No one has to tell you that something is wrong. Walk into any beauty store in America today, and you’ll likely spot the problem immediately—empty shelves where your favorite products used to be. From must-have makeup to everyday skincare, items are missing.
The situation isn’t just a shipping delay or a stock issue. The real-life impact of rising tariffs is shaking up the beauty world. Prices are increasing, choices are shrinking, and shoppers feel the effects. A closer look at how trade policy is changing the beauty industry—and what that will mean for your morning routine.
Tariffs on imported ingredients, packaging, and finished goods have skyrocketed costs, forcing brands to pull products, raise prices, or disappear entirely.
1.Lotion
Most beauty items rely on cheap, imported packaging from China or Southeast Asia. Tariffs of 145% or more on imports have increased the cost of bottles, pumps, and tubes. It is not something they can cover for smaller brands, leading to widespread product shortages. Brands are stopping the production of products they can’t package profitably.
Even giants like Estée Lauder and L’Oréal compete to find alternative sources. Stores are simply clearing out the shelves for indie brands. The result: cleansers, serums, and lotions are disappearing, not because they’re in demand, but because now the bottle is the most expensive ingredient.
2. The Black Hair Care Fallout
Black consumers contribute over $9 billion to the beauty industry annually, and Black hair care accounts for over $2.5 billion. Despite this massive economic power, nearly 90% of beauty products on store shelves catering to Black markets are Chinese imports.
With tariffs rising, necessities like wigs, weaves, and shea butter-infused products have become more expensive and difficult to find. It puts Black-owned beauty companies in an impossible situation, as there is a restriction on access to capital. If others leave them behind, they will force them out, destroying vital cultural practices and increasing disparity in the beauty industry.
3. Makeup Brushes and Tools
Makeup brands are getting hit from both sides—tariffs now apply to raw materials and finished products. With container shipments from China to the U.S. dropping by 45% compared to last year, the foundation, lipstick, and eyeshadow supply is starting to dry up.
Some companies are switching to alternative ingredients to cope, often leading to lower quality or rising prices. Consumers may soon see empty shelves or pay more for less. Experts say if trade tensions and tariff uncertainty continue, even everyday essentials like feminine hygiene wipes could disappear from stores within months.
4. Fragrance
France, Italy, and Germany have been major perfume exporters to the United States for years, but fresh tariffs are shaking up this billion-dollar industry. Importing essential oils and finished perfumes is more expensive, causing American stores to second-guess their inventory.
Less expensive European fragrances, once affordable, are now under threat of becoming high-end luxury items. As prices rise throughout the supply chain, consumers may find fewer fragrances on retailer shelves and much higher prices. This shift affects consumers and pressures smaller retailers to keep up in an environment with scarcity and inflation.
5. Sheet Masks
K-beauty sheet masks, the most loved among skincare enthusiasts, are among the first to fall. South Korea is included in the top five exporters of beauty products to the U.S., with new tariffs making it nearly impossible for these brands, like Laneige and Dr. Jart, to be price-competitive.
Retailers report inventories reduced by half, with other chains eliminating best-selling SKUs. With prices skyrocketing and supplies running low, American shoppers scramble for substitutes, signaling the end of an era of inexpensive at-home spa treatments.
6 Nail Polish and Gel Kits
The do-it-yourself nail trend grew incredibly popular during the pandemic, with the salons shut down and everybody searching for do-it-yourself beauty hacks. The hot trend now, however, is being gravely harmed by increasing tariffs on imported Chinese goods.
Many staple items—gel polish kits, UV lamps, and even run-of-the-mill nail polishes—depend on Chinese manufacturers for ingredients and packaging. With the price of imports through the roof, top-selling brands like Modelones and Beetles must recall entire lines from American shelves.
It doesn’t just mess up people’s beauty habits — it also hurts the growing home salon business. It makes taking care of yourself more expensive and complicated.
7. Sunscreen
Many people use sunscreen every day to protect their skin from the sun. But now, it’s getting harder to find and costs more. Many popular SPF formulations depend heavily on imported filters and packaging materials from Asia and Europe.
With tariffs causing a significant rise in import costs, many brands reformulate their products, reduce the sizes offered, or even leave the market altogether. It is worrying, especially since skin cancer rates are going up and the FDA is slow to approve new, stronger sunscreen ingredients. People now have fewer choices, pay more, and might get less protection from the sun.
