Russia imposes 35% duty on imported perfume, cosmetics from some "unfriendly" countries

MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) - Russia has imposed an import duty of 35% until the end of 2023 on certain perfume, cosmetics and household cleaning products from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Poland.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin approved the relevant resolution (No. 2240) on December 7.

A similar import duty will be applied to civilian weapons and ammunition from "unfriendly" countries.

The list of goods subject to the duty includes products for which there are domestic equivalents: shampoo, other haircare products, toothpaste, shaving products, deodorants and antiperspirants, air fresheners, aroma and odor control products, and washing and cleaning products, the Industry and Trade Ministry said in a statement.

"There are no plans at this point to impose a complete ban on imports of perfume and cosmetic products from unfriendly countries or raise duties on goods for which the assortment of domestic brands does not fully meet consumer needs (perfumes, decorative cosmetics)," the ministry said.

"About 60% of total imports of these products are shipped to Russia from European Union countries, while the volume of shipments from the six countries for whose products it was decided to impose a higher duty does not exceed 8-15% and encompasses a narrow niche segment of brands, primarily in the premium price category," the ministry said.

The capacity of Russian companies can cover imports from the proposed list of "unfriendly" countries by six times for shampoo, three times for other haircare products, eight times for toothpaste, six times for deodorants and antiperspirants, 20 times for air fresheners and 62 times for cleaning products.