Cosmetics inventory management software that knows every batch and expiry date
GlowNest is inventory and GST billing software for beauty and cosmetics brands, distributors and their stores: every unit tracked by batch and expiry and sold first-expiry-first-out, purchasing from order to goods receipt, a fast POS, GST invoices with e-invoice and e-way bill JSON, and reorder suggestions worked out from your own sales.
- Batch, expiry and FEFO on every sale
- GST invoices, e-invoice and e-way bill JSON
- Reorder quantities from sales velocity and lead time
Inside GlowNest
Screens from the working product on sample data. Book a demo and we will walk you through each one.
The owner's dashboard: sales, margin, stock value, money owed both ways and insights worked out from the data. 
Batches and expiry: every batch with days left, expired stock blocked from sale and ready to write off. 
A GST invoice: IGST for an inter-state buyer, rates by HSN code and the batch on every line. 
E-invoice preparation: the IRP JSON built and checked in the demo, with no IRN generated. 
The store POS: tap products or scan barcodes, batches picked by FEFO, prices inclusive of GST. 
Smart Reorder: quantities from sales velocity, lead time and safety stock, raised as purchase orders in one step.
Inventory software for beauty brands, built around shelf life
Cosmetics stock has a date on it. A serum that sat in the back of the warehouse for eighteen months is a write-off, and a distributor will not take a carton with six weeks of shelf life left. Most billing software records quantities; it does not know which batch went where, so the oldest stock is found when it has already expired. GlowNest records every unit by batch, manufacturing date and expiry, and picks the batch that expires first on every invoice and POS bill.
The same record runs the rest of the business. A purchase order is approved, the goods receipt captures batch numbers and expiry dates as cartons arrive, and only then does stock rise. Invoices validate stock, allocate batches, work out CGST and SGST or IGST from the place of supply, and post to the stock ledger. Returns go back to saleable stock, the damaged bin or quarantine depending on what the inspection finds, with a credit note linked to the original invoice.
Tax follows the September 2025 rates. Shampoo, hair oil and face powder moved to 5%, most other cosmetics stay at 18%, so GlowNest keeps the GST rate on each HSN code rather than assuming one rate for the catalogue. For B2B invoices it prepares e-invoice JSON in the IRP schema and e-way bill JSON for consignments above the threshold, and checks them before anyone uploads anything.
The demo is a Lucknow beauty brand with three locations: a central warehouse, a distribution centre and a flagship store. It has 51 products and 102 variants across skincare, haircare, makeup, bath and body, fragrance and accessories, and eight months of purchases, sales, returns and payments. If you run a single beauty shop, our supermarket billing software Billora may suit you better; GlowNest is for brands and distributors with batches to manage.
Who it is for
- D2C beauty and personal-care brands that hold their own stock
- Cosmetics distributors and super-stockists supplying retailers
- Brands with a warehouse, a distribution centre and their own stores
- Ayurvedic and herbal brands working with contract manufacturers
- Owners who want expiry losses caught months early, not at stock-taking
What GlowNest does
Batch and expiry tracking with FEFO
Every receipt records batch number, manufacturing date and expiry. Invoices and POS bills pick the batch that expires first, or the batch you choose, and expired batches are blocked from sale automatically.
Expiry intelligence
Batches expiring in 30, 60 and 90 days, valued at cost, with the batch to sell next for each product. Slow-moving and dead stock are flagged, with options to discount, return to the supplier or write off.
Smart reorder suggestions
Suggested quantities from average daily sales, supplier lead time, safety stock and minimum stock, less what is already on order or in transit. Select the lines and raise purchase orders for each supplier in one step.
Purchase orders, goods receipt and bills
Orders go through draft, approval and partial or full receipt. The goods receipt records accepted and rejected quantities by batch, and stock rises only when it is posted. Supplier bills, part payments, purchase returns and debit notes follow.
GST invoices on the right rate
CGST and SGST for supplies within your state, IGST for other states, picked from the place of supply. GST rates sit on HSN codes, prices can include or exclude tax, and every invoice prints an HSN summary and the amount in words.
E-invoice and e-way bill JSON
For B2B invoices GlowNest prepares the e-invoice payload in the IRP JSON schema, checks GSTINs, PIN codes, HSN codes and totals, and lets you download it. E-way bill JSON carries transporter, vehicle and distance. The demo does not connect to the government portals.
Fast POS for your stores
A touch-friendly counter with categories, search, barcode entry, variants and shades, cash with change due, UPI, card and split payments, held bills and an 80 mm thermal receipt that shows the saving against MRP.
Sales returns with inspection
Returned units are inspected and sent back to saleable stock, the damaged bin or quarantine. A linked credit note adjusts the invoice, with the balance refunded or kept as customer credit.
Multi-warehouse stock and transfers
Stock by warehouse with available, reserved, damaged and expired quantities. Transfers are dispatched and received in two steps, so stock in transit is never counted twice, and cycle counts post their variances.
Payments, ledgers and expenses
Receipts and supplier payments allocated against invoices and bills, advances, customer and supplier statements, cashbook and bankbook, and expenses by category with their GST.
