Whilst there’s a huge market for selling fragrances and cosmetics in the EU, getting those products to their destination with your current parcel carrier can often be a bit of a headache. Here’s the lowdown on the issues facing businesses shipping beauty products, cosmetics and fragrances direct to consumer into the EU and how ultimately you really can do it hassle free.
Thanks to the power of technology and online platforms, there has never been a better time to sell fragrances and cosmetics. According to the global McKinsey report on how Covid-19 changed the face of the beauty industry, beauty brands have seen an increase of 20-30% in online sales since the pandemic. Read any country’s e-commerce report and you’ll see that beauty products make up a significant number of sales.
From perfume to deodorants through to moisturisers and lipsticks, the variety of products sold across the beauty industry is enormous. However, getting those products from the UK into EU countries through customs and into the hands of your customer isn’t always easy.
I want to sell beauty products online to EU customers, why is it so difficult to deliver the goods?
Shipping fragrances and cosmetics direct to consumer with the large UK parcel carriers into the EU can present unique obstacles. Given the chemical ingredients that may be used, and in the case of fragrances, alcohol content, beauty and skincare products are heavily regulated. That applies to aerosols too.
Most EU countries have strict rules that govern the contents and packaging of beauty products, some more so than others, and these restrictions can be a little tricky to navigate.
What sort of challenges are beauty, fragrance and cosmetic businesses experiencing when shipping direct to consumer in the EU?
Restrictions vary in the EU from country to country, and they can any impose checks on specific products, ingredients or chemicals. Countries like Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ireland often reject shipments of cosmetics and fragrances from outside the EU.
All this means that some shipments will clear with no issues and others constantly returned. It's become unpredictable and difficult to manage, risking poor reviews and sales.
What is the solution for shipping beauty products, fragrances and cosmetics into the EU?
Take a look at our article about difficulties shipping direct to consumer into Ireland. It explains how the single EU entry point clearance process used by SAMOS works, in contrast to direct entry clearance processes adopted by other parcel carriers which causes endless problems.
The same SAMOS EU clearance process is used for all shipments, including fragrances and cosmetics, which is why only shipping with SAMOS is hassle-free.
It's our simplified system of delivering to the EU, using single point of entry for customs clearing, that significantly reduces the chances of goods being turned away and returned. See how this beauty product business didn't think they could continue to trade into Europe until they found SAMOS.
Selecting a trustworthy shipping partner
When shipping your products, you will want to ensure that your parcels arrive at their destination as smoothly as possible. SAMOS enables you to have complete visibility of your shipment at every stage and your customer will be able to track their parcel in real time too.
Added to this, our unparalleled customer service, means you get the answers you need, when you need them – and from a human too! Don't forget, your customers are never asked for fees and taxes before delivery with SAMOS, guaranteed - contact us and we'll explain how this works.
To take the hassle out of shipping fragrances or cosmetics to another country, get in touch with SAMOS today.
