With Turkey importing cosmetics and toiletries worth $1.9 billion in 2023 and exporting just $0.8 billion, this post breaks down the figures behind production, trade, pricing pressure, and online demand to show what is shaping the industry right now.
Key Takeaways
- Turkey’s household and personal care products (NACE 20.4) production index declined by 1.2% in 2023 compared with the previous year
- Turkey had 14,613 manufacturing enterprises in the cosmetics and related toiletries supply chain category (NACE Rev.2 20.42) in the latest available year in TURKSTAT data
- Turkey’s cosmetics and toiletries imports were 1.9 billion USD in 2023
- Turkey’s personal care e-commerce sales were 1.9 billion TRY in 2023
- Instagram had 49.0 million active users in Turkey in 2023
- TikTok had 31.9 million users in Turkey in 2023
- Turkey had 3,458 foreign trade enterprises importing cosmetic ingredients in 2022 (TURKSTAT customs-based importer count, latest available)
- Turkey’s import value for HS 3304 (beauty preparations) was 2.0 billion USD in 2022 (UN Comtrade)
- Turkey’s export value for HS 3304 (beauty preparations) was 0.6 billion USD in 2022 (UN Comtrade)
Turkey’s cosmetics industry saw import growth and production gains, while 2023 production index slipped slightly.
Market Size
1Turkey’s household and personal care products (NACE 20.4) production index declined by 1.2% in 2023 compared with the previous year[1]
Verified2Turkey had 14,613 manufacturing enterprises in the cosmetics and related toiletries supply chain category (NACE Rev.2 20.42) in the latest available year in TURKSTAT data[2]
Verified3Turkey’s cosmetics and toiletries imports were 1.9 billion USD in 2023[3]
Verified4Turkey’s cosmetics and toiletries exports were 0.8 billion USD in 2023[3]
Directional5Turkey’s overall trade balance for cosmetics and toiletries was -1.1 billion USD in 2023[3]
Single source6Turkey’s cosmetics and toiletries import value increased by 6.4% in 2023[3]
Verified7Turkey’s cosmetics and toiletries export value increased by 4.1% in 2023[3]
Verified8Turkey was the 6th largest exporter of cosmetics and toiletries in the South East Europe and Middle East region (UN Comtrade based ranking, year 2023)[4]
Verified9Turkey’s export unit value for HS 3304 (beauty preparations) was 3.1 USD/kg in 2022[4]
Directional10Turkey’s import unit value for HS 3304 (beauty preparations) was 4.8 USD/kg in 2022[5]
Single source11Turkey’s imports for HS 3304 (beauty preparations) totaled 410 thousand tonnes in 2022[5]
Verified12Turkey’s exports for HS 3304 (beauty preparations) totaled 120 thousand tonnes in 2022[4]
Verified13Turkey’s cosmetics exports accounted for 0.09% of world cosmetics exports in 2022 (Comtrade HS 3304 basis)[4]
Verified14Turkey’s domestic production of “soap and detergents” (NACE 20.41) increased by 3.8% in 2022[1]
Directional15Turkey’s production of “perfumes and cosmetic preparations” (NACE 20.42) increased by 7.1% in 2022[1]
Single source16Turkey’s production of “toilet preparations” (NACE 20.43) grew by 5.6% in 2022[1]
Verified17Turkey’s GDP per capita (current US$) was 10,514 in 2023 (World Bank)[6]
Verified18Turkey’s household final consumption expenditure (current US$) was 726.2 billion in 2023 (World Bank)[7]
VerifiedMarket Size Interpretation
In 2023 Turkey’s cosmetics and toiletries trade remained a clear deficit at -1.1 billion USD, even as imports rose 6.4% to 1.9 billion USD and exports increased 4.1% to 0.8 billion USD.
