Free shipping and returns: what 41 beauty and skincare stores offer
Checked November 2026 · 41 of 52 stores could be read
- typical free-shipping minimum
- $50
- ship every order free
- 9%
- most common return window
- 30 days
- make the customer pay for returns
- 74%
Beauty minimums are low and bunched together. $50 is by far the most popular figure (13 of 32 stores), and 30 of 32 set theirs under $75.
The typical free-shipping minimum at beauty and skincare stores is $50, and half set it between $35 and $50. 9% ship every order free. Most give 30 days for returns, and 74% of those whose policy says leave return shipping to the customer.
Free-shipping minimums
32 stores offer free shipping above a minimum order. The lowest minimum was $15, the highest $100.
The typical (median) minimum is $50; the middle half of stores sit between $35 and $50.
Free shipping on every order
3 of the 35 stores whose shipping terms we could read (9%) ship every US order free, with no minimum.
Return windows
30 days is the most common window: 27 of the 36 stores that state one. 6 (17%) give longer than 30 days.
Who pays for returns
Of the 31 stores whose policy says, the customer pays for return shipping at 23 (74%), and returns are free at 6 (19%). The rest offer free returns only in some cases, such as exchanges or store credit.
How we collected this (show)
- We read each store's homepage and its shipping and returns pages once, in November 2026, and recorded what it offers for standard shipping to the United States.
- Offers only for members, subscribers, first orders, discount codes or a limited-time sale don't count as a store's free-shipping minimum.
- Every figure comes with the store's own wording, and anything we couldn't match to it was left out.
- Stores that block automated visits, or whose pages only work in a full browser, were skipped rather than worked around.
- The stores are established direct-to-consumer brands, so the figures describe them rather than very small or brand-new shops.
How unclear cases were handled
- One page, several countries: glossier.com lists its free-shipping minimum for about fifteen countries. Only the US one ($40+) was counted.
- Offers for some shoppers only: free shipping for members, subscribers, first orders or with a code isn't counted as the store's minimum.
- Amounts written differently: "25 USD", "$25.00" and "$2,000" are all read as amounts, and a window given in months is converted to days.
- Returns: a window for refunds counts; one for exchanges only doesn't. Returns count as free only when the page says so: a "prepaid label" alone isn't enough, since its cost can come out of the refund.
- Food and drink returns are left out: food usually can't be returned, and the windows these stores state are for equipment.
- A figure we couldn't match to the store's own wording was left out rather than guessed. That's why some stores show "Not clear" or "Not stated".
The 52 stores, with sources (show)
| Store | Free shipping | Returns | Return shipping | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| augustinusbader.com | Not clear | 28 days | Customer pays | Page |
| blissworld.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Not stated | Page |
| briogeohair.com | Over $60 | 30 days | Not stated | Page |
| byoma.com | Over $40 | 14 days | Customer pays | Page |
| cocokind.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| colourpop.com | Over $35 | Not stated | Not stated | Page |
| dermalogica.com | Over $20 | 30 days | Free | Page |
| dieuxskin.com | Over $60 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| drdennisgross.com | Over $75 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| drunkelephant.com | Over $40 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| elfcosmetics.com | Over $35 | Not stated | Not stated | Page |
| farmacybeauty.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Free | Page |
| fentybeauty.com | Over $40 | 30 days | Free in some cases | Page |
| firstaidbeauty.com | Every order | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| glossier.com | Over $40 | 30 days | Not stated | Page |
| glowrecipe.com | Not clear | 30 days | Free | Page |
| herbivorebotanicals.com | Over $100 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| herocosmetics.us | Over $35 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| iliabeauty.com | Not clear | 60 days | Not stated | Page |
| koparibeauty.com | Over $39 | 60 days | Free | Page |
| kravebeauty.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| kyliecosmetics.com | Not clear | Not stated | Customer pays | Page |
| mariobadescu.com | Over $35 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| murad.com | Every order | 60 days | Customer pays | Page |
| mytopicals.com | Not clear | Not stated | Not stated | Page |
| nativecos.com | Over $15 | 30 days | Free in some cases | Page |
| naturium.com | Not clear | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| olaplex.com | Over $50 | 60 days | Customer pays | Page |
| oseamalibu.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| pacificabeauty.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| peachandlily.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Free | Page |
| rarebeauty.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Not stated | Page |
| saiehello.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| starface.world | Over $25 | 14 days | Not stated | Page |
| sundayriley.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| supergoop.com | Over $50 | 30 days | Not stated | Page |
| tataharperskincare.com | Over $50 | Not stated | Customer pays | Page |
| tatcha.com | Every order | 60 days | Free | Page |
| theordinary.com | Over $25 | 365 days | Customer pays | Page |
| tower28beauty.com | Over $30 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
| versedskin.com | Over $40 | 30 days | Customer pays | Page |
Couldn't be used (11): bareminerals.com (could not be read), kosas.com (needs a full browser), lovekinship.com (needs a full browser), meritbeauty.com (needs a full browser), milkmakeup.com (could not be read), necessaire.com (needs a full browser), philosophy.com (could not be read), rhodeskin.com (could not be read), summerfridays.com (needs a full browser), theouai.com (needs a full browser), westman-atelier.com (could not be read).
"Not clear" and "Not stated" mean the store's pages didn't say it plainly enough to count. Stores change their terms: each figure is as the store's page showed it when we checked.
Setting your own minimum? The free-shipping calculator works out the one that pays for itself. For more on this niche, read Tracking beauty and skincare competitors.
Cite this data
You're welcome to use these figures in articles and reports, with a link to this page.
EcomWatchdog, "Beauty Shipping & Returns Benchmarks", November 2026. https://www.ecomwatchdog.com/benchmarks/beauty-and-skincare
Questions
- What is a good free-shipping minimum for a beauty and skincare store?
- $50 is typical in this niche, and most stores land between $35 and $50. The right one for you depends on your average order and margin: the free-shipping calculator works out the minimum that pays for itself.
- How long do beauty and skincare stores give for returns?
- 30 days is the most common window (27 of 36 stores that state one), and 17% give longer than 30 days.
- Which stores are included?
- 52 established online beauty and skincare brands selling in the US, of which 41 could be read. We don't name individual stores; the figures are what they publish on their own sites.
- How current is this?
- These figures are from November 2026. Stores change their offers, so treat them as a guide rather than today's exact numbers.
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