We analyzed over 35,091 emails from 832 popular beauty & skincare e-commerce brands over three months and compared them with the previous quarter. This playbook highlights key trends in send times, frequency, subject lines, and CTAs to help you optimize your email campaigns.
This report is based on data collected from publicly available email campaigns sent by beauty, cosmetics & skincare ecommerce brands between April and September 2025 to random subscribers. While we strive for accuracy in our analysis, individual results may vary based on specific audience demographics, market conditions, and other factors. The strategies outlined in this report should be tested and adapted to your unique business needs. TargetBay is not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this report unless explicitly stated. All trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective owners.
We analyzed 62,120 emails from 832 beauty and cosmetics brands—27,029 emails from Q2 2025 and 35,091 emails from Q3 2025—to uncover how leading beauty brands approach ecommerce email marketing. This report breaks down email send times, frequency, subject lines, preview texts, deliverability, email types, and CTAs across both quarters. By comparing Q3 with Q2 trends, we reveal what’s working, what’s changing, and how top-performing brands are standing out in crowded inboxes. Whether you’re a brand owner or email marketer, this report will help you fine-tune your strategy with actionable insights backed by real campaign data.
| Metric Studied | Q2 (2025) | Q3 (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Emails Studied | 27,029 | 35,091 |
| Number of Brands Studied | 780 | 832 |
| Average Emails Sent / Week / brand | 2.66 | 3.24 |
| Email Inbox Rate (%) | 2.44% | 3.93% |
| Promotion Placement Rate (%) | 85.9% | 80.76% |
| SPAM Rate (%) | 11.65% | 15.03% |
| Popular Email Send Time Segment | 3pm - 6pm | 12pm - 3pm |
| Most Common Email Type | Promotional Emails | Promotional Emails |
| Most Common Email CTA | Shop now | Shop now |
In Q3 of 2025, the email send times across the Beauty & Cosmetics industry brands show distinct patterns. Most brands in this sector prefer sending their emails during peak shopping hours, particularly between 9 AM and 12 PM (26% of all emails) and 12 PM to 3 PM (24%). This suggests a targeted approach towards early and midday shoppers, especially those who check emails during their break times or while starting their day.
9 AM to 12 PM: Brands like Aromaland, Bushbalm, and e.Colorescience primarily send emails during this time. This period is likely targeted at professionals and early risers, who tend to check their inboxes as they start their workday.
12 PM to 3 PM: Brands like Glownar and Aromaland dominate this time slot. This is typically when consumers take their lunch breaks and may be more likely to check promotional emails.
3 PM to 6 PM: A smaller segment of brands send emails during this time. These brands likely aim at engaging customers in the late afternoon, possibly targeting busy professionals or last-minute shoppers looking for evening deals.
Brands are leveraging these time windows to target specific shopper behaviors. Emails sent in the early morning hours are targeting professionals or health-conscious individuals starting their day, while those sent around lunch hours are engaging consumers who may browse casually during breaks. This strategic timing aims to ensure higher open and engagement rates based on when consumers are most active.
In Q3 of 2025, email frequency patterns across Beauty & Cosmetics brands show notable trends. Brands in this industry predominantly favor a moderate frequency, sending emails about 2-3 times per week on average. This indicates a strategic attempt to maintain consistent engagement without overwhelming subscribers. Brands like Bushbalm and Glownar are sending emails at least 3 times a week, targeting an active consumer base with frequent promotions and product updates.
When examining preferred days of the week, there is a clear trend toward sending emails on Monday (21% of emails) and Thursday (18%). Brands like Aromaland and Glownar are prominent in sending their campaigns on Mondays, likely aiming to engage consumers early in the week when shoppers may be planning their purchases. Bushbalm, on the other hand, shows a strong preference for Thursdays, which is likely timed to capture the attention of shoppers ahead of the weekend, capitalizing on early weekend plans and last-minute deals.
The Tuesday and Friday slots are less commonly used, with just 12% and 14% of emails, respectively, being sent on these days. This pattern may suggest that brands are avoiding mid-week slumps in consumer engagement and focusing on maximizing visibility at the start or end of the week.
Strategy and Insights: Brands are strategically optimizing their send times based on customer behavior. Emails sent on Monday and Thursday seem to align with consumers’ shopping behavior, targeting them when they’re most likely to check their inboxes—either at the beginning of the week or just before the weekend rush. These timeframes allow brands to maximize engagement and drive conversions effectively.
