Contents of this article
Why segmentation is critical in beauty and skincare
A beauty store customer is not a homogenous group. Someone buying anti-aging serum has completely different needs, objections, and motivations than someone buying cleanser for oily skin. If you send them the same email, you're ignoring that difference and leaving money on the table.
Beauty purchasing behavior has specific patterns that Klaviyo can capture and use to your advantage:
- High repurchase rate: Moisturizers, serums, and cleansers regularly sell out. Replenishment flow and repurchase segments are especially profitable in this niche.
- Purchase by skin type: You can capture this data in the subscription form and use it to segment with surgical precision.
- High sensitivity to reviews: In beauty, social proof is the number one conversion factor. Recent buyers are ideal for requesting reviews and using them in prospecting campaigns.
List vs segment: the difference that matters most
| Feature | List | Segment |
|---|---|---|
| Update | Manual or by form | Automatic real-time |
| Based on | Explicit subscription | Behavior and data |
| Main uses | Intake, inflow flows | Campaigns, personalization |
| Precision | Low — does not reflect current behavior | High — reflects who she is today |
| Ideal for | Welcome Flow, forms | All campaigns |
The rule of thumb: flows are triggered from lists, campaigns are always segmented. If you send a campaign to your entire list without filtering by segment, you're sending emails to inactive people, people who have already bought what you offer, and people who have never opened one of your emails. That destroys your deliverability week after week.
The 6 essential segments for your beauty store
They opened or clicked on at least one email in the last 90 days. They are your primary audience for all launch campaigns, promotions, and valuable content.
OR
You have Clicked Email → at least once → last 90 days
They've made at least one purchase in the last 90 days. They're your most valuable audience: they already trust your brand. They're ideal for requesting reviews, upselling complementary products, and triggering replenishment.
They purchased products from a specific category: skincare, makeup, hair, wellness. It allows for hyper-personalized campaigns based on demonstrated interest with real money.
→ at least once → over all time
No opening in 91 to 180 days. Risk zone: they can still be recovered, but the window is closing. They need a reactivation sequence before becoming permanently inactive.
And
You have Opened Email → at least once → before 91 days ago
They bought at least once but haven't returned in 90 to 180 days. This is a critical point in the beauty industry, where products are consumed and should be repurchased. If they don't come back, you're losing them to the competition.
And
You Have Placed Order → zero times → last 90 days
3 or more purchases or historical spending in the top 15% of your list. These are the customers who try every new product and recommend your brand. They deserve early access, exclusive discounts, and personalized communication.
Segmentation by product category
This is the level of segmentation that beauty stores most often ignore, yet it makes the biggest difference in conversion rates. If someone has only ever bought products for dry skin, there's no point in sending them an oil control campaign.
| Category | Condition in Klaviyo | Ideal campaign |
|---|---|---|
| Skincare | Item category = Skincare
|
New textures, AM/PM routines, serum launches |
| Make-up | Item category = Makeup
|
New colors, seasonal trends, tutorials |
| Hair | Item category = Hair
|
Care routines, complementary products, kits |
| Wellness | Item category = Wellness
|
Supplements, rituals, health education content |
| High turnover | Item name contains [producto]
|
Replenishment 30–45 days post-purchase |
How to build each segment in Klaviyo
Go to Audience → Segments → Create Segment
In your Klaviyo account, navigate to the Audience menu in the left sidebar, select Segments, and click Create Segment in the upper right corner.
Choose the correct condition type
Klaviyo has three types: Properties about someone (profile data), What someone has done (behavior: purchases, emails opened, pages viewed), and If someone is in a list or segment . For behavioral segments, always use the second option.
Combine conditions with AND / OR
AND = the person must meet BOTH conditions (smaller and more precise segment). OR = meets at least one (broader segment). For the active segment, use OR between "opened" and "clicked". For churn, use AND between "placed order ever" and "no order placed in 90 days".
Check the size before saving
Klaviyo displays a size estimate as you build the conditions. If your active segment has fewer than 200 people, your list needs nurturing. If it represents more than 80% of your total list, the conditions are too broad.
Name it with a clear convention
Use descriptive and consistent names: SEG | Activos 90d , SEG | VIP 3+ compras , SEG | Skincare buyers . When you have 20+ segments, clear naming will save you hours of confusion.
Sending frequency by segment
| Segment | Recommended frequency | Content type |
|---|---|---|
| VIP | 2x per week | Early access, exclusives, premium content |
| Assets + recent buyers | 1–2 times per week | New releases, educational content, promotions |
| Buyers by category | 1x per week | Only content relevant to its category |
| Churn risk | 1x per week (max 4 emails) | Reactivation, special offer, benefits reminder |
| Cold 91–180 days | 1x per week (max 3 emails) | Re-engagement, high-value content, offer |
| Inactive +180 days | 1 single email from Sunset | Last attempt before deleting |
Related articles from the cluster:
→ Complete guide to email marketing with Klaviyo
→ How to clean up your list in Klaviyo: the 5 essential segments
Do you want me to build these segments in your Klaviyo account?
I set them up, connect them to your campaigns, and teach you how to use them every week to sell more.
Schedule your consultation → See Klaviyo's CourseFrequently asked questions about segmentation in Klaviyo
Master segmentation in Klaviyo with the complete course
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