cleanser, the next step in their routine is toner. Show them your toner. If they're buying your Vitamin C serum, the natural follow is a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid. If they're buying your day moisturizer, suggest your SPF or your night cream.
This isn't guesswork — it's logic. You already know how your products work together. The cross-sell is just making that knowledge visible to the shopper at the right moment.
Ingredient compatibility as a selling point
One thing skincare stores can do that other categories can't: highlight ingredient compatibility in the recommendation copy.
"This pairs well with Niacinamide Toner — Vitamin C and Niacinamide work best when layered in the morning."
That sentence does two things. It justifies the recommendation with chemistry (which builds trust), and it teaches the shopper something they didn't know (which creates goodwill). Shoppers who feel educated by your store become loyal customers.
Even a short note below the cross-sell product — "formulated to layer with [Product Name]" — meaningfully increases conversion rate compared to showing the product with just a price and button.
Natural cross-sell pairings for skincare
Here are the routine-based pairings that consistently work:
- Cleanser → Toner or essence — step 2 in any routine
- Toner → Serum — toner preps skin for actives
- Vitamin C serum → Moisturizer — always needs to be sealed
- Retinol → Hydrating moisturizer — retinol dries skin, shoppers know this
- Exfoliant (AHA/BHA) → Barrier cream or SPF — critical pairing for safety
- Eye serum → Eye cream — same application area, natural next step
- Face oil → Facial massage tool — functional accessories cross-sell well in skincare
For each of these, the cross-sell should feel like completion, not selling. You're helping the shopper build a routine that works — not pushing another product for revenue's sake.
Kit bundles vs. individual cross-sells
Some skincare stores do well with pre-built routine kits: "Morning Glow Kit" or "Starter Routine Bundle" at a slight discount. These increase AOV significantly because you're selling 3–4 products in one transaction.
But kits work differently from cross-sell widgets. A shopper looking at your cleanser might not immediately want a 4-product bundle — they might just want to try one thing. The cross-sell widget catches them with one next step, and the kit is positioned separately as a "complete solution" for shoppers who want it all at once.
Run both. Let the cross-sell widget handle the "add one more thing" moment, and let your bundles handle the "I want to start a whole new routine" shopper.
Setting up skincare recommendations with Dropr
In Dropr, set up your pairings to follow the routine sequence. For your cleanser, the cross-sell should be your toner. For your toner, show your bestselling serum. Walk through your product line step by step and map each product to the logical next step.
The Dropr widget appears below the add-to-cart button with the recommended product's image, a short description (you can add a one-line note about why they pair well), price, and an add-to-cart button. Revenue attribution shows you how much of your monthly sales came through these recommendations.
What to show on a product page for a bestselling moisturizer
Let's say your bestselling product is a Ceramide Barrier Cream at $38. What do you recommend?
Option A: Your Hyaluronic Acid serum ($32) — goes on before the moisturizer, natural routine pairing
Option B: Your SPF ($28) — goes on after the moisturizer in the morning
Option C: Your cleanser ($24) — the start of the routine
The serum (Option A) typically converts best because it's the step immediately before the product they're buying. "Put this on first, then your Ceramide Cream" — it's a complete mini-routine. Test options A and B with your actual store data to confirm.
Related reading
- How Shopify Clothing Stores Can Increase AOV (Practical Guide)
- How to Increase Average Order Value on Shopify (5 Methods That Actually Work)
- How to Add Product Recommendations to the Shopify Cart Drawer
- How to Add Product Recommendations to Shopify Without Writing a Single Line of Code
FAQ
Should I recommend products from the same "line" or from across my catalog?
Both can work. Same-line recommendations ("our Vitamin C Cleanser → our Vitamin C Serum") feel cohesive and build brand trust. Cross-line recommendations that complement each other can also work when the ingredient logic is clear. What you want to avoid is recommending a product from a completely different skin concern — pairing an acne treatment with a brightening serum for a dry skin shopper doesn't make routine sense.
Is there a risk of overwhelming skincare shoppers with too many product suggestions?
Yes. One recommendation is the sweet spot. When shoppers see 4–5 cross-sell options, they either freeze (decision fatigue) or skip them all. Pick your single best next-step recommendation and commit to it. You can always A/B test different single recommendations over time.
How do I handle cross-sells for skin-type-specific products?
The cleanest approach: set up separate cross-sell pairings for each skin-type variant. If your oily skin serum's cross-sell is your mattifying moisturizer, and your dry skin serum's cross-sell is your rich barrier cream, configure those separately in Dropr rather than pointing both to a generic moisturizer.