8. Lipsticks and Glosses
Lipsticks and lip glosses, essential in the beauty world, also feel the pinch from rising tariffs. Most key ingredients, like pigments, moisturizers, and packaging, come from other countries. Because of these tariffs, prices have increased by 7–12%, and some colors and entire product lines have disappeared from stores.
Brands focus on their best-selling shades and cut the less popular ones, giving people fewer options. Once seen as a sign of economic resilience through the “lipstick index,” the category reflects scarcity and compromise, limiting self-expression and consumer choice.
9. French Pharmacy Skincare
Beloved French pharmacy brands like La Roche-Posay, Bioderma, and Vichy are disappearing from U.S. shelves as tariffs on EU imports take their toll. These products are known for being gentle and effective, but now their prices are increasing a lot, and they’re harder to find.
Many smaller stores can’t handle the extra costs or find other suppliers, so they have had to stop selling these products altogether. That is filling an expanding gap between luxury and mass-market skincare lines, hurting consumers who came to depend on these French houses for inexpensive, reliable dermatological care.
Fresh reports reveal yet another way tariffs are impacting the beauty sector. Additional products are facing shortages, altering what’s available to consumers daily.
Japanese Cleansing Oils
Lauded for their gentle, effective formulas, Japanese cleansing oils are fast vanishing. With tariffs on Asian-imported oils and Asian-packaged packaging, DHC and Shu Uemura are two brands fighting prohibitively high costs. Retailers pull them from the shelves, and consumers scramble to find alternatives as prices soar and supplies dwindle.
Brow Gels and Tints
Some brow gels and tints rely on pigments and packaging supplied by European and Chinese companies. Tariffs have raised costs by more than 20%, forcing companies to discontinue unpopular colors and even product lines. As a result, consumers are presented with fewer choices and higher prices at the beauty counter.
Sheet Mask Applicators
The former ubiquitous plastic and silicone sheet mask applicators are disappearing. Most are Chinese-made, and tariffs have made them unaffordable to import.
Brands are quietly phasing out these accessories, and consumers can now barely locate cheap, sanitary application tools for their skincare routines.
Korean Cushion Foundations
With their innovative packaging and lightness, K-beauty cushion foundations are vanishing as tariffs hit not just the compact cases but also active ingredients imported into the country.
Top brands Laneige and Missha have reduced shipments from the U.S., and shelves have become increasingly bare as prices balloon.
Japanese Eyelash Serums
Japanese eyelash serums, prized for containing innovative peptides and botanicals, are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Tariffs on the glass containers and the serums inside have added more than 30% to their price.
Most stores have ceased to restock them, enraging loyal consumers and beauty professionals.
European Hair Color Kits
Italian and Spanish salon-grade hair dye kits are disappearing due to the imposition of tariffs on imported dyes and packaging.
Wella and Garnier have cut back their product lines, and prices on what’s still on the shelves are through the roof. Home colorists have fewer choices and must settle for lesser-known brands.
Japanese and Korean Facial Mists
Suppliers limit the availability of Asian mists with unique mineral blends, while tariffs hit imported water-based products and packs, leading to widespread shortages.
Some brands have halted U.S. distribution, and beauty stores are liquidating existing inventory.
European Shaving Creams
British and French luxury shaving creams, long favorites for their luxurious lather, are being pulled from shelves.
Tariffs on the creams and the unique tins or tubes in which they are packaged have made imports economically unsustainable. United States consumers must now face declining selection and higher prices for upscale grooming items.
Japanese Bath Salts
Japanese bath salts, valued for their minerals and aromatherapy, are disappearing due to tariffs on imported packages and minerals. Firms like Bathclin and Onsen have cut U.S. shipments, and specialty shops struggle to stock such health essentials.
How Tariffs Are Redefining Beauty Routines and Consumer Choices
As we’ve seen, tariffs are silently reshaping your beauty routine ,from the missing lotion bottles to the vanishing Japanese cleansing oils and Korean cushion foundations. These disruptions aren’t just higher prices; they’re about being deprived of a loved product and the rituals it makes possible.
Which one of these disappearing products do you miss the most? Are you already noticing bare shelves on your go-to shelves? Share your stories and how these trade policies are changing the beauty landscape in America with us. Remember, it all started with something as simple and essential as your bottle of lotion vanishing.
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