Selling cosmetics online: choosing between Meta Ads, TikTok Shop and marketplaces

To sell cosmetics online, the right channel depends on the brand’s maturity and the product’s compliance, not on the trend of the moment. Meta Ads, TikTok Shop and marketplaces each require an INCI list, controlled claims and a regulatory file that is ready. This article helps a brand manufactured in Tunisia choose and order its channels, as a complement to our investment and e-commerce articles.

The article first compares the logic of each channel, then the compliance points to check. It then details TikTok Shop, the rules of expression for Meta advertising, selling in Tunisia and for export, and finally a typical launch for a first brand.

Which channel should you choose to sell cosmetics online?

The channel is chosen according to the brand’s maturity (budget, content, audience) and the product’s compliance. A beginner brand starts with a channel it masters, with one or two references, before expanding. A marketplace is a third-party platform that brings together several sellers and buyers on a single site.

Own website, social media or marketplace: three different logics

Each channel follows its own logic. The choice depends on what your brand already knows how to do and the time it has to learn the rest.

• Own website: you keep the customer relationship and the brand image, but you must create the traffic, content and trust yourself.
• Social media: sales come from video and audience. This channel suits brands able to produce regular content.
• Marketplace: you benefit from an existing audience, but you accept the platform’s rules, checks and fees.

For a brand manufactured in Tunisia, the local reality matters too. According to Mallatech, cash on delivery and acquisition via Facebook and Instagram are part of the realities of Tunisian e-commerce.

Do not multiply channels from the start. Our advice: start with one or two well-positioned products, then keep budget to market them. Many project owners want to launch a range of ten products without having defined their customers, their selling price or their distribution channel.

Mallatech recommends starting with targeted references rather than a broad catalogue. Keep the spirit of this benchmark: a tight offer, tested on one channel, before expanding based on customer feedback.

What compliance should you check before selling online?

Before any online sale, the product must comply with Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009: INCI list, labelling, Product Information File, safety assessment, Responsible Person and CPNP notification. Platforms check these elements and refuse medical claims. This article is for information: refer to the official texts.

Compliance does not depend on the channel chosen. An own website, a social network or a marketplace require the same regulatory foundation, and a product manufactured in Tunisia is not exempt from it for the destination market.

INCI list, labelling and product file

The INCI list is the international nomenclature of cosmetic ingredients, printed on the packaging and repeated on the online product listing. Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 governs labelling.

Platforms check the ingredients first. TikTok Shop states that you must make sure all the ingredients in your products comply with European cosmetics regulations. It also recommends adding the full INCI list to the product listing and uploading a legible photo of that same list as it appears on the packaging.

For the European Union, our advice is to gather the following elements before going on sale:

• a Responsible Person established in the EU (Article 4);
• a safety assessment (Article 10);
• a Product Information File (Article 11);
• a compliant composition and labelling (Article 19);
• a notification on the CPNP portal before placing on the market (Article 13).

CPNP notification is neither an authorisation nor a quality certification. Oppenheimer Lab prepares Product Information Files and CPNP notifications, as part of GMP-compliant cosmetic manufacturing. We recommend defining the countries of sale from the brief, to prepare the corresponding supporting documents and packaging.

Claims: what platforms refuse

A claim is a statement about a product’s effect, governed by Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and by the common criteria of Commission Regulation (EU) No 655/2013. On TikTok Shop, physiological and therapeutic claims are prohibited on cosmetic products.

So describe appearance, never a treatment, and keep evidence for each wording. If in doubt, have your texts reviewed by a regulatory expert.

How do you sell on TikTok Shop in France?

TikTok Shop has been open in France since 31 March 2025. Cosmetics require labels and compliance declarations before listings are published. The brand must be established in the European Union and check the category of each product. Commissions vary according to that category.

Opening, conditions and commissions

TikTok Shop is a marketplace integrated into the app, where the customer buys without leaving the videos or LIVE sessions. According to Creapreneurs, TikTok Shop opened in France on 31 March 2025.

Before publishing, each category must be authorised. For cosmetics, TikTok Shop Academy indicates that the CPSR/PIF, CPNP or SCPN documents and the Responsible Person’s details must be available where required.

