Industry
Beauty brand video ads: the shade on a real face, and how long it lasts
The beauty video ads that work best show a real person applying the product and saying how the shade looks and how long it lasts. Those are the two questions every buyer has.
In short
- The best beauty brand video ads show a real person applying the product and saying how the shade looks and how long it lasts.
- Each shade can have its own ad, because people with different skin tones ask different questions.
- You can film the whole ad on your phone by a window: the application, the shade name and a check a few hours later.
- Meta does not allow beauty ads that put down how someone looks.
- Cutroom turns a phone video of you talking into a finished, captioned vertical ad. Your first video is free.
What makes a good beauty video ad
A good beauty ad answers two questions on a real face: will this shade suit me, and will it last?
- A real person applying the product on camera, not only a swatch on an arm.
- The shade name, said out loud and shown in the captions.
- Who a shade does not suit, said honestly, which makes the rest easier to believe.
- Captions, because many people watch ads with the sound off.
The two questions and what answers them
| Question | What answers it |
|---|---|
| Will this shade suit me? | The shade on a real face, and who it suits or does not |
| Will it last? | A check later in the day, like after a full shift |
Question: Will this shade suit me?
- What answers it
- The shade on a real face, and who it suits or does not
Question: Will it last?
- What answers it
- A check later in the day, like after a full shift
Beauty video ad ideas
Each shade and each buyer question can be its own ad.
Five beauty ads you can film
| Ad | What you show |
|---|---|
| Shade on different skin tones | The same shade on two or three people |
| How long it lasts | Applied in the morning, checked six hours later |
| Swatch and blend | The swatch, then the product blended in on the face |
| Daylight and indoor light | The same shade by a window and under a lamp |
| New shade or restock | What is new and when it is available |
Ad: Shade on different skin tones
- What you show
- The same shade on two or three people
Ad: How long it lasts
- What you show
- Applied in the morning, checked six hours later
Ad: Swatch and blend
- What you show
- The swatch, then the product blended in on the face
Ad: Daylight and indoor light
- What you show
- The same shade by a window and under a lamp
Ad: New shade or restock
- What you show
- What is new and when it is available
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Beauty ad rules: Meta and the FDA
Meta has rules on how beauty ads talk about looks. In the US, the FDA decides what counts as a drug claim. This is not legal advice, so check the current rules before you run an ad.
- Meta does not allow ads that put down how someone looks, such as a negative question about their skin or features.
- An ad that shows a before-and-after of a cosmetic product may only target people 18 and over.
- Makeup and other non-permanent beauty products otherwise have no age limit on Meta.
- In the US, a claim to change the skin itself, like treating acne, makes a product a drug.
How to film a beauty video ad
Film on a phone, facing a window, so the shade looks the way it does in daylight.
- Film the swatch, the blend and a close-up as separate short clips.
- Film the later check in the same light as the application, so the two match.
- Keep talking through small mistakes. You can cut them out afterwards.
Filming a beauty ad
Film the application
In one go, facing a window
Say the shade name
And who it suits
Check it later
Film again after a few hours
Edit and add captions
Vertical, for Reels, TikTok and Shorts
Making the ad in Cutroom
Cutroom does the editing. You upload the video of you applying the product and talking, up to 3 minutes. A finished vertical ad comes back in about a minute.
- Cutroom adds captions timed to your voice and drafts a headline for the opening. On Punch and Native it also shortens the pauses.
- Upload your swatch clips once. Pick the words where you name the shade, and the swatch plays over exactly those words.
- You can give the shade name its own caption style, so it stands out even with the sound off.
- If the light changed during a sentence, film the take again, because Cutroom keeps the lines you say.
- Cutroom does not colour-correct footage, so film the shade in the light you want it judged in.
- On Basic and up, Cutroom can make an AI presenter: a talking video made from a photo and a voice-over. It costs 350 credits a minute and suits announcements, restocks and offers.
A product clip over the words that name it
Pick the phrase that names the product, and a clip like this fills the frame for exactly those words while you keep talking.
What a beauty video ad costs
In Cutroom, a 30-second ad costs 110 credits: 100 to edit it and 10 to export it.
- Twelve ads, one per shade, cost 1,320 credits, which fits in one month of Basic.
- When you launch new shades, a $39.99 top-up adds 2,500 credits, enough for about 22 more ads.
- You pay Meta or TikTok separately to show the ad.
Cutroom plans
| Plan | Price | Credits | 30-second ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, no card | 600, for one video | 1, made within 7 days, with a watermark |
| Lite | $19.99 a month | 1,250 | About 11, no watermark |
| Basic | $39.99 a month | 2,500 | About 22, plus AI presenters and music |
| Premium | $79.99 a month | 5,000 | About 45 |
| Top-up | $39.99 once | 2,500 | About 22 more |
Plan: Free
- Price
- $0, no card
- Credits
- 600, for one video
- 30-second ads
- 1, made within 7 days, with a watermark
Plan: Lite
- Price
- $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250
- 30-second ads
- About 11, no watermark
Plan: Basic
- Price
- $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second ads
- About 22, plus AI presenters and music
Plan: Premium
- Price
- $79.99 a month
- Credits
- 5,000
- 30-second ads
- About 45
Plan: Top-up
- Price
- $39.99 once
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second ads
- About 22 more
Questions people ask
- What should a beauty brand video ad show?
- A real person applying the product, the shade on their face and how it looks hours later. Say the shade name and who it suits.
- Should each shade have its own ad?
- Yes, if you can. People with different skin tones want to see the shade they would buy. In Cutroom, twelve 30-second ads cost 1,320 credits.
- Can I use an AI presenter for beauty ads?
- Yes, for announcements, restocks and offers, on Basic and up at 350 credits a minute. Not for showing how long a product lasts, because nothing is applied.
- Does Cutroom colour-correct my footage?
- No. There is no colour correction, so film the shade in daylight, the way you want it judged.
- How much does it cost to make a beauty video ad?
- In Cutroom, 110 credits for a 30-second ad. Basic is $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, about 22 ads. Your first video is free, with no card.
Film one shade on a real face by a window, and get a finished ad back. Your first video is free.