Such tariff policy will pressure gross margins and price points of many USA beauty companies who rely on China for raw materials and components, or import finished products from China directly .
Other than price increases alone, some beauty companies might consider buying products at a lower cost from other countries, For example,made a shift from China to Vietnam or India.
But for makeup brush industry, it is too hard to shift from China in the short term.
Firstly, makeup brush production process is totally handmade and too complex
Whether a makeup brush is good or not, maybe 30% is in the material, and the remaining 70% actually depends on the craftsmanship of the makeup brush factories.
Although makeup brush is mainly composed of bristles, ferrule and handle, its production process is full of mysteries, and there are many barriers that laymen cannot cross. From bristles selecting, shaping, fine shaving, to gluing and assembling, each makeup brush requires exquisite and meticulous craftsmanship.
In the years of development of the makeup brush industry, many makeup brush manufacturers have tried to make machines to produce makeup brushes, but they eventually found that machines cannot reach the high quality of manual work. "
Producing a makeup brush requires more than 30 processes, including reforming, weighing, combing, trimming, pressing, and injecting glue etc. The youngest worker in a professional makeup brush factory who can complete the whole process has to work for at least ten years.
Take the "reform" process,one of the raw material processing steps, as an example. In order to prevent the bristles of makeup brushes from pricking the face, a sieve is needed to arrange the tips of each bundle of bristles in the same direction and remove the roots of the bristles. In addition, the brushes must be manually inspected again to remove broken bristles and inverted roots.
Secondly, the Chinese makeup brush manufacturers still have obvious advantages to keep their competition even under new tariff policy：
High cost performance: The biggest advantage of Chinese makeup brushes is their high cost performance. With the advancement of technology, the manufacturing process of Chinese makeup brushes has reached the international advanced level. The materials used are not only safe and environmentally friendly, but also can improve the use effect of the makeup brushes. Worldwide beauty brands can usually OEM makeup brushes with higher quality at a lower price. Even with additional tariff, the Chinese makeup brushes still have obvious price advantages.
Large industry scale: China's makeup brush industry has formed several important production bases, such as Luyi in Henan, Qing in Hebei, Dongguan in Guangdong and Yiwu in Zhejiang . The biggest production base in China is Luyi who has more than 160 makeup brush manufacturers and more than 1,000 supporting industries, with an annual output of 30,000 tons of synthetic fiber and more than 150 million sets of makeup brushes. More than 80% of the raw materials for makeup brushes also come from Luyi. The annual sales of Luyi makeup brush industry chain exceeded 13 billion yuan, and its products were exported to more than 40 countries and regions. Besides Dongguan Plant, Kingyin also has a plant in Luyi with 20000㎡area, over 200 employees. Our Annual Production Capacity can reach 60 million pcs
Technological innovation and market -orient: Chinese makeup brushes have performed well in terms of technological innovation and meeting market demand. As consumers' requirements for the makeup brush quality continue to increase, Chinese makeup brush manufacturers have improved the use effect and user experience by continuously improving materials and processes. Many worldwide consumers have reported that the bristles of Chinese makeup brushes are soft and have strong powder-holding, which can make the makeup look more natural and lasting.
Complete industrial chain: China's cosmetic brush industry has formed a complete industrial chain, from raw material supply to finished product production, with complete supporting links. For example, the cosmetic brush industrial park in Luyi County has formed a complete industrial chain of brush hair/bristles, ferrules, wooden handle, plastic handle, etc.
Therefore, even Trump’s tariffs Policy comes real, it will not affect the Chinese makeup brush exports too much. As a professional makeup brush manufacturers and exporters, we should be sensitive to international situation, but more important, to increase our own competition and influences, in case of hitting by any slight sign of trouble.
