Beauty looks like the easiest corner of the US tariff schedule. Perfume, lipstick, eye makeup, skincare and shampoo all carry a Free general rate, so plenty of cosmetics brands never gave the HTS code a second look. The catalog around them is less forgiving. Deodorant, bath salts, shaving cream, some liquid face washes and powder puffs carry real duty, the 2026 Section 301 layer now lands on Chinese and Vietnamese beauty goods whatever the base rate, and the same code feeds the FDA side of the entry. This is a buyer's comparison of the software that classifies a whole beauty catalog, and what it costs.
What is the best HS code classification software for cosmetics importers?
For a US brand importing makeup, fragrance, skincare or hair care, the best fit is a classifier that returns the full 10-digit HTSUS code from a plain product description, separates cosmetics from soaps, medicaments and accessories, and shows the 2026 duty by origin on the same screen. TariffWise does that from $59 a month, with bulk CSV classification of a whole catalog on the $199 Growth plan. Teams selling into several countries and happy to pay yearly should look at Gaia Dynamics. A licensed customs broker stays the right call for contested lines and for filing the entry.
A general lookup falls short here because beauty product names are written to sell. "Brightening gel cleanser", "overnight lip mask" and "setting spray" say nothing about whether the article is a skin preparation, a surface-active washing product or a hair lacquer, and those three answers sit in three different headings with different rates.
Where beauty products sit in the US tariff schedule
| Product | HTSUS line | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| Perfume and eau de parfum containing alcohol | 3303.00.30.00 | Free |
| Lipstick, lip gloss, lip liner | 3304.10.00.00 | Free |
| Mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow | 3304.20.00.00 | Free |
| Nail polish and manicure preparations | 3304.30.00.00 | Free |
| Face powder, blush and compact powders | 3304.91.00 | Free |
| Moisturizers, serums, foundation, sunscreen | 3304.99.50.00 | Free |
| Shampoo | 3305.10.00.00 | Free |
| Hair spray | 3305.30.00.00 | Free |
| Deodorant and antiperspirant | 3307.20.00.00 | 4.9% |
| Bath salts | 3307.30.10.00 | 5.8% |
| Shaving and aftershave preparations | 3307.10 | 4.9% |
| Liquid face and body wash with an aromatic surfactant | 3401.30.10.00 | 4% |
| Makeup brushes valued over 10 cents each | 9603.30.60.00 | Free |
| Powder puffs and makeup sponges | 9616.20.00.00 | 4.3% |
Rates are the general column of the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule as published by the USITC. They are the floor, not the bill: origin-based layers add on top. The per-heading detail for Chapter 33 is on our HS code for cosmetics page. What matters when you choose a tool is that the expensive errors in a beauty catalog are heading errors, a cleanser filed as a skin preparation or a kit filed by the wrong component, and a keyword match inside Chapter 33 will never catch them.
Four calls that change what a beauty brand pays in 2026
1. Cosmetic, washing product or medicament
Heading 3304 covers beauty, make-up and skin care preparations "other than medicaments", and its text expressly includes sunscreen. So an SPF moisturizer classifies as a cosmetic for tariff purposes even though FDA regulates it as an over-the-counter drug. A product put up as a medicament, with measured doses or therapeutic claims, can leave Chapter 33 for heading 3004. And a liquid face wash is often not a skin preparation at all: organic surface-active washing products for the skin sit in 3401.30, where the line with an aromatic surface-active agent is 4 percent and the other line is Free. The ingredient list decides, which is why a classifier has to read it.
2. Kits, gift sets and the brush in the box
Holiday sets are where beauty catalogs go wrong. A lipstick packed with a lip liner and a small brush, or a skincare trio in a zip pouch, is classified as a set put up for retail sale under GRI 3(b), by the item that gives it its essential character. Filed item by item, the same set can pick up the pouch's rate under heading 4202 or the sponge's 4.3 percent. A tool that writes down which component it treated as essential gives you something to show CBP if the set is questioned.
3. The origin layer is most of the duty
Because most of Chapter 33 is Free, the duty a beauty brand actually pays is decided by origin. Since July 24, 2026 the Section 301 forced-labor action adds 12.5 percent on goods from China and Vietnam and 10 percent on several other sourcing countries, and some Chinese lines also carry duty from the original Section 301 lists. A palette made in China and one made in Korea can share a 10-digit code and land at very different costs. A tool that shows each layer separately lets you check the math, and the full lookup by heading is on the Section 301 tariff list by product.
4. Shade explosions and one decision per formula
A foundation in 40 shades is 40 SKUs and usually one classification decision, because the code follows the formula and the use, not the pigment. A shade that moves from a cream to a powder format, or a new line with a sunscreen claim, can move the code. Classify by formula and format, then apply the result to every shade, and the catalog shrinks to a manageable number of real decisions.
