US, China lower tariffs on USD 60B in goods across beauty sectors
Both countries have recommended more favourable tariff treatment for “non-sensitive” products, which cover personal care items.
USA/CHINA – China and the US have agreed to cut tariffs on USD 60 billion worth of goods imported from each other, including US cosmetics and Chinese hair-removal appliances.
This reciprocal tariff reduction came alongside an extension of the US–China trade truce, with the positions settled at last week’s summit between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that the new “30-for-30” framework was “unlocking improved market access” for approximately 30% of US exports to China.
He added that the Trump Administration would continue to pursue fair, balanced, and reciprocal trade with China, focusing on balanced trade in non-sensitive goods and securing market access for American farmers, manufacturers, businesses, and workers. The USTR based the USD 30 billion valuation for each country’s proposed product lists on 2024 import data.
Tariffs on China will be lowered for “artists’ brushes, writing brushes, and similar brushes for the application of cosmetics”; “shavers, with self-contained electric motor”; “hair-removing appliances with self-contained electric motor”; and “electromechanical domestic appliances not elsewhere specified or included, with self-contained electric motor.”
The last item is a catch-all term, but under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule it is typically where electric toothbrushes are classified, so the tariff reductions may also cover oral care devices.
However, China’s beauty market is recovering, and its importance to global players is returning to focus.
Alongside the renewed beauty business, the country has strengthened its cosmetics regulatory framework to create a more competitive and reputable landscape.
Last year, the government updated its cosmetics safety and approval policies, which aimed to make the cosmetics market easier to navigate for international brands that were struggling to keep a stable footing in the country.
In addition, last month China introduced its first mandatory national safety standard regulating cosmetic products, placing limits on microbes, heavy metals, and harmful substances.
According to the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), the US exported USD 15.8 billion worth of cosmetics and personal care products globally in 2025, including USD 1.1 billion to China, making it one of the top three destinations for US exports in the category.
The new tariff agreement may lower import costs for personal care companies trading between the world’s two largest consumer markets, the US and China.
After Xi Jinping and Trump’s meeting in Washington, DC, the pair agreed to extend a trade truce until January 10, 2027.
The US–China Board of Trade was established during Trump’s visit to Beijing in May this year.
The board’s creation followed a trade war between the two countries that resulted in mounting and high tariffs. Since May, the US and China have repeatedly extended their trade truce.
The reduced-tariff agreement and trade truce with China follow the US’s escalation of its trade war with Canada. In July, the US announced a 50% tariff on Canadian chemicals, cosmetics, and toiletries.
Later that month, Canada hit back at the US’s imposition of 50% tariffs by implementing its own “dollar-for-dollar” duties, featuring cosmetics.
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