The commission rate depends on the exact category of each listing. According to Creapreneurs, the reduced rate applies in particular to electric beauty devices. So do not apply it to a cream: check the official scale before setting your prices.

Cosmetic product listings

The table below summarises the requirements to plan for a cosmetic listing.

These requirements overlap with the regulatory foundation seen above. Prepare them before opening the shop, not after a listing is rejected.

Meta Ads: what can you say and show for cosmetics?

On Meta as elsewhere, a cosmetic’s claims must remain based on appearance and be substantiated. The common criteria of Commission Regulation (EU) No 655/2013 apply. Meta’s own advertising rules should be checked in its official conditions, which this article does not reproduce for lack of a source.

Claims and before/after photos

Facebook and Instagram remain the main acquisition channels in Tunisia. According to Mallatech, acquisition via Facebook and Instagram is part of the realities of Tunisian e-commerce. Your ads should therefore follow the same discipline as your product listings.

A performance claim describes a visible and measurable effect, never a treatment. TikTok Shop Academy illustrates this approach with appearance-based wording:

Phrasing describing appearance-based or subjective effects. (TikTok Shop Academy)

For before/after photos, this TikTok guide serves here as a transposable benchmark, not as a Meta rule. It requires these visuals to reflect real, representative results. It also specifies that they must not be used to exaggerate effects through digital retouching.

The same source requires the statement “Results may vary from person to person”. Apply these reflexes to your ads, then compare them with Meta’s official conditions before running them.

How do you sell cosmetics online in Tunisia and for export?

In Tunisia, cash on delivery and acquisition via Facebook and Instagram shape online selling, according to Mallatech. A budget of 300 to 1,500 TND is cited for a small online project, depending on the model. For export to the European Union, the compliance of the destination market applies.

Cash on delivery and starting budget

Cash on delivery is a payment method where the customer pays for the parcel on receipt. Mallatech lists it among the Tunisian realities, along with local delivery and the budget in dinars.

On budget, Mallatech estimates that you need between 300 and 1,500 TND to launch a small online project, depending on the model. This benchmark describes a test budget: advertising, samples, a small stock. It does not cover the manufacturing of a batch of cosmetics. Your laboratory’s quote specifies what it includes.

If your brand does not exist yet, cosmetic brand creation (name, identity, packaging) comes before the choice of channel.

Marketplaces: what to prepare

For Amazon and other marketplaces, consult each platform’s official conditions: fees, categories subject to approval and documents requested vary and change. This article does not detail them for lack of a verified source.

Prepare now what will be requested almost everywhere: INCI list, compliant labelling, Product Information File and CPNP notification for the European Union. Our advice: define the countries of sale from the brief. Manufacturing in Tunisia does not exempt you from the requirements of the destination market, notably a Responsible Person established in the EU.

What does a typical launch look like for a first brand?

A typical launch follows a realistic sequence: a single reference, based on an existing formula that is already validated. For 1,000 units, a schedule of about 12 weeks is conceivable if the packaging is available and the validations and checks go well. The choice of channel then becomes clearer, based on first feedback.

Take a typical example, not a real client: a Tunisian entrepreneur launches her first skincare brand, sold online. She starts with a 50 ml facial moisturising cream, with a light texture and an accessible positioning. She chooses a single channel, the one she already masters, and keeps budget to market it.

This schedule depends on three conditions: available packaging, quick validations and satisfactory checks. A fully custom formulation would require a different schedule.

At Oppenheimer Lab, small batches are possible from 200 units, or even 100 depending on the project, subject to assessment, and the private label lead time is 45 to 90 days. Our advice: set the countries of sale from the brief, because they determine the supporting documents and packaging to prepare.

To cost your project, you can request a quote: Oppenheimer Lab replies to requests within 48 working hours.

Sources

• Vendre des produits de beauté sur TikTok Shop : ce que tu dois savoir (in French), TikTok Shop Academy (Centre vendeurs France), June 2026
• TikTok Shop : vendre en France, commissions (in French), Creapreneurs, undated
• Projets Rentables en Tunisie 2026 : 15 Idées de Business en Ligne (in French), Mallatech, October 2026