In this article
Key takeaways
- A gift is in 30% of makeup ads, the highest of any category in the study: "buy 2, the third is a gift" is the category's offer.
- A discount or offer in 51%, "limited time" in 34%, cash on delivery in 25%.
- "Shop now" is the button on 76% of the ads: makeup sells from a store, not a chat (WhatsApp only 8%).
- Makeup copy is the longest in the study: a median of 153 words, because it lists shades, ingredients and steps. Shade and price in the first line, the list after it.
What makeup ads do right now
From 6,778 recent cosmetics ads in the Gulf:
- Video: 90%, more than any other category. The still image is nearly absent (7%).
- A gift: 30%, the highest category in the study. A brush with the foundation, a lipstick with the set, "the third is a gift".
- A discount or an offer: 51%; urgency ("limited time") 34%.
- Cash on delivery: 25%: the customer wants to see the colour before paying. Free delivery 15%, instalments only <1%: a small order needs no instalments.
- Length: a median of 153 words, the longest of the categories (the Gulf average is 60). The ad lists shades, ingredients and the steps of use.
- Price: only 148 ads stated a price; the median is SAR 149 and half of the prices sit between 99 and 200: a set's price, not a single item's.
- Concentration: only 764 pages run 6,778 ads, so one advertiser tests dozens of texts and colours. Whoever enters the category competes with advertisers who test every day.
"Shop now" on 76% of the ads: a visual product with a clear price, and the customer picks the shade herself in the store. Your copy must state the number of shades and the price, because the button promises a store to browse.
Makeup ads in Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia (1,748 ads from 333 pages) discounts run above the category average: 57%, with cash on delivery in 27% and a gift in 29%. The "Learn more" button is clearer here (11%) than in the Gulf (5%): ads that explain a new product before selling it. The median advertised price is SAR 149, and the copy runs to a median of 145 words.
Ten ready ad texts for cosmetics
The texts are our own wording, not copied from anyone's ad. Each one is written to be read over a short video: the shade or the result first, then the offer, then how to order. Replace the brackets with your real numbers. The Arabic is the ad; the English in parentheses is a gloss.
| Angle | Copy (ours) |
|---|---|
| The result on the face | «تغطية كاملة بطبقة واحدة وثبات [العدد] ساعة بدون تكسير ولا لمعة. شوفي الفرق في الفيديو. فاونديشن [الاسم] بـ[السعر] ريال.» (Full coverage in one layer, lasts [count] hours without cracking or shine; see the difference in the video; the foundation at [price].) |
| The gift | «اشتري 2 والثالثة هدية: روج [الاسم] الثابت بـ[العدد] لون. الدفع عند الاستلام، والعرض لين [التاريخ].» (Buy 2, the third is a gift: the long-wear lipstick in [count] colours; cash on delivery; offer until [date].) |
| The set | «طقم المكياج الكامل: فاونديشن + كونسيلر + بودرة + فرشاة، بـ[السعر] بدل [السعر السابق]. يكفيك [المدة] من الاستخدام اليومي.» (The full set: foundation, concealer, powder and brush at [price] instead of [old price]; lasts [period] of daily use.) |
| The shades | «[العدد] درجة تناسب كل ألوان البشرة الخليجية، من الفاتح إلى الحنطي الغامق. ما ضبطت الدرجة؟ استبدليها مجاناً خلال [المدة].» ([count] shades for every Gulf skin tone, light to deep; wrong shade? free exchange within [period].) |
| Lasting in the heat | «روج ما ينمسح مع القهوة ولا ينشّف شفايفك: ثبات [العدد] ساعة في حر [المدينة]. [السعر] ريال وتوصيل خلال [المدة].» (A lipstick that survives coffee and does not dry your lips: [count] hours in [city]'s heat; price; delivery within [time].) |
| The occasion | «مكياج العيد جاهز: باليت [الاسم] بـ[العدد] لون وتغليف هدية. اطلبيه قبل [التاريخ] ويوصلك قبل العيد.» (Your Eid makeup is ready: the [name] palette with [count] colours, gift wrapped; order before [date] and it arrives before Eid.) |
| Quick use | «لوك كامل في 5 دقائق: [المنتج] يستخدم للخدود والشفايف والعيون. [السعر] ريال، والتوصيل مجاني فوق [المبلغ].» (A full look in 5 minutes: one product for cheeks, lips and eyes; price; free delivery above [amount].) |
| Honest urgency | «باقي [العدد] قطعة من درجة [الاسم]، وما راح تنعاد هذا الموسم. اطلبي الحين قبل ما تخلص.» ([count] pieces left of shade [name], not restocked this season; order before it runs out.) |
| Authenticity | «[الماركة] أصلي من الموزّع المعتمد، بتاريخ حديث ورقم تشغيلة على العبوة. [السعر] ريال والدفع عند الاستلام.» (Original [brand] from the authorised distributor, recent date and batch number on the box; price; cash on delivery.) |
| The real trial | «جرّبته [العدد] يوم بالدوام والمشاوير: ما تكسّر ولا طلع لمعة. التفاصيل في الزر، وكود [الكود] يعطيك خصم [النسبة].» (I wore it [count] days at work and on errands: no cracking, no shine; details behind the button; code [code] gives [percent] off.) |
Match the angle to the video you have: "the result on the face", "lasting" and "the real trial" for a real-face video; "the set", "the gift" and "the shades" for a product-on-the-table video. How to shoot the video that lasts: Video ads in the Gulf; the neighbouring skincare texts: Skincare ad examples.
Mistakes that sink a makeup ad
- A still photo of the box: 90% of the category's ads are video. The box does not sell; the result on a real face does.
- No shade stated: "suits every skin" with no shade count and no exchange policy leaves the customer unsure, and an unsure customer does not order.
- A first line that is an ingredient list: the category's copy is long (a median of 153 words) and that is fine, but shade, price and offer come before "more", the list after.
- A treatment promise: "treats dark circles" or "erases wrinkles for good" risks rejection. Write "covers" and "softens the look of".
- Fake urgency: "limited stock" is in 34% of the ads, and customers recognise urgency that repeats. State the real count or leave it out.
- An unregistered product: cosmetics in Saudi Arabia often need registration with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority before sale and advertising.
- Copying a competitor's copy: the category is concentrated and its advertisers know each other's texts. Take the angle, write in your own voice.
How to study the longest-running makeup ads in GccFY
An advertiser paying for the same foundation video for two months is telling you the angle, the shade and the price work. In GccFY:
- Pick the makeup category and your country, or search a word such as «فاونديشن» (foundation), «روج» (lipstick) or «باليت» (palette).
- Status active, sort by longest running.
- Watch the first three seconds of each video: a bare face then the result, or the product on a table? Then read the full copy in the details: where did they put the price and the offer?
- Open the store page behind the ad: the shade count, the set price, and whether the gift is on the page as it is in the copy.
- Save five ads with five different angles to a collection, and write your copy in the pattern of the angle that fits your video.
