Your first skincare corner: two ready-made first orders

What should a store with no skincare stock first?

One complete routine, not a collection. A shopper who has never bought skincare from you needs to see that you can cover a whole morning and evening, from cleanser to SPF. Seven products do that. Twenty products from three brands make you look like a reseller, and you will not be able to explain them.

The seven slots:

The fragrance-free slot matters more than it looks, and the range matrix shows which SKUs can fill it: PURE CALM Light Moisturiser, PURE CALM Night Recovery Cream and the Eye Renewal Patches are fragrance-free. Without that slot, your staff have nothing to offer the shopper who asks.

What does a starter order look like?

Fifteen units across those seven slots, with depth only where you expect repeat sales: the Bio-Retinol pair.

What does the version add?

Depth and a gift set, so you do not reorder within weeks. Use it if your store has steady footfall, if you are within two months of a gifting season, or if you have already tested the products with the Editorial Discovery Kit.

The common mistake at this stage is adding width instead of depth: a toner, a micellar water and a second serum. Each new product needs a tester, a shelf position and a staff explanation. Keep the seven, deepen them, and add products only after the eight-week review.

How should the corner be laid out?

We suggest three shelves of one bay, about 60–80 cm wide, with the routine running left to right on the middle shelf at eye level.

Keep the corner away from candles and diffusers so testers are smelled on their own. Full planogram mechanics, facings and signage are in setting up a skincare display.

What should staff say if they have never sold skincare?

One line per product: the step, who it suits, and one detail. Print these on a card behind the till.

• Foaming Gel: "The cleanser. Gentle foam, morning and evening."
• Hydration Gel: "For skin that feels tight. Light gel, goes on before the cream."
• Bio-Retinol Serum: "The one with a story: a plant alternative to retinol, from a flower called Bidens pilosa."
• Elixir Moisturiser: "The cream that goes with the serum. Morning and evening."
• PURE CALM Light Moisturiser: "Fragrance-free and light, for skin that reacts easily."
• SPF50 stick: "Mineral sun protection, tinted, fits in a pocket."
• Patches: "Fifteen minutes under the eyes before you go out."

If a shopper asks about a skin condition, staff say they are not the right person and suggest a pharmacist. That keeps the corner credible.

How do you know if the corner is working?

We suggest counting units sold per product at week 8 and acting on each line separately. A product that sold out gets double depth; one that sold nothing after eight weeks at eye level gets replaced; the rest stay as they are. The full method is in reordering by sell-through.

For curation beyond the first corner, read the concept store supplier hub. A men's bay can sit next to the corner: see the men's skincare corner guide.