France
USA trade laneFrance is the reference market for fragrance and a large one for skincare and make-up: perfumers around Grasse, the manufacturers of the Cosmetic Valley cluster south-west of Paris, and pharmacy skincare brands sold across the US. For US distributors, retailers and brands launching in America, the product travels well — light, compact, high in value — but two rules make it different from ordinary consumer goods. Alcohol-based perfume is a flammable liquid in transport law, and since the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA), FDA requires cosmetic facilities to be registered and products to be listed.
We work through WCA partner agents in France, who collect from the manufacturer or logistics provider and prepare the export declaration, with dangerous-goods packing and declarations handled by DG-trained shippers and partners. AGF books sea freight from Le Havre or air freight from Paris CDG with carriers that accept the goods, and the US entry is filed by our licensed customs brokers, with FDA data on the entry. We check MoCRA status and US labels before the first shipment, because a container held for compliance is a launch missed.
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Shipping Cosmetics & Perfume from France to USA
Perfume and eau de toilette are UN1266, Perfumery products, Class 3 flammable liquids. Retail bottles usually qualify for limited-quantity provisions, which reduce packaging and labeling requirements but do not remove the dangerous-goods declaration, marking or carrier acceptance. By sea that means an IMDG declaration and a carrier and terminal that accept the cargo; fewer consolidators take DG in LCL, so regular volumes usually move as FCL. By air, IATA rules cap quantities per package and some loads need cargo-only aircraft. Creams, lotions and make-up without flammable content ship as general cargo — we classify product by product from each safety data sheet.
Fragrance and emulsions dislike heat, and cosmetics are a theft target, so summer sailings and West Coast routings are worth an insulated or reefer container for premium goods, with full-value insurance. From Le Havre, transit is roughly 9-16 days on the water to New York and about 15 days to Savannah; Los Angeles, through the Panama Canal, takes roughly 28-36 days. Launches and replenishment of fast sellers often go by air from Paris CDG instead.
- UN1266 Class 3 for alcohol-based fragrance — DG declaration, marks and an accepting carrier
- Limited-quantity provisions for retail sizes where they apply; still declared
- Non-flammable skincare and make-up as general cargo, classified from each SDS
- Temperature protection in summer and full-value insurance on premium goods
What Drives the Cost
- Dangerous-goods surcharges and carrier acceptance, by sea and by air
- FCL versus LCL — fewer consolidators accept DG in shared containers
- Air for launches and fast sellers versus sea for planned stock
- Temperature protection on summer and West Coast sailings
- Customs duty and the EU Section 301 top-up, confirmed per HTS line
- US compliance work before the first shipment: MoCRA listing, labels and any relabeling
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3303 | Perfumes and toilet waters | Low or free base duty, topped up to 10% in total under the EU Section 301 measure. Alcohol-based products are dangerous goods in transport (UN1266). |
| 3304 | Beauty, make-up and skincare preparations | Same tariff mechanism. Products with sunscreen or drug claims are regulated by FDA as over-the-counter drugs whatever their HS line. |
| 3305 / 3307 | Hair preparations; deodorants, bath and shaving preparations | Antiperspirants and anti-dandruff products are OTC drugs in the US — a different FDA regime from cosmetics. |
| 3401 | Soap and cleansing preparations | French cosmetics and soaps were on a 2020 Section 301 tariff list in the dispute over France's digital services tax; that US tariff action was suspended and then terminated. Current status confirmed at quoting. |
Regulations and Compliance
MoCRA facility registration and product listing
Under MoCRA, facilities that manufacture or process cosmetics for the US market — French factories included — must register with FDA, and foreign facilities must name a US agent. The responsible person on the label must list each cosmetic product with FDA, including its ingredients, and keep the listing current each year; registrations are renewed every two years. FDA has enforced these requirements since July 2024, so confirm them before the goods ship.
Responsible-person duties and US labels
The responsible person must hold safety substantiation for each product and report serious adverse events to FDA, and the label must carry a US contact for those reports. US cosmetic labels also need an English ingredient list in descending order, net quantity and the name and place of business, plus country of origin. California adds its own ingredient bans and Proposition 65 warnings where listed chemicals are present. Print US-compliant labels at origin; relabeling in a US warehouse is slow and error-prone.
Cosmetic or drug?
Sunscreens, antiperspirants, anti-dandruff shampoos and products making therapeutic claims are over-the-counter drugs in the US, needing drug establishment registration, drug listing and compliance with the OTC monograph — far more than a cosmetic. Color additives must be FDA-approved for their use, and several colors permitted in the EU are not approved in the US. Formulas are checked before the first shipment.
Dangerous-goods transport
Alcohol-based fragrance (UN1266, Class 3) must be packed, marked and declared under the IMDG Code by sea or the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations by air, by a trained shipper. Limited-quantity provisions ease the requirements for retail sizes but do not remove them. We arrange DG shipments through certified partners and confirm carrier acceptance at booking.
Tariffs
Since 24 July 2026, most EU goods pay their normal duty topped up to 10% in total under a Section 301 measure — goods whose normal duty is already 10% or more pay nothing extra. French cosmetics have been targeted before: they were on a 2020 Section 301 tariff list in the dispute over France's digital services tax — the US tariff action was suspended and then terminated — and the digital-tax dispute has resurfaced since 2025. The total is confirmed for each HTS line at quoting.
Door-to-Door Import Service
We start from your product list and safety data sheets: which items are dangerous goods, which are limited quantities, and which ship as general cargo — and whether each product is a cosmetic or an OTC drug in the US. Our partner agents in France collect, pack and declare the goods, and AGF books a carrier that accepts them, by sea from Le Havre or by air from Paris CDG.
On arrival, our licensed customs brokers file the entry with the FDA data the shipment needs, and we deliver to your distribution center, 3PL or a partner warehouse near the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, with temperature protection where the season calls for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is perfume a dangerous good for shipping?
Do French cosmetic brands need to register with the FDA?
Can I ship perfume from France to the US by air?
What import duty applies to French cosmetics?
Cosmetics & Perfume is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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