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Trying to keep up with tariff news, especially as a consumer who isn't necessarily an expert in economic policy, can feel like dodging sporadic jump scares. Fluctuating percentages on different types of goods from various countries haven't just left average Americans befuddled; they have also left many of us acutely aware of how much more we're spending on the same products we could get for less just a year ago—and that includes beauty products.
As Allure has previously reported, Americans have been expected to pay anywhere from 10 to over 60% more on imported skin care, makeup, and other personal-care items. And while it's up to individual companies to decide whether or not they want to pass tariff-related costs on to the consumer, “Evidence suggests prices would likely go up by the amount of the tariff,” according to Philip Rothman, PhD, professor of economics at East Carolina University.
Consumers have very few options: Pay more for the products we love or try to find comparable but less expensive products. Many companies, however, are now exercising another option: suing the Trump administration over the tariffs and, to put it simply, demanding refunds.
Ever since the Supreme Court cast doubt on the legality of Trump's trade policy in November, Bloomberg reports, more than 1,000 corporate entities have filed lawsuits over the billions of dollars in import duties collected by the administration—levies paid by those entities (and often passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices).
That includes some very recognizable beauty brands. Among the cosmetic and personal-care companies taking the Trump administration to court over tariffs: Revlon, E.L.F. Beauty, Schick, Conair, and Bath & Body Works.
It's unclear how these lawsuits can and will unfold. Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules—which could happen as early as today or as late as June, according to Forbes—a number of outcomes are possible, from the lawsuits being kicked down to lower courts to the Trump administration potentially attempting to impose the tariffs through other legal channels.
What's even more unclear is what corporations will do if they do, in fact, recoup their tariff fees. But as long as tariffs are in place, it's likely that beauty consumers will continue to see that reflected in the prices of their favorite products.
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