Reports and business insights
Sales by day, product, category and customer, purchase registers, stock valuation, batch and expiry reports, gross profit and outstanding ageing, with CSV export and print. Insights in plain language are worked out from your own figures.
Roles for each team
Inventory, sales and accounts each see their own screens and actions, and only an admin approves purchase orders. Every posting is written to an activity log.
The demo runs on sample data in your browser, so we can receive stock, bill, take returns and prepare GST files in front of you without touching anything. Sign-in, payments, printers and the GST portals are simulated in the demo, and the e-invoice and e-way bill screens prepare and check JSON only. A deployed GlowNest runs in the cloud or on your server, with staff logins, backups and the integrations you choose.
What changes in your business
- Expiring stock seen 90 days ahead, while it can still be sold
- Expired batches kept off invoices and POS bills automatically
- Purchase orders sized from real sales, not guesswork
- Stock that moves only when goods are received or sold, with a ledger behind every unit
- GST invoices with the right rate per HSN code and the right tax for each state
- E-invoice and e-way bill JSON checked before it reaches the portal
- Returns sorted into saleable, damaged and quarantine stock, with credit notes attached
Built in and connected
- USB / Bluetooth barcode scanners
- 80 mm thermal printers
- A4 laser printers
- Label printers for batch stickers
- UPI dynamic QR
- Card terminals (EDC)
- GST e-invoice (IRP) via a GSP
- E-way bill API via a GSP
- Tally export
- Shopify / marketplace order sync
- React
- Node.js
- PostgreSQL
Payment, messaging and hardware integrations are connected during setup, to the providers you already use where possible.
How we set up GlowNest for you
- 01
Stock and process walk-through
We go through how stock arrives, where it is kept, how distributors and stores order, and where expiry losses happen today, then list the warehouses, stores, printers and scanners involved.
- 02
Item master, batches and tax
Products and variants come in with SKUs, barcodes, MRP, prices and HSN codes. Opening stock is loaded batch by batch with expiry dates, and your CA confirms the GST rate for each HSN code.
- 03
Parallel run, then switch-over
GlowNest runs beside your current billing for a short period, so invoices, stock and GST summaries are checked against the old figures. Warehouse, sales and accounts staff are trained on their own screens.
- 04
Support after go-live
Fixes, rate changes, new reports and integrations under a support agreement. In Lucknow we visit; elsewhere support is remote, with visits when needed.
What we need from you
- Product list from Excel or your current software, with variants, SKUs, barcodes, MRP and HSN codes
- Current stock by warehouse, with batch numbers and expiry dates where you have them
- Suppliers and customers with GSTINs, addresses and payment terms
- GSTIN, invoice format, document prefixes and bank details
- Whether e-invoicing applies to you and who your GST suvidha provider is, if any
- Warehouses, stores, staff roles and the hardware you already use
None of it has to be tidy. Discovering that your data is messier than expected is part of the job, not a reason to delay starting.
GlowNest — questions buyers ask
Including what it costs, what it does not do, and who should buy something else.
How does FEFO work if a customer wants a particular batch?
By default every invoice and POS bill takes stock from the batch that expires first. On any line you can pick a specific batch instead, and the invoice prints the batch number and expiry. Expired batches never appear as an option, so they cannot be sold by mistake.
Does GlowNest generate the IRN and e-way bill number?
The demo does not. It prepares the e-invoice and e-way bill JSON, checks it and lets you download it, and says clearly that it is not connected to the IRP or the e-way bill portal. In a live system we connect through a GST suvidha provider, so the IRN, signed QR code and e-way bill number come back from the government systems and print on the invoice.
Is e-invoicing mandatory for us?
E-invoicing applies to B2B invoices once your aggregate turnover in any year since 2017-18 has crossed ₹5 crore. Below that it is optional and GlowNest prints a normal tax invoice. Your CA confirms whether it applies; e-invoicing can be switched on or off in settings.
Which GST rates does it use for cosmetics?
Rates sit on HSN codes, not on the whole catalogue. Since 22 September 2025 shampoo, hair oil, toilet soap and face powder are at 5%, while most skincare, makeup and fragrance remain at 18%. The demo uses an illustrative mapping; your CA confirms the codes and rates before go-live.
Can it work with our contract manufacturer and our distributors?
Yes. Contract manufacturers are suppliers: purchase orders go to them and goods receipts record their batch numbers and expiry dates. Distributors are customers on a wholesale price list with credit limits and payment terms, and their invoices can come from a different warehouse to your stores.
Can we sell online as well?
Online orders can be entered as invoices today, and online marketplaces and stores appear as customers in the demo. For a live system we can sync orders from Shopify or a marketplace so stock stays in one place; we scope that against the channels you use.
What does it cost?
It depends on the number of warehouses, stores and users, the integrations you need, such as e-invoicing through a GSP or online order sync, and whether it runs in the cloud or on your own server. We quote after a short call and a look at your current process.
Other products
When you need it built differently
The product is a starting point. These are the services behind it, for when the requirement goes further.
See GlowNest with your own products
Tell us how many warehouses and stores you run and how you track expiry today. We will take you through the demo on a call or at your office, show how your catalogue and batches would look in it, and quote for the setup.