Herbal Cosmetics HS Code: Why Botanical Ingredients Do Not Decide It

A jar labeled herbal does not carry its own heading. The Harmonized System classifies a finished cosmetic by what it is for and how it is presented, not by the plant on the pack. A neem face cream, an aloe body lotion and a turmeric lip balm can therefore sit on different lines even within one supplier range. This guide covers finished skin, lip, eye and nail preparations for cosmetic care only; bulk extracts, essential oils and soap bars follow different headings.

Quick answer: indicative HS heading (verify before filing)

Most finished herbal skin-care preparations fall in the territory of heading 3304, which covers beauty or make-up preparations and preparations for the care of the skin, other than medicaments, including sunscreen or suntan preparations, and manicure or pedicure preparations.¹ Treat every line here as indicative and confirm the full national code before filing.

A herbal preparation sold to treat a condition is tested against the medicament headings instead.

How HS codes are structured (2-4-6 digits)

The Harmonized System is a multipurpose international product nomenclature developed by the World Customs Organization, comprising more than 5,000 commodity groups, each identified by a six-digit code, and used by more than 200 countries and economies as a basis for their customs tariffs.² The first two digits give the chapter, the next two complete the heading, and the final two give the subheading. Countries add their own digits for national tariffs and statistics.³

For a herbal face cream, the build is chapter 33, heading 3304, subheading 3304.99, then a national extension of 8 to 10 digits. See the 6-digit HS code guide and HS code full form explainer.

Only the first six digits are harmonised. Beyond six digits, each country adds its own lines, so a code complete in one country is not automatically complete in another.⁴

Factors that decide the code for herbal cosmetics

Function and site of use come first. Heading 3304 splits by use and site: lip make-up at 3304.10, eye make-up at 3304.20, manicure or pedicure preparations at 3304.30, powders at 3304.91, and other skin-care preparations at 3304.99.¹ A herbal eye cream and a herbal face cream from the same range therefore take different subheadings. Record function and site of use per stock keeping unit, not per range.

The claims boundary decides 3304 against the medicament headings. Heading 3304 covers skin-care preparations other than medicaments.¹ A medicament, in heading 3004, is a product for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, put up in measured doses or in forms or packings for retail sale.⁵ Apply that test to the words on the pack and listing, not the ingredient list. A herbal cream described as a moisturizer for appearance is tested in heading 3304; the same cream described with a dose and directions for treatment is tested in heading 3004. An Ayurvedic preparation is not automatically either one.

A botanical ingredient does not decide the heading. Botanical ingredients appear in cosmetics, bulk extracts, essential oils and soaps, and the heading follows the finished preparation. Chapter 33 note 1 states that the chapter does not cover natural oleoresins or vegetable extracts of heading 1301 or 1302, soap or other products of heading 3401, or gum, wood or sulphate turpentine or other products of heading 3805.¹ A bulk herbal extract for further manufacture is therefore not a finished cosmetic in heading 3304, and a herbal soap bar is tested in heading 3401. See the HS code for soaps for the soap side of that boundary.

Retail packing is part of the heading test. Headings 3303 to 3307 apply to products, whether or not mixed, other than aqueous distillates and aqueous solutions of essential oils, that are suitable for use as goods of those headings and put up in packings of a kind sold by retail for such use.¹ A finished herbal cream in a retail jar or tube fits that test; a bulk, unfinished preparation shipped for filling or further processing needs its own test, and must not be filed on the retail line by default.

Neighbouring headings to check before settling on 3304.

National codes: US HTS, EU CN/TARIC, UK commodity code

United States: HTS, ten digits. The US schedule carries heading 3304 with the same subheading split, plus statistical suffixes below the six-digit level.¹ Read the full ten-digit line for each preparation in the current schedule, and do not carry a suffix from one preparation to another.

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature integrates the HS and adds EU subdivisions, producing eight-digit codes.³ Read the confirmed eight-digit line for the entry date, then check TARIC for the measures on that line. An EU code and a US code share only the first six digits, so the EU line must be read in the EU tariff, not copied from a US entry.

