Can I bring Cosmetics to France?

⚠️Cosmetics are goods subject to restrictions under Article 38 of the French Customs Code and, whatever their value, must comply with EU Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, including its labelling and composition rules; the value allowance and temporary admission described below do not exempt cosmetics from these requirements or from any formalities that apply to restricted goods. Subject to this, no declaration is needed for cosmetics bought abroad or received as gifts that are in your personal luggage on arrival in mainland France from a non-EU country or from a territory outside the EU customs territory or outside EU VAT or excise rules, or both (for the Directive's VAT and excise exemptions, Monaco is not treated as a non-EU country, and San Marino is not treated as one for excise duty only; neither point in itself exempts goods from customs duties or formalities), if the import meets each of the non-commercial conditions for the exemption: it takes place occasionally; the goods are exclusively for your own or your family's personal use, or are intended as gifts; and their nature or quantity does not indicate that they are imported for commercial reasons; and the total value of the goods in your personal luggage stays within your allowance: aged 15+, €430 as an air or sea passenger, or €300 by car, train or other means, including private pleasure flying or private pleasure sailing; €150 under 15 by any means. Personal luggage means all the luggage you can present to customs on arrival, plus luggage you present later to the same customs authorities if you can prove it was registered as accompanied luggage, when you departed, with the company that carried you; the allowance applies only to goods in your personal luggage. Private pleasure flying or sailing means the use of an aircraft or sea-going vessel by its owner, or by a person who has its use through hire or otherwise, for non-commercial purposes, in particular not for carrying passengers or goods for consideration, not for supplying services for consideration and not for the purposes of public authorities; an owned or hired aircraft or vessel counts as private pleasure only when used in this way. The value of an individual item cannot be split up. Personal luggage imported temporarily or re-imported after temporary export, medicines required for your personal needs, and goods with their own quantitative allowances (tobacco, alcohol, fuel) are not counted towards the value allowance. If your journey involves transit through a non-EU country, or begins in a territory where EU VAT or excise rules, or both, do not apply, the Directive's VAT and excise exemption and taxation rules do not apply to goods you can show were acquired (by purchase or otherwise) subject to the general conditions governing taxation on the domestic market of an EU Member State and do not qualify for any VAT or excise refund (merely not having claimed or received a refund is not enough); this exception concerns only VAT and excise duty and does not in itself exempt the goods from customs duties, declaration or other formalities. Overflying without landing does not count as transit. If any of these exemption conditions is not met, the value allowance does not apply, but failing a condition (for example, because the import is not occasional) does not by itself make the goods commercial; whether goods are of a commercial nature depends on their purpose, nature and quantity. If your goods do not qualify for relief, confirm the applicable declaration procedure with French Customs. Goods of a commercial nature must be declared: an oral declaration at the customs office is possible only for commercial goods contained in travellers' personal baggage that exceed neither €1,000 in value nor 1,000 kg net mass; above €1,000 a formal customs declaration is required (on paper only if you are carrying your own goods, or electronically via DELTA G). Above the allowance, declare the goods and pay VAT and any customs duties due; an item worth more than the allowance is taxed on its full value, and several travellers cannot combine allowances for one item. Arriving from the UK with non-commercial purchases or gifts in your personal luggage, products of UK origin are exempt from customs duties under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, but not from VAT: if the value of the products in your personal luggage is above the applicable allowance and up to and including €1,200, a simple verbal declaration is sufficient; above €1,200 you must prove UK origin with a statement of origin made out by the exporter (producer or trader) under Article ORIG.19 of the agreement, or any document proving UK origin (Article ORIG.24), otherwise customs duties apply at the applicable rate. This simple verbal declaration does not cover commercial goods, which follow the commercial-goods procedure (oral declaration only for commercial goods in personal baggage not exceeding €1,000 in value and 1,000 kg net mass; formal customs declaration above €1,000), and these UK arrangements do not exempt cosmetics from the product requirements above or from any applicable formalities. Frontier-zone residents, frontier-zone workers and crew of a means of transport used to travel from a non-EU country or from a territory outside EU VAT or excise rules have reduced allowances (€75; €40 under 15); confirm with French Customs whether you fall within these categories. The reduction does not apply if you show evidence that you are travelling beyond the French frontier zone or are not returning from the frontier zone of the neighbouring non-EU country, but it still applies when frontier-zone workers or crew import goods while travelling in the course of their work. From a French overseas department, the Channel Islands or the Canary Islands, no customs duty is due but VAT applies above these thresholds; Andorra has its own regime. Personal effects of travellers residing outside the EU customs territory that are reasonably necessary for the trip, stay temporarily and are not modified may be placed under temporary admission through the “nothing to declare” channel; this relief from import duties does not exempt cosmetics from the product requirements above or from any applicable formalities. EU residents may be asked to prove that items were bought tax-paid in the EU or, for items bought in a non-EU country, that the duties and taxes due in the EU have already been paid in the EU.