A cosmetics and beauty store sells hundreds of small, similar-looking items: lipsticks and nail paints in dozens of shades, creams and shampoos in several pack sizes, and fast-moving everyday products next to slow, costly brands. Customers ask for a shade by name, stock runs out without warning, and products carry expiry dates. This guide compares the billing software Indian cosmetics stores most often shortlist, so you can choose on price and fit.
Quick answer
For most cosmetics stores, pick software that keeps every shade and pack size as a separate variant, bills by barcode, warns you before fast sellers run out, records distributor purchases and gives GST reports by HSN. RichPOS does this for ₹199/month (₹2,000/year) with a 30-day free trial. Vyapar is a low-cost desktop option, Marg ERP fits shops already on a desktop ERP, Zoho Inventory suits stores that also sell online, and Khatabook is a free credit ledger, not a full billing counter.
What a cosmetics store needs from billing software
- Shades and sizes: one product in many shades or pack sizes, each with its own stock and price. See how variants work.
- Barcode billing: small items scanned at the counter, not searched by name.
- Low-stock alerts: best-selling shades reordered before they run out.
- Expiry control: older stock sold first, nothing sitting past its date.
- Distributor purchases: purchase orders, partial deliveries and a ledger for each brand distributor.
- GST by HSN: personal care and make-up items can fall in different GST slabs.
- Staff controls: separate logins so discounts and offers are on record.
Price comparison
| Software | Listed price (excl. GST) | Free trial / plan |
|---|---|---|
| RichPOS | ₹199/month or ₹2,000/year | 30-day free trial |
| Vyapar | Silver desktop about ₹3,399 to ₹3,421/year; desktop + mobile about ₹4,011/year | 7-day trial |
| Marg ERP | Nano ₹5,550, Basic ₹10,300, Silver ₹13,900, Gold ₹26,000; +₹3,000 per extra user or company | Demo on request |
| Zoho Inventory | Standard ₹999/month billed yearly (₹1,199 monthly); higher plans up to ₹7,499/month | Free plan: 50 orders/month, 1 user |
| Khatabook | Ledger free; premium price not published | Free ledger |
Prices from each vendor's public pricing page as checked in September 2026. Confirm current prices before buying.
Which one fits which cosmetics store
RichPOS: walk-in beauty stores with many shades
You get unlimited items, brands and variants, barcode label printing and low-stock alerts. Bills can be paid by cash, card, UPI or a split of these and sent to the customer by SMS, email or WhatsApp. Purchase orders can be received in full or in part, every distributor has a running ledger, and GST reports by HSN/SAC export to Excel, CSV or PDF for your CA. Separate cashier logins with permissions keep discounts in check. One plan covers it: ₹2,000/year.
Vyapar: small shops on a tight budget
A popular low-cost choice for small shops that want desktop billing, with a mobile add-on at a higher price. The 7-day trial is short, so load a full shade range and test billing quickly. Comparing? See Vyapar alternatives.
Marg ERP: shops already running a desktop ERP
Marg is a long-standing desktop ERP. Its entry price is higher than the others here, and each extra user or company adds ₹3,000, which adds up with two or three billing counters. See Marg ERP alternatives.
Zoho Inventory: stores that also sell online
Zoho Inventory is built around orders and inventory across channels. The free plan's 50 orders a month is small for a busy beauty counter, and the Standard plan works out to about ₹11,988/year. See Zoho Inventory alternatives.
Khatabook: tracking customer credit only
Khatabook is a free digital ledger for customer credit. It records who owes what but is not a billing counter with stock and GST. See Khatabook alternatives.
The GST side
Cosmetics and personal care items do not share one rate. After the September 2025 rate changes, many everyday items such as soap, shampoo, hair oil and toothpaste moved to 5%, while many make-up and other cosmetic products sit in a higher slab. The rate follows each product's HSN code, so set it per item and confirm the list with your CA. See how to find the HSN code and the 2026 GST rates guide for retailers. Running offers? Read GST on discounts.
Setting up a cosmetics counter in RichPOS
- Create products by brand and range, with a variant for each shade or pack size.
- Set HSN and GST rate on each item, and print barcode labels for items without a usable maker's barcode.
- Set low-stock levels on your best-selling shades.
- Bill by barcode, take cash, card, UPI or a split, and send the bill on WhatsApp.
- Raise purchase orders to distributors and keep each supplier ledger current.
- At month-end, export GST reports by HSN for your CA.
Check before you buy
If you need batch-wise stock with expiry dates, a loyalty points scheme, or salon service billing alongside retail, ask each vendor to show exactly how those are handled in a demo. These are not listed on the RichPOS features page, so confirm the set-up that suits your store when you call. Until then, a simple first-expiry-first-out routine keeps old stock moving.
Frequently asked questions
- Which billing software is best for a cosmetics store in India?
- A cosmetics or beauty store needs software that keeps each shade and pack size as its own item, bills quickly by barcode, alerts you before fast sellers run out, records distributor purchases and gives GST reports by HSN. RichPOS covers these at ₹199/month (₹2,000/year) with a 30-day free trial. Vyapar is a low-cost desktop option, Marg ERP suits shops already on a desktop ERP, Zoho Inventory fits stores that also sell online, and Khatabook is a free credit ledger rather than full billing.
- How do I manage lipstick shades and pack sizes in billing software?
- Set each product up once and add every shade or size as a variant with its own barcode, stock and price. In RichPOS, items, brands and variants are unlimited, so a lipstick range with 30 shades is one product with 30 variants, and each shade shows its own stock.
- Does RichPOS track expiry dates and batches for cosmetics?
- Batch and expiry tracking are not listed on the RichPOS features page. If you need the expiry date on every unit or batch-wise stock, ask for a demo on +91 90333 31255 and confirm the set-up before you buy. Ask every vendor the same question, and see our guide on expiry date management for a simple first-expiry-first-out routine.
- What GST rate applies to cosmetics and beauty products?
- It depends on the HSN code of each product. After the September 2025 rate changes, many everyday personal care items such as soap, shampoo, hair oil and toothpaste moved to 5% GST, while many make-up and other cosmetic products are taxed at a higher rate. Set the HSN and rate on each item once and confirm the list with your CA.
- How much does billing software for a cosmetics store cost?
- Listed prices (September 2026, excluding GST): RichPOS ₹2,000/year; Vyapar Silver desktop about ₹3,399 to ₹3,421/year; Zoho Inventory Standard ₹999/month billed yearly; Marg ERP from ₹5,550 (Nano) to ₹26,000 (Gold), plus ₹3,000 per extra user or company. Khatabook's ledger is free.
Bottom line: A cosmetics store needs exact stock by shade and size, fast barcode billing and clean GST by HSN. To see RichPOS on a beauty counter, call +91 90333 31255 or start the 30-day free trial from the pricing page.