United Kingdom: commodity code, ten digits. The UK builds its commodity code on the same first six digits, with its own extension after them.³ The UK tariff page for the other line gives the full ten-digit code 3304 9900 00.⁶ Take the full code from the UK Trade Tariff for the preparation and entry date, and check the measures on that page: the UK page for this line lists a CITES import control.⁶

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description per preparation: function and site of use, form, composition, exact claim wording, retail packing, and any dose or direction for use.

2. Start from the official tariff for the destination, the USITC HTS, TARIC or the UK Trade Tariff, and read the heading text and chapter 33 notes 1 and 3.¹

3. Check published rulings for similar preparations. For the United States, the USITC advises traders to use the Customs Rulings Online Search Service (CROSS).⁷

4. For a borderline preparation, apply for a binding decision before shipping. In the EU, a Binding Tariff Information (BTI) application needs a separate application per product type and a detailed description.⁸ In the United Kingdom, a legally binding decision is generally valid for 3 years, through an Advance Tariff Ruling.⁹ In the United States, if the merchandise is not described in any ruling on CROSS, you may request a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁷

5. Give your broker the description and confirmed code per preparation, and use the same codes throughout the entry and invoice.

Common classification mistakes

Filing every herbal product in heading 3304. Bulk extracts sit in heading 1302, essential oils in heading 3301, and soap bars in heading 3401, and chapter 33 note 1 excludes the extract and soap cases from chapter 33.¹

Filing a herbal soap bar as a cosmetic. A soap bar is tested in heading 3401 even when scented with herbs and sold beside cosmetics.

Filing a treatment preparation as a cosmetic. Heading 3304 covers preparations other than medicaments.¹ A preparation presented for therapeutic or prophylactic use, in measured doses or retail packings, is tested in heading 3004.⁵

Copying a code from another country. The HS classification is uniform only through the first six digits, and a country may break the six-digit classification down further.⁴ An eight-digit EU line and a ten-digit US line for the same cream differ after the sixth digit.

Copying the supplier's code without reading the heading. A supplier's code may describe a different form, site of use or earlier claim version. Read the heading text and chapter notes for the preparation as shipped, every time.

Filing a whole range on one code. Lip, eye, powder and skin-care preparations sit on different subheadings inside heading 3304.¹ A range needs a code per preparation.

Treating Ayurvedic or herbal as a heading. No heading is defined by tradition of use or botanical origin. The heading follows function, site of use, form, presentation and claim.

Related duties and documents

This guide states no duty rates: the code decides which duty line customs applies. Read the rate beside the confirmed code for the origin and entry date.

Keep the classification file with the shipment: description, claim wording, composition, packing evidence, confirmed code per preparation, any binding decision, and origin evidence. If a botanical ingredient is subject to a control, check it before the goods ship. Classification is separate from product regulation: a correct heading does not settle whether the preparation may be sold as a cosmetic in the destination market.

FAQs

What is the HS code for herbal cosmetics?

There is no single code for herbal cosmetics as a group. Finished herbal skin-care preparations are tested in heading 3304, with lip make-up at 3304.10, eye make-up at 3304.20, manicure or pedicure preparations at 3304.30, powders at 3304.91 and other preparations at 3304.99.¹ Confirm the full national code per preparation before filing, and test treatment preparations in heading 3004 instead.⁵

Is the HS code the same in every country?

Only the first six digits are the same: the HS classification is uniform for all countries only through the first six digits, and any country may break it down further.⁴ The EU extends the code to eight digits in the Combined Nomenclature,³ and the United States and United Kingdom use ten-digit codes, so read the national line for the destination.

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe each preparation precisely, read the heading text and chapter notes in the destination tariff, and check published rulings, such as CROSS for the United States.⁷ For a borderline preparation, apply for a binding decision before shipping: a BTI in the EU,⁸ an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom,⁹ or a CBP binding ruling in the United States.⁷

What happens if I use the wrong code?

Duty, licensing and control treatment are worked out from the code on the declaration, so a wrong code brings the wrong treatment. Taking a binding decision in advance helps you calculate the duties and restrictions that will apply.⁹

Next steps on Exportain

Browse Bangladeshi suppliers on Exportain, where supplier profiles carry document and photo review badges, and post a free RFQ at Exportain RFQs with the confirmed code stated per preparation. The harmonized system tariff code explainer is the background read. Exportain is not a party to the goods contract and does not inspect goods, book freight or clear customs, so keep your broker and binding decision at the centre of the entry.