Beauty shoppers compare ingredient lists. They line up two niacinamide serums and look for percentage, supporting actives, formulation, and skin-type fit. If your beauty comparison table doesn’t surface those clearly, shoppers wander to a competitor who does. This guide walks through how to add a comparison table to your Shopify beauty store the metafield-native way, so the data lives in one place. The parent reference is our Shopify comparison tables for beauty stores.
Step-by-step setup for a beauty comparison table
Step 1 — Install SimplyCompare
Add the app from the Shopify App Store. The app loads inside Shopify Admin; no theme code is touched at install.
Step 2 — Set up beauty-specific metafields
In Settings → Custom data → Products, define metafields for what skincare and beauty shoppers compare:
custom.hero_ingredient(single line text) — e.g. “Niacinamide”custom.hero_pct(decimal) — e.g. 10.0custom.skin_type(single line text) — e.g. “Oily, combination, breakout-prone”custom.formulation(single line text) — e.g. “Lightweight serum”custom.fragrance(single line text) — e.g. “Fragrance-free”custom.cruelty_free(single line text or boolean) — e.g. “Yes”custom.refillable(single line text) — e.g. “Yes — refill pouch available”
Step 3 — Build the table
Open SimplyCompare, click New table, name it for the comparison context (e.g. “Vitamin C serums” or “Daily moisturizers”). Add three to five products. Drag your metafields into the row order: hero ingredient and percentage at the top, then skin type, formulation, fragrance, and any sustainability flags.
Step 4 — Embed it
In Shopify Theme Editor, add the SimplyCompare app block to a collection page or comparison landing page. Save. The comparison is live and updates automatically as you edit your products.
What your beauty comparison table can display
- Hero ingredient and percentage — niacinamide 10% vs 4% is meaningful
- Supporting actives — zinc PCA, panthenol, ceramides
- Skin type fit — oily, dry, combination, sensitive, mature
- Formulation — serum, lotion, cream, oil, ampoule
- Fragrance status — fragrance-free vs fragranced (skin-sensitive shoppers care)
- Cruelty-free and vegan — increasingly comparison-worthy
- Sustainability flags — refillable, recyclable packaging, ingredient sourcing
- Routine fit — AM, PM, or both
Pro tips for beauty merchants
Lead with hero ingredient and percentage. The two highest-signal rows for skincare comparisons.
Be honest about skin type fit. Comparison tables get high-trust traffic. If a product really only suits oily skin, say so. Over-claiming costs more than the conversion it earns.
Include sustainability rows where they’re true. “Refillable” or “Recyclable packaging” rows convert with sustainability-minded buyers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I show ingredient percentages in my Shopify beauty comparison table?
Create a Decimal metafield (e.g. custom.hero_pct) and populate per product. Use the display label “Hero %” or “Concentration %” in the row editor.
Can I include both skincare and color cosmetics in one table?
The decision-driving rows differ enough that one table per category works better. Skincare comparisons hinge on actives and percentages; color cosmetics hinge on shade range, finish, and formulation. Build separately.
Will the beauty comparison table show on a product page?
Yes. The SimplyCompare app block can be embedded anywhere — collection page, individual product page, or a dedicated comparison landing page.
What happens when I reformulate a product?
Update the metafield value on the Shopify product. Every comparison table that displays that product reflects the new value automatically.
Can I compare a serum against a moisturizer if they share an active?
Yes — SimplyCompare hides rows where one product has no value, so a “concentration %” row would show for the serum and stay clean for the moisturizer. The comparison stays meaningful.
Comparison tables that match your beauty catalog
SimplyCompare reads your product metafields. Reformulate, change a percentage, swap a fragrance disclosure — every comparison table on your store reflects it automatically.