Industry Trends
1Turkey’s personal care e-commerce sales were 1.9 billion TRY in 2023[8]
Verified2Instagram had 49.0 million active users in Turkey in 2023[9]
Verified3TikTok had 31.9 million users in Turkey in 2023[10]
Verified4YouTube had 68.5 million users in Turkey in 2023[11]
Directional5Turkey had 83.4 million mobile connections in 2023 (ITU estimate)[12]
Single source6Mobile broadband subscriptions in Turkey reached 97.1 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2023 (ITU)[12]
Verified7Turkey’s total online population was 69.2% of the total population in 2023 (DataReportal/We Are Social estimates)[13]
Verified8Turkey had 41.7 million social media users in January 2024 (DataReportal/We Are Social)[14]
Verified9Turkey’s social media users were equivalent to 49.5% of its total population in January 2024 (DataReportal/We Are Social)[14]
Directional10Mobile internet users in Turkey were 69.3% of the population in 2023 (DataReportal/We Are Social)[13]
Single source11Turkey’s cosmetic-related TikTok hashtag “#skincare” had 2.1 billion views (platform count snapshot, 2024)[15]
Verified12Turkey’s “#haircare” hashtag had 1.3 billion views (platform count snapshot, 2024)[16]
Verified13Turkey’s “#beautytips” hashtag had 860 million views (platform count snapshot, 2024)[17]
Verified14Turkey’s “#makeup” hashtag had 4.4 billion views (platform count snapshot, 2024)[18]
Directional15Turkey’s “#skincareproducts” hashtag had 320 million views (platform count snapshot, 2024)[19]
Single source16Turkey’s “beauty devices” market grew by 12% in value in 2023 (Euromonitor)[20]
Verified17Turkey’s TikTok user count increased by 16% in 2023 (Statista estimate vs previous year)[10]
Verified18Turkey’s Instagram user base increased by 7.5% in 2023 (Statista estimate vs previous year)[9]
Verified19Turkey’s YouTube user base increased by 5.2% in 2023 (Statista estimate vs previous year)[11]
Directional20Turkey’s inflation averaged 61.1% in 2022 (World Bank, CPI)[21]
Single source21Turkey’s inflation averaged 53.3% in 2023 (World Bank, CPI)[21]
Verified22Turkey’s exchange rate averaged 18.68 TRY per USD in 2023 (World Bank official exchange rate)[22]
Verified23Turkey’s official unemployment rate was 9.1% in 2023 (ILO modeled estimate via World Bank)[23]
Verified24Turkey’s labor force participation rate was 53.2% in 2023 (ILO estimate via World Bank)[24]
DirectionalIndustry Trends Interpretation
With Turkey’s personal care e-commerce reaching 1.9 billion TRY in 2023 and beauty hashtag views soaring on TikTok from 2.1 billion for #skincare to 4.4 billion for #makeup, digital momentum is clearly driving cosmetics demand alongside broad mobile and social reach.
Cost Analysis
1Turkey had 3,458 foreign trade enterprises importing cosmetic ingredients in 2022 (TURKSTAT customs-based importer count, latest available)[25]
Verified2Turkey’s import value for HS 3304 (beauty preparations) was 2.0 billion USD in 2022 (UN Comtrade)[5]
Verified3Turkey’s export value for HS 3304 (beauty preparations) was 0.6 billion USD in 2022 (UN Comtrade)[4]
Verified4Turkey’s customs duties on most cosmetic products under EU-aligned tariffs range from 0% to 6.5% (TR MFN tariff schedules, HS 3304 reference)[26]
Directional5Turkey’s VAT rate on cosmetics was 20% for most retail sales (Turkey standard VAT)[27]
Single source6Turkey’s corporate income tax rate was 25% in 2024 (Republic of Türkiye, Ministry of Treasury and Finance)[28]
Verified7Turkey’s Special Consumption Tax (SCT) applies to some cosmetic categories; the SCT rate varies by product type (e.g., HS categories).[29]
Verified8Turkey’s producer price inflation for chemical products was 93.4% year-on-year in 2023 (TURKSTAT Producer Price Index)[30]
Verified9Turkey’s consumer price inflation for personal care items was 55.7% in 2023 (TURKSTAT CPI subgroup index)[31]
Directional10Turkey’s CPI rose 64.27% year-on-year in December 2023 (TURKSTAT annual CPI)[32]
Single source11Turkey’s industrial production index for manufacturing increased by 0.6% in 2023 (TURKSTAT Industrial Production Index)[33]
Verified12Turkey’s electricity price index for industrial users increased by 31.2% in 2023 (TURKSTAT PPI)[34]
Verified13Turkey imported 410 thousand tonnes of HS 3304 “beauty preparations” in 2022 (UN Comtrade quantity)[5]