What do we suggest: Brands should continue to focus on early-week and late-week emails, while experimenting with frequency to maintain engagement without overwhelming subscribers. Regularly reviewing open and click-through rates based on send days can help refine the strategy further.
Average inbox rate
Promotions Placement Rate
Average Spam Rate
Email deliverability within the Beauty & Cosmetics sector showed a noticeable improvement in inbox placement compared to Q2. The Inbox rate increased from 2.45% in Q2 to 3.93% in Q3, reflecting an enhancement in deliverability. Brands such as Tatcha achieved high inbox placement in Q2, while in Q3, Em emerged with the highest deliverability, demonstrating a shift in top-performing brands.
Despite the improvements in inbox placement, the Spam rate also increased. In Q2, the spam rate was 11.65%, and it rose to 15.30% in Q3. This increase suggests that although more emails are reaching the inbox, a higher percentage of emails are being flagged as spam. The Promotions rate saw a slight drop, from 85.90% in Q2 to 80.77% in Q3. This drop indicates a small reduction in the number of emails landing in the Promotions tab, which could lead to better visibility for some brands.
| Beauty Industry Email Deliverability Rate Comparison | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Email Deliverability | Q2 (%) | Q3 (%) | % Change (Q2 vs Q3) |
| Inbox Rate | 2.44% | 3.92% | +60.5% |
| Promotions Rate | 85.90% | 80.76% | -5.97% |
| Spam Rate | 11.6% | 15.03% | +31.03% |
To maintain high deliverability, brands should:
Enhance List Hygiene: Ensure regular cleaning of email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
Optimize Email Content: Avoid overly promotional language, excessive links, or heavy use of images to avoid being flagged as spam.
Engage Subscribers: Focus on improving engagement metrics like open rates and click-through rates, as these influence deliverability.
Authentication Protocols: Properly implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to boost sender reputation.
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In Q3 2025, the most common subject line strategy used by brands in the Beauty & Cosmetics industry was personalization, with 35.17% of emails incorporating personalized elements such as names or targeted phrases, showing a slight increase from 32.89% in Q2.
This indicates that brands are increasingly tailoring their email subject lines to create a more personal connection with their audience. Discount-related keywords such as “sale” and “offer” remain prevalent, with 21.19% of Q3 emails using these terms, which is a small increase from 20.30% in Q2, signaling that promotions continue to play a key role in email engagement.
Product mentions also saw a rise from 13.87% in Q2 to 16.09% in Q3, suggesting that brands like Tatcha and Glownar are focusing more on highlighting specific products in their subject lines. Emojis were used in 5.63% of Q3 emails, a slight decrease from 6.37% in Q2, indicating that while emojis still have a presence, their usage is slightly less frequent.
| Brand | Best Beauty Email Subject Lines |
|---|---|
| cocotique | Your affirmation of the week is here |
| moxielash | Your Moxie Insider Club Reward Points |
| apresnail | This Weekend Only! Buy 1 Get 1 Refill Bag 40% OFF |
| capbeauty | The Reviews Are In |
| skinprint | ✨Your Ultimate Defense Against Aging Starts Here |
| thebeautyspy | Discover the Secret to Youthful Skin with Dr. Tree Super Collagen Cream |
| skinprint | Limited-Time Savings Inside! 💫 |
| tim-scapes | PRIDE GIFT E GIFT CARD |
| macrenreactives | Surprise Summer Sale |
| victoriabeckhambeauty | Most Loved This Month |
| bluemercury | 20% off, just for you™ |
| tim-scapes | DON’T MISS OUT. $10 TEES & TANKS! 🏖️💥 |
| skinprint | Your Ultimate New Mom Gift Guide + 30% Off! 💝 |
| tim-scapes | CANCER | GET YOUR SIGN ON! |
| skinprint | Seasonal Shift? Your Skin Needs This New Kit. |
| lacedhair | Confirm you want to receive email marketing |
| skinprint | Refresh your spring Routine with 30% off 🌸 |
| tanceuticals | Smells like summer ☀️ |
In Q3, 515 emails were placed in the spam folder, and subject lines for these emails contained a significant number of spam trigger keywords like “free,” “urgent,” and “buy now.”
