Category guide

HS codes for cosmetics and skincare: a Shopify seller's guide

Beauty products classify by function, not ingredient. The HS doesn't care whether your serum is built on hyaluronic acid or rosehip oil — it asks what the product is for: skin, hair, mouth, or the room it's used in. That single idea sorts almost an entire beauty catalog into five headings of Chapter 33, with one big exception hiding in Chapter 34. If you're new to HS codes generally, start with the fundamentals guide — this one goes straight to the category.

The map: five headings by function

Function	Heading	Common subheadings
Fragrance	`3303`	Perfumes and toilet waters — one heading covers them
Makeup & skincare	`3304`	`3304.10` lip · `3304.20` eye · `3304.30` nails · `3304.91` powders · `3304.99` creams, serums, everything else
Hair	`3305`	`3305.10` shampoo · `3305.30` hairspray · `3305.90` conditioner, oils, masks, color
Oral care	`3306`	`3306.10` toothpaste · `3306.20` floss · `3306.90` mouthwash
Shaving, deodorant, bath & room	`3307`	`3307.10` shaving · `3307.20` deodorant · `3307.30` bath salts & bubble bath · `3307.49` room fragrance · `3307.90` other

The workhorse for a skincare brand is 3304.99: moisturizers, serums, face masks (including sheet masks), toners, eye creams marketed as skincare, body lotion, and sunscreen all typically land there. A makeup brand spreads across the 3304 subheadings by where the product is applied — lip, eye, nail, powder, other.

The exception: soap is Chapter 34

Soap has its own heading, 3401, outside the cosmetics chapter entirely. Bar soap for personal use is 3401.11; liquid hand soap and shower gel — technically "organic surface-active products for washing the skin" — typically classify under 3401.30. A bath-and-body store often needs both chapters: the body butter is 3304.99, the bar soap next to it is 3401.11, and the bath bomb is 3307.30. Three products, three headings, one shelf.

A worked example: the face serum

It's a preparation for care of the skin → heading 3304. It isn't lip, eye, nail, or powder makeup → 3304.99. That's the international code — enter 330499 in Shopify. The US extends it to ten digits at hts.usitc.gov, but a correct 6-digit code travels everywhere.

Products that sit near the line

Essential oils sold as ingredients are 3301; blended into a finished skincare or massage product, the product classifies by function under 33.04/33.07. Beard oil has real rulings on both sides of the hair/other line (3305 vs 3307) — a genuine look-it-up case. Supplements marketed for skin ("beauty gummies") aren't cosmetics at all — ingestibles head to Chapter 21 territory with their own careful rules. And tools aren't Chapter 33: makeup brushes are 9603.30, powder puffs 9616.20, cosmetic bags 4202. Candles from your self-care line have their own guide — HS codes for candles.

Classification isn't regulation — and this isn't advice The HS code handles duties. Cosmetics separately face destination-market regulatory rules — ingredient restrictions, labeling, sometimes registration — that no HS code satisfies. Both matter for smooth delivery; this guide is practical background on the first, and a licensed customs broker is the right call for ambiguous products.

Applying codes across a Shopify catalog

Beauty catalogs compress well: one skincare line might be thirty SKUs and exactly one code (3304.99), a makeup line five codes by application area, a bath line two or three. Shade and size variants share their product's classification. The friction is that Shopify keeps the HS code on each variant's inventory item, and gives you no way to list the ones still empty — so a 200-variant catalog means 200 hidden fields to check by hand. Origova scans the store, shows every variant missing a code or carrying one outside the valid 6–10 digit format, and applies your chosen code to a whole product group in one reversible batch.

Frequently asked questions

What is the HS code for moisturizer, serum, or face cream?

3304.99 — beauty and skin-care preparations, other. This is the workhorse subheading for a skincare store: creams, lotions, serums, masks, and sunscreen all typically classify here.

What is the HS code for shampoo and conditioner?

Shampoo is 3305.10. Conditioner, hair oils, masks, and most other hair preparations fall under 3305.90; hairspray is 3305.30.

What HS code does soap use?

Soap is not in the cosmetics chapter at all — it's heading 3401 in Chapter 34. Bar soap for personal use is 3401.11, and liquid hand soap or body wash is typically 3401.30.

What is the HS code for lipstick and other makeup?

Makeup classifies under 3304 by where it's used: lip products 3304.10, eye products 3304.20, nail products 3304.30, powders 3304.91, and everything else — including liquid foundation — 3304.99.

Does an HS code cover cosmetic ingredient or labeling rules?

No. The HS code classifies the product for duties. Cosmetics also face destination-country regulatory rules — ingredient restrictions, labeling, registration — which are separate from classification and worth checking for the markets you ship to.