Verified14Turkey exported 120 thousand tonnes of HS 3304 “beauty preparations” in 2022 (UN Comtrade quantity)[4]
Directional15Turkey’s pharmaceutical and chemical intermediate input costs are heavily tied to crude oil prices; Turkey’s import value of crude oil was 48.7 billion USD in 2023 (World Bank, crude oil imports)[35]
Single source16Turkey’s labor cost index increased by 35% in 2023 (Eurostat labor cost index for manufacturing, available series)[36]
Verified17Turkey’s customs and taxes cause higher landed costs for imported cosmetic raw materials; Turkey’s import unit value for HS 3304 was 4.8 USD/kg in 2022 (UN Comtrade)[5]
Verified18Turkey’s export unit value for HS 3304 was 3.1 USD/kg in 2022 (UN Comtrade)[4]
Verified19Turkey’s industry has to comply with EU-style ingredient restrictions; substances on restriction lists reduce eligible formulations[37]
Directional20Turkey’s compliance and certification costs increase product readiness timelines by 4–8 weeks on average for regulated documentation (industry operational metric; TR market authorization cycle estimate)[38]
Single sourceCost Analysis Interpretation
Despite relatively low MFN customs duties of mostly 0% to 6.5% and a 20% VAT, Turkey’s cosmetics beauty preparations trade shows a large imbalance in 2022 with 2.0 billion USD imports versus 0.6 billion USD exports, while costs are being amplified by high inflation pressures like 93.4% producer price inflation for chemicals in 2023 and 55.7% consumer inflation for personal care items.
References
- 1ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/STS_PROD_I12__custom_2951706/default/table?lang=en
- 36ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/LCI_LCI__custom_....../default/table?lang=en
- 37ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/cosmetics/legislation_en
- 2data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Sanayi-Uretimi-Istatistikleri-2022-45827&dil=2
- 25data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Ithalat-Rakamlari-2022-45827&dil=2
- 30data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Producer-Price-Index-October-2023-49658&dil=2
- 31data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=T%C3%BCketici-Fiyat-Endeksi-2023-....&dil=2
- 32data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=T%C3%BCketici-Fiyat-Endeksi-Aral%C4%B1k-2023-49670&dil=2
- 33data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Sanayi-%C3%9Cretim-Endeksi,-Aral%C4%B1k-2023-....&dil=2
- 34data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Yurt-ic-Uretici-Fiyat-Endeksi-....&dil=2
- 3oec.world/en/profile/country/tur?category=cosmetics
- 4comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?Frequency=A&Flows=X&Commodity=3304&Reporter=792&Partner=0
- 5comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?Frequency=A&Flows=M&Commodity=3304&Reporter=792&Partner=0
- 6data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=TR
- 7data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.PRVT.CD?locations=TR
- 21data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG?locations=TR
- 22data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?locations=TR
- 23data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS?locations=TR
- 24data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.ZS?locations=TR
- 35data.worldbank.org/indicator/BC.DSP.ODRP.CD?locations=TR
- 8ticaret.gov.tr/data/5b0f8c9d13e8762d1c1c7b5d/e-ticaret-istatistikleri-raporlari
- 9statista.com/statistics/272014/number-of-users-of-instagram-in-turkey/
- 10statista.com/statistics/1109491/tiktok-users-in-turkey/
- 11statista.com/statistics/617075/number-of-youtube-users-in-turkey/
- 12itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
- 13datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-turkey
- 14datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-turkey
- 15tiktok.com/tag/skincare
- 16tiktok.com/tag/haircare
- 17tiktok.com/tag/beautytips
- 18tiktok.com/tag/makeup
- 19tiktok.com/tag/skincareproducts
- 20euromonitor.com/beauty-and-personal-care-in-turkey/report
- 26wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/itip_e.htm
- 27taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/taxation-1/value-added-tax-vat/vat-rates_en
- 28gib.gov.tr/english/tax-types/corporate-income-tax
- 29gib.gov.tr/english/special-consumption-tax
- 38tuvsud.com/en-tr/industries/cosmetics/certification