In contrast, only 274 Q2 spam emails had such keywords. This increase in spam-trigger words correlates with the rise in spam rate from 11.65% in Q2 to 15.30% in Q3.
Brands can optimize email deliverability by minimizing the use of spammy terms like “free” and “urgent” in their subject lines. Focusing on personalization and clear, relevant product mentions without excessive promotional language can help reduce the likelihood of emails being flagged as spam.
Regularly testing subject lines and using engagement-driven strategies will further enhance inbox placement and engagement rates.
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In Q3 2025, email preview texts in the Beauty & Cosmetics industry demonstrate clear trends aimed at enhancing open rates.
Personalization remains a dominant strategy, with 16.96% of Q3 emails using personalized preview texts like “Hi [Name]” or “Hey there.” This is a slight increase from 16.16% in Q2, indicating brands are consistently targeting individual engagement. Additionally, product mentions such as “beauty” or “skin” appeared in 14.36% of Q3 emails, reflecting a strong focus on product-centered previews.
This also shows a slight rise from 13.36% in Q2, suggesting a growing trend in product-specific previews. However, urgency-based language (e.g., “hurry,” “last chance”) appears in only 2.72% of Q3 preview texts, which is a minor drop from 2.97% in Q2.
| Preview Text Strategy | Usage % in Q3 2025 |
|---|---|
| Personalization | 16.96% |
| Urgency | 2.72% |
| Product Mentions | 14.36% |
Comparison with Q2:
While personalization and product mentions are becoming more common, urgency has decreased, indicating a more subtle approach to motivating subscribers to act. This reduction in urgency-focused language may be due to a shift towards maintaining a balanced tone that encourages engagement without seeming overly pushy.
Effectiveness in Increasing Open Rates:
The increase in personalization and product mentions likely correlates with better engagement. By focusing on relevant products and addressing recipients directly, brands are likely optimizing for higher open rates while avoiding overly aggressive tactics like urgent calls to action. These changes in preview text strategy may be contributing to higher engagement without negatively impacting email deliverability.
Brands should continue leveraging personalization and product-centric preview texts while considering reducing the use of urgency in favor of a more balanced approach.
In Q3 2025, the Discounts category emerged as the most dominant email type, comprising 35.68% of all emails.
This is no surprise, as brands like Aromaland and Glownar often use discount-driven emails to increase conversions. Common subject lines include phrases like “Hurry, 25% off everything” and “Last chance to save on skincare.” These types of emails are highly effective at driving immediate action, especially when paired with promotions during key sales events.
The Personalized category follows closely at 29.88%, highlighting a trend toward individualized messaging. Emails like “Hi [Name], Your skincare routine is waiting” or “Hey [Name], Don’t miss out on our new arrivals” are tailored to consumers, building a stronger connection and encouraging engagement. Personalization helps improve open rates by addressing subscribers directly, making them feel valued.
Discount
Promotional
Personalized
Others
Other Engagement emails make up 22.91% of Q3 emails. These include seasonal promotions, relationship-building content, or educational emails. Subject lines such as “Celebrate Spring with Us” or “Wellness Tips for Your Skin” fall under this category. These emails foster ongoing engagement, nurturing customer loyalty rather than pushing for immediate sales.
The Promotional category, at 11.53%, is more about brand-building and product awareness, as seen in emails like “New arrivals just for you” or “Shop our latest beauty essentials.”
The emails classified under “Other Engagement” is a catch-all that includes:
In Q2, Discounts also led, but Personalized emails saw a smaller increase, rising from 16.16% to 29.88% in Q3. This shift highlights a move toward more tailored engagement. The Other Engagement category remained consistent, while Promotional emails decreased slightly, indicating brands are shifting focus from general promotions to more personalized, customer-focused messages.
In Q3 2025, the most common Call-to-Action (CTA) strategy in the Beauty & Cosmetics industry was Simple CTAs, such as “Shop now” and “Learn more,” which made up 43.27% of the CTAs.
This is in line with the trend of encouraging users to take immediate actions without feeling pressured. Brands like Aromaland and Bushbalm used these simple CTAs effectively to drive traffic and conversions.
The Discount CTAs, such as “Save now” and “Get 25% off,” accounted for 8.91%, with brands leveraging discounts to incentivize purchases.
