Cosmetics exports are driving growth: they will exceed €9.4 billion (+10%) in 2026. The US-EU tariff agreement is weighing heavily.

Italian-made cosmetics are increasingly popular abroad: according to forecasts from the trade association Cosmetica Italia, in 2026, cross-border sales of makeup, creams, perfumes, body and hair care products will exceed €9.4 billion, up 10% from this year, which is expected to close with an 8.5% increase from €7.9 billion in 2024—equal to approximately half of total revenue—which also increased by 12%. Exports play a key role in the growth of the cosmetics industry's overall turnover in Italy. Over the past twenty years, exports have doubled in share of total industry revenue, from 24.7% in 2004 to nearly 48% at the end of 2024, with a value almost quadrupling, from €2 billion to over €7.9 billion.

International markets reward the quality and reliability of Italian production, with excellent performances in the United States, the leading export market with a value of over €1.1 billion and growth of 19.3%, France (€797 million, +13%) and Germany (€757 million, +8.2%), which alone account for a third of the total value of Italian cosmetics industry exports. However, the United States is not the only non-European destination to experience double-digit growth: the top twenty also include the United Arab Emirates (+19.7%), Australia (+11.7%), and Mexico (+17.0%).

Foreign sales are holding up, therefore, although some critical issues emerged in the first half of 2025 due to the difficulty in sourcing and cost of raw materials, also contributed to by drought, the increase in energy and logistics costs, to which are added the protectionist measures and countermeasures of Trump's second presidency and the related impacts that lead to still uncertain scenarios: yet another challenge for the sector, dictated by an increasingly complex competitive context.

"The entire Italian cosmetics industry supply chain is strategic for economic growth and a fundamental component of the country's economic system," commented Benedetto Lavino, president of Cosmetica Italia. "In 2024, it generated a total value of €41.2 billion, marking a 6.5% growth over the previous year, and supported employment overall, creating approximately 440,000 jobs, equivalent to 1.6% of Italy's workforce. The cosmetics industry alone achieved a turnover of €16.5 billion (an average annual increase of 5.7% over the last ten years), and with a 12% growth in exports, cosmetics has positioned itself among the best-performing Made in Italy sectors in terms of export growth, second only to jewelry. Today, approximately half of total revenues come from foreign markets, with the United States as the leading destination, followed by France and Germany. The strength of cosmetics is expressed throughout the entire supply chain, which is one of the hallmarks of Made in Italy."

He adds: "The announcement of a trade agreement between the European Union and the United States with 15% tariffs concerns us, as exports are a key driver of growth in this sector. A contraction of at least €100 million in our primary foreign market needs to be offset with concrete incentive measures to support not only exports to the United States, but also new commercial outlets in other high-potential areas and countries, such as the Middle East, Mercosur, and India. This agreement also worsens the situation in a sector whose extreme regulatory complexity, combined with rising energy costs, already risks hindering innovation, competitiveness, and corporate investment."