The FDA side of a cosmetics entry
Cosmetics entries carry FDA data alongside the HTS code, and since the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 the rules behind that data are stricter. Facilities that manufacture or process cosmetics for the US market, including foreign ones, must register with FDA, and products had to be listed by July 1, 2024, with new products listed within 120 days of first being marketed. None of that is a classifier's job, and no tool on this page files your registration. What the code does is keep the entry consistent: a product filed as a drug on one entry and as a cosmetic on the next invites questions from both agencies.
The same law requires the responsible person to report a serious adverse event to FDA within 15 business days, with a copy of the label. For a direct-to-consumer brand the first sign of one is often a customer complaint in a product review, so brands that already run review monitoring for their store and marketplace listings have a head start on spotting them in time.
Cosmetics classification tools compared
| Tool | Code depth | Shows why the code applies | Best for | Published pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TariffWise | 10-digit HTSUS with the 2026 duty stack and landed cost | Yes, section and chapter notes on every result, plus two runner-up codes | US beauty brands classifying a catalog before a launch or a holiday set | $59, $199, $499 a month |
| Gaia Dynamics | HS and HTS, several countries | Yes, with ruling citations | Brands selling into several markets, yearly billing | $99, $379, $1,399 a month, billed yearly |
| Quickcode | HTS with rulings and notes beside it | Yes, research panel | Brokers and classifiers who read rulings first | Free for 10 a month, then from $749 a month |
| GingerControl | HTS with stacked duty | Yes, interactive questions | Importers that also want refund and audit services | Credit packs from $10, rest by quote |
| Descartes CustomsInfo | Multi-country tariff content | Research library | Large teams classifying for many countries | Not published |
| Licensed customs broker | 10-digit on the entry | On request | Contested products and the entry itself | About $50 to $200 per product review |
If Gaia is on your shortlist, our Gaia Dynamics alternative page sets its yearly credit model against monthly plans, and the whole field is on the best HS code classification software roundup. Whatever you pick, test it the same way: take the ten products your team argued about this year, a cleanser, a gift set and an SPF product among them, and compare all ten digits and the stated reason.
How much does it cost to classify a beauty catalog?
| Catalog | Broker review at $50 to $200 each | TariffWise |
|---|---|---|
| 50 formulas for a new line launch | $2,500 to $10,000 | Starter, $59 for the month |
| 600 SKUs across shades, sizes and holiday sets | $30,000 to $120,000 | Growth, $199 for the month, one CSV run |
| A 4,000-line multi-brand beauty catalog | Rarely quoted per line at this size | Business, $499 for the month |
Run the catalog as a CSV once, read the reasoning on anything flagged, and send the handful of contested products to your broker. Plans and seats are on the classification pricing page. If your brand sells through its own store, the Shopify HS codes guide covers filling the product export's HS column in bulk, and the landed cost calculator turns the code into a per-unit cost with the 301 layer, MPF and HMF included.
Questions cosmetics importers ask before choosing a tool
What is the HS code for perfume?
Perfume and toilet waters classify in heading 3303. In the US, perfume containing alcohol is 3303.00.30.00 and other perfume is 3303.00.20.00, both at a Free general rate, while floral waters are 3303.00.10.00. The 6-digit code for shipping labels is 330300. Empty perfume bottles and scent sprayers are classified separately, sprayers in 9616.10.
What is the HS code for cosmetics?
Most cosmetics fall in Chapter 33 under heading 3304, which covers makeup and skin care preparations, including sunscreen: lip products are 3304.10, eye makeup 3304.20, nail products 3304.30, powders 3304.91 and other preparations 3304.99. Hair products are in 3305 and deodorants, bath and shaving products in 3307.
What is the HS code for makeup?
Makeup classifies in heading 3304 by where it is used: 3304.10 for lips, 3304.20 for eyes, 3304.91 for powders including blush, and 3304.99 for liquid foundation and other makeup. All carry a Free US general rate. Brushes are 9603.30 and sponges and puffs 9616.20, at different rates.
Is there import duty on cosmetics into the US?
The general rate on most makeup, skincare, perfume and shampoo is Free, but deodorants, bath preparations and shaving products run 4.9 to 6 percent, and origin layers add on top. Since July 24, 2026 goods from China and Vietnam pick up a 12.5 percent Section 301 layer. MPF and HMF also apply to formal entries.
Can software classify a whole beauty catalog at once?
Yes. On TariffWise's Growth and Business plans you upload a CSV of product descriptions and ingredients and get a 10-digit HTS code, the reasoning and the 2026 duty for every row, then export it back into your store, ERP or broker template. A 600-SKU catalog is one run on the $199 plan.
Who is responsible if a cosmetic is misclassified?
The importer of record. Under 19 USC 1484 you must use reasonable care in classifying your goods, whether a broker, a tool or an employee chose the code. Keep the reasoning behind each code on file with the ingredient list, because the ingredients are what a reviewer will check first.