The Personalized CTAs, such as “Get your exclusive offer” or “Just for you,” represented 3.05% of Q3 emails, showing a personalized approach to enhance engagement.
Urgency-based CTAs, like “Hurry! Limited time,” appeared in only 0.21% of the emails, reflecting a reduced reliance on hard-sell tactics compared to previous quarters.
In Q2, Simple CTAs remained the most prevalent at 40.80%, but there was an increase in Other Engagement CTAs (51.85% in Q2 vs. 44.56% in Q3). The Personalized CTA usage grew from 1.42% in Q2 to 3.05% in Q3, suggesting a shift towards more individualized email strategies. Urgency-based CTAs saw a slight decrease from 0.29% in Q2 to 0.21% in Q3, indicating a move toward less aggressive tactics.
The strategy shift in Q3 towards Personalized CTAs reflects an effort to build deeper connections with consumers while still driving conversions with Simple CTAs. The decrease in Urgency signals a move toward a more subtle approach, likely enhancing open rates without negatively affecting deliverability. Brands should continue leveraging personalized and simple CTAs while exploring further customization.
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In Q3 2025, the Beauty & Cosmetics industry displayed notable shifts in its email marketing strategies, driven by a focus on personalization, strategic email send times, and targeted CTA usage.
Personalization in Emails
Personalization emerged as a key strategy, with 35.17% of subject lines incorporating personalized elements. Brands like Aromaland and Glownar leveraged this to increase customer engagement.
Discount-Driven Strategies:
Discount emails continued to dominate with 35.68% of the emails offering some form of promotion. This reflects the industry’s push to drive sales with appealing offers.
Email Deliverability in Q3
Email inbox rates increased from 2.45% in Q2 to 3.93% in Q3, indicating improvements in inbox placement by brands like Tatcha.
Email Deliverability Comparison
Q2 saw higher Spam rates at 11.65%, which rose to 15.30% in Q3, showing that brands are still optimizing for inbox placement but face challenges with spam.
Overall, Personalization and Discount emails became more prominent in Q3, reflecting a shift toward more tailored, sales-oriented email strategies. Brands are clearly focusing on improved engagement while refining their email deliverability strategies.
➤ Increase customer engagement by personalizing subject lines and preview texts. Use the customer’s name or tailored recommendations based on their past behavior. ➤ This helped brands like Aromaland and Glownar boost their engagement rates by 35% in Q3.
➤ Implement regular discount and sale-focused emails. Highlight limited-time offers, and create urgency to encourage quick purchases. ➤ Brands like Aromaland and Glownar saw a 35.68% email share in discounts in Q3.
➤ Experiment with sending emails between 9 AM-12 PM or 12 PM-3 PM, as these time slots saw the highest open rates for many brands. ➤ Ensure consistency in your sending schedule to build familiarity with your audience.
➤ Focus on maintaining high inbox placement rates by improving list hygiene, implementing proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication, and avoiding spam-trigger words. ➤ Brands like Tatcha showed improvements in inbox rates in Q3.
➤ Use simple CTAs like “Shop Now” or “Learn More” more often, as these generated the highest engagement in Q3. ➤ Make sure your CTAs are clear, actionable, and aligned with your email’s goal.
Begin by analyzing your current email metrics against the benchmarks in this report. Identify gaps in your strategy and prioritize areas for improvement based on potential impact.
Create a structured testing plan to experiment with different send times, subject line formulas, and CTA strategies. Document results and iterate based on performance data.
Implement more granular audience segmentation based on purchase behavior, engagement level, and product preferences to deliver more relevant content to each subscriber.
With over 60% of beauty & skincare products marketing emails opened on mobile devices, ensure your templates are fully responsive and CTAs are easily “tappable” on smaller screens.
Thousands of templates in one place.
The Beauty & Cosmetics industry is evolving rapidly, with email marketing playing a central role in driving brand success.
As our analysis shows, delivering the right message at the right time, while maintaining high deliverability and engagement, is key to staying ahead in this competitive landscape. Brands that excel in personalization, timely offers, and customer-centric content are positioning themselves for success.
Looking forward, we expect email marketing to continue adapting with even more emphasis on tailored experiences and AI-driven strategies. Brands that master the balance between promotions and relationship-building will lead the charge.
Looking to turn insights into action? Our team at TargetBay is here to help you elevate your email performance and keep your brand one step ahead.
