Chinese Beauty Exports to US Rise 12.4% in 2026 Despite Trade Tensions
Synopsis
Chinese beauty exports to US markets rose 12.4% in the first half of 2026, with hair products reaching $1.3 billion as nail exports also increased.
Chinese beauty exports to US markets are growing despite continuing trade tensions between the two countries, fueled by demand for wigs, hair extensions and press-on nails from American buyers.
China's exports of hair products to the United States have jumped 12.4% year-on-year (YoY) to $1.3 billion in the first half of 2026, according to the customs data.
That compares with $2.3 billion for the whole of 2025, making first-half shipments more than half of last year's total. The category is one of the fastest-growing export sectors in China, Reuters reported.
US demand supports hair product shipments
Chinese beautiful exports to customers in the United States encompass wigs, extensions and other hair accessories. Exporters from one of China's hair-producing centres, Xuchang, said they have been witnessing an increase in sales from the U.S. market.
Joe Wu, an exporter from Xuchang, is hoping to see sales jump 40% this year, via TikTok and Instagram to US buyers. One seller, whose surname is Tian said that his US sales rose 10 percent to 15 percent year-on-year.
Social-commerce sales are also driving Chinese beauty exports to consumers in the United States. TikTok's top 20 fashion accessory sales by revenue in the US in August were dominated by hair products, with 17 of the list's top 20 spots allocated to those items, according to the Fast Moss data.
The top-selling product was a glueless, pre-bleached straight-hair wig, according to the data.
Nails add another export channel
Press-on nails are another type of Chinese beauty item exported to U.S. markets, but they don't feature in customs statistics as items of artificial nails since those are considered plastic products.
The majority of the profits from Zhang Da's press-on nail factory in Donghai, which has 200 workers, comes from exports: 70% in 2026 compared with 20% in late 2025. Much of that exportation had been to the United States.
Manufacturing focus is still in China. According to state media, some 300,000 out of Xuchang's population of 4.4 million labor in the hair industry and Donghai, which has a population of nearly 1 million, has nearly 25,000 businesses selling press-on nails.
Chinese exporters also have to compete with producers from Southeast asia. Although Xuchang manufacturers have large production capacity and are connected with the supply chain, some of the hair is still produced at home, and certain portions of wig production are outsourced to North Korea, said Wu.
The overall trade environment is important. The U.S. Trade Representative reported that U.S. goods imports from China in 2025 fell 29.9% from 2024, to $308.7 billion.
Source: Reuters
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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