Trump tariffs: French cosmetics sector prepares to lose more than 10,000 jobs

The customs barriers introduced by Donald Trump since January could cost the French beauty and cosmetics sector 620 million euros as early as 2026, and the Fédération des Entreprises de la Beauté predicts a 21% drop in exports to the United States.

FEBEA had already expressed its concerns during the summer. With the help of the consulting firm Astérès, the representative body has now calculated figures on the possible impact of Trump's tariffs. The federation estimates that this trade shock could result in the loss of 2,700 direct jobs in cosmetics export companies and another 8,200 indirect jobs in the packaging, transportation and communications sectors.

While French cosmetics companies were exempt from taxes in 2024, they now face a 15% tariff, plus an additional 50% tax on metal components of packaging. The depreciation of the dollar further aggravates the economic impact of these measures.

“In the face of this commotion, we cannot remain mere spectators,” said Emmanuel Guichard, general delegate of the federation. “FEBEA launched this summer a package for the beauty industry, a European emergency action plan designed to protect the competitiveness and future of our industry. French cosmetics is an engine of innovation, exports and employment. We ask our European and French policymakers to give us the means to maintain our global leadership, without unnecessarily complicating our regulatory framework.”

In 2024, the French cosmetics sector recorded the second largest trade surplus with the United States, with 2.4 billion euros. The 350 companies in French industry, which generate 35.6 billion euros in turnover and 300,000 jobs, exported products worth 2.9 billion euros to the United States that year.