To start an online skincare or cosmetics business in Bangladesh, you need four things before your first order: proof that your products are original, full details for every product, a place where customers can see everything and order on their phone, and clear payment, delivery and return rules. Many sellers start on a Facebook page and add an e-commerce website once the same questions start taking all their time. In skincare, trust is the product: customers buy from the seller who answers “Is it original?” before they ask.

This checklist comes from the questions new skincare sellers send us every week. Follow it in order.

1. Decide what you sell, and how you will prove it is original

Choose a clear focus first: Korean skincare, local herbal products, makeup, or a mix of brands. Then collect proof for every product line before you list it:

  • Supplier or importer invoices you can show if a customer asks.
  • Clear photos of the batch number and expiry date on your own stock.
  • Brand names and pack sizes written exactly as on the box.

Write only what you can prove. “Imported from Korea, invoice available” builds more trust than “100% original guaranteed” with nothing behind it.

2. Choose a name that works everywhere

Check the business name, the Facebook page name and the domain together, so customers find the same name on Facebook, Instagram and your website. A short .com is easiest to remember. Register the domain in your own name, even if a developer buys it for you.

3. Write full details for every product

Each skincare product page should answer the questions customers otherwise send in your inbox:

  • Product name, brand and size (for example 50 ml or 100 ml).
  • Which skin type it suits: oily, dry, combination or sensitive.
  • Key ingredients, and how and when to use it in a routine.
  • A patch-test or caution note, and the expiry details.
  • Price, and real photos of the product you will ship. Our product photography checklist shows how to take them with a phone.

Avoid promises such as “removes pimples in 7 days” or “whitening”. Describe what the product is and how to use it; that protects you and your customers.

4. Organise the store the way customers shop

Skincare buyers rarely search by brand first. They look for “something for oily skin” or “a sunscreen”. Group products by skin type, concern (acne-prone, dryness, dullness) and routine step (cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser, sunscreen), with brand as a filter. Routine sets and gift boxes can have their own page. You can click through a working example in our skincare store template, with a skin-type picker and routine steps.

5. Set payment, delivery and return rules before launch

  • Payment: start with Cash on Delivery. Add bKash and Nagad once your merchant account is approved; this can take time, so apply early.
  • Delivery: decide the charge inside and outside Dhaka, and which courier you use.
  • Returns: cosmetics need a clear rule, for example unopened products only, within a set number of days. Show it on every product page and at checkout. Our guide on writing a return and exchange policy has a simple template.

6. Facebook page first, or a website from day one?

A Facebook page is enough to test whether people buy. A website becomes worth it when you have more than a handful of products, when you answer the same price, skin-type and delivery questions all day, or when you plan to run Facebook ads and want customers to order without waiting for a reply. Keep the page for posts and chats, and send customers to the website to order.

7. What it costs, and what you should own

Our e-commerce website is ৳16,000 one-time, built in about 3 working days, with 50% in advance and the rest after you test it on your phone. Running costs are separate: a domain is ৳1,500 a year if you buy it through us, and hosting from ৳1,500 a month (or ৳15,000 a year). Whoever builds your store, make sure that:

  • the domain is registered in your name,
  • you get full admin access to products, prices, stock and orders,
  • you can download a full backup and move the website later,
  • the price and feature list are in writing before you pay.

8. Launch checklist

  1. Place a test order on your own phone, with Cash on Delivery.
  2. Check every product page for size, skin type, expiry and price.
  3. Add the website link to your Facebook page, Instagram bio and WhatsApp profile.
  4. Install the Meta Pixel before you run ads, so you can see which ads bring orders.
  5. Pin a post that explains how to order and how you prove products are original.

See real stores before you decide

Open stores we built for real Bangladeshi sellers, such as RGB Apparels (men’s clothing) and Cheap and Best Traders (computer accessories), and read what their owners said on Google. All our projects are on our client work page, and the cosmetics and beauty page explains how we plan a beauty store.

About the author: Aura Digital Bangladesh builds e-commerce websites for product businesses in Bangladesh. This article is informational and reflects the service approach used by Aura Digital.