Following the European Parliament’s approval of the Turnberry Agreement on 16 June 2026, customs duties on French cosmetics exported to the United States are expected to rise to 15 per cent. Customs duties on exports to the United States continue to represent a major blow to the French cosmetics industry, and FEBEA is alerting the French and European authorities to this issue.
As a reminder, the Turnberry Agreement was concluded between the European Union and the United States in July 2025. It provides that most US imports into Europe will now be exempt from all customs duties, and that customs duties capped at 15 per cent will be introduced on most European products exported to the US.
Until 2024, French cosmetics benefited from a long-standing 0% customs duty when exported to the United States, the FEBEA points out. These duties rose to 15% in the summer of 2025, before falling back to 10% in February 2026.
Since the announcement of the new US customs duties in 2025, French cosmetics exports to the United States have slowed significantly. Whilst the United States remains the leading export market for French cosmetics, with exports totalling €2.35 billion in 2025, sales to this strategic market have fallen by 19 per cent year-on-year.
This trend continued in the first quarter of 2026, with a further fall of nearly 20 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2025.
In total, the decline in French cosmetics exports to the United States is estimated to have already resulted in export losses of nearly 800 million euros: …
