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BorderMathCalculator
UK import route calculator

Import Duty on Cosmetics from South Korea to UK

Estimate landed cost and tariff treatment for cosmetics imported from South Korea to the UK.

UK landed cost calculator

Build the customs value, apply a tariff rate, estimate import VAT and see the total landed cost. You can search the UK Trade Tariff or enter a known 10-digit commodity code.

1. Find the tariff classification

Start with a product description or enter the code if you already know it.
Classification matters: choose the description that actually matches the goods.
Use the customs origin of the goods, not simply the seller, warehouse or dispatch country.

2. Enter the shipment values

Enter the intrinsic/customs goods value before any separately charged UK VAT. Goods with no sale price still require an appropriate customs value.
Examples: customs clearance, handling, storage and known onward transport costs that belong in the import VAT value.
Optional business costs incurred after the import VAT valuation point. These are added to landed cost but not used to calculate import VAT.
Enter a rate manually or check the official tariff above.
20% UK standard-rate planning default. Official commodity data can automatically replace it with a clear reduced or zero rate when applicable.
Enter the customs/tariff weight when the official rate is charged per kg, 100 kg or tonne. BorderMath will use it automatically.
Low-value / VAT handling
BorderMath will choose a planning default from the shipment value; change it if your transaction differs.
Tick only when the goods are actually excise-liable. If ticked, BorderMath will withhold final VAT because Excise Duty must be included in the VAT value.
Simplified planning model for Great Britain: customs value = goods + freight + insurance. Import VAT value adds customs duty and qualifying incidental expenses up to the relevant UK destination. For qualifying low-value sales, seller/marketplace VAT paid at checkout is kept separate from customs value and added only to the cash landed-cost total. Post-import costs are added after VAT. Low-value, excise, trade-remedy and Northern Ireland rules can differ.

Estimated landed cost

Live calculation as you change the inputs.
Total landed cost
£0.00
Estimated cost per unit: £0.00
Estimate status: waiting for shipment valuesEnter shipment values to begin.
Customs value£0.00
Customs duty£0.00
Import VAT£0.00
Import VAT incidental costs£0.00
Post-import costs£0.00
Do not use this estimate as a customs declaration. Preference eligibility, rules of origin, quotas, anti-dumping duties, excise, additional codes and certificates can change the amount due.

Describe the cosmetic by function and presentation

“Beauty products” covers very different tariff descriptions. Record whether the product is skin care, make-up, hair preparation, perfumery or another preparation, and whether the shipment is a finished retail product, bulk preparation or component. Use the manufacturer specification and invoice to create a factual description rather than relying on a brand range name.

QuestionRecord before searching
Primary useSkin care, make-up, hair, fragrance or other preparation.
FormCream, liquid, powder, aerosol, wipes or other presentation.
Finished product?Retail pack, bulk product or ingredient/component.
ClaimsNote if the product is presented as therapeutic/medicinal rather than simply cosmetic and verify the appropriate classification.

Do not use a cosmetic label to settle a classification boundary

A marketplace may call a product a cosmetic even when its composition or claimed function requires a different customs analysis. BorderMath does not make that legal classification for you. Where the description sits near a tariff boundary, open the official tariff hierarchy or seek a formal classification decision rather than selecting the cheapest-looking code.

South Korea origin and landed cost

Select South Korean origin only when that is the customs origin you can support. If an origin-specific preferential measure is shown, confirm the underlying origin rule and proof before claiming it. Then enter goods, freight, insurance and VAT-value incidental costs separately so the result shows where each amount enters the model.

Official sources and review

Reviewed 6 September 2026. Check the UK Trade Tariff and HMRC's commodity-code guidance. The calculator intentionally avoids publishing a universal cosmetics-from-Korea duty percentage.

Planning estimate only. Check the live official measure and supporting evidence before a customs declaration. See BorderMath methodology and limitations.