Entering the Ukrainian cosmetics market in 2026

1. The market at a glance

Large Ukrainian beauty retailers keep growing despite the war. The Ministry of Health estimated retail sales of cosmetics at about USD 2.15 billion in 2021 and around 1,188 businesses affected by the new notification rules.

• Specialist beauty chains lead, e-commerce grows fastest. Watsons and EVA are building omnichannel models (Euromonitor, 2026).
• Large national retailers: EVA reported revenue of 27 billion UAH in 2024 and opened 65 stores that year; Brocard and MAKEUP reported 5.7 and 4.84 billion UAH in 2025.
• Korean products are in demand online: in January 2025 skincare made up 24.8% of online orders shipped from Korea through one large parcel operator.
• Channels a brand typically uses: national beauty chains, marketplaces, pharmacies, independent beauty stores and clinics, online stores, Instagram and TikTok shops.

Official figures for total imports of Korean cosmetics are not publicly available. Forbes Ukraine ranked KR BRANDS (KRKR) the second-largest importer of Korean cosmetics in Ukraine in 2026.

2. Regulation: the Technical Regulation on cosmetic products

Ukraine regulates cosmetics through the Technical Regulation on cosmetic products, approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 65 of 20 January 2021 and aligned with EU Regulation 1223/2009. It entered into force on 3 August 2024.

What it requires, in short:

• A responsible person in Ukraine for every product. For imported goods this is usually the importer or a Ukrainian company authorised by the manufacturer.
• A product information file (PIF) built around a cosmetic product safety report (CPSR) signed by a qualified safety assessor. The file is kept for 10 years.
• Notification of each product in the national electronic system (procedure approved by Ministry of Health Order No. 2147 of 18 December 2023). The notification includes the category, name, responsible person, country of origin, label artwork and formulation information.
• Nanomaterials are notified 6 months before the product is placed on the market.
• Good manufacturing practice: compliance with ISO 22716 is presumed to meet the requirement.
• Ingredient annexes (prohibited and restricted substances, colourants, preservatives, UV filters) mirror the EU regulation.

Since 1 October 2023 cosmetics no longer need a state sanitary-epidemiological conclusion; conformity is shown under the technical regulation. Market surveillance, including at customs, is carried out by the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control. Ukrainian business press reports fines of 170,000 UAH for selling without the required documents.

3. Labelling in Ukrainian

Product information must be provided in Ukrainian under the language law; other languages may be added, and trademarks do not need to be translated. In practice, imported products carry a Ukrainian sticker over the original packaging.

Items required by the technical regulation include:

• name and address of the responsible person;
• country of origin for imported products;
• nominal content;
• date of minimum durability or period after opening;
• precautions for use;
• batch number;
• function of the product;
• list of ingredients in INCI names in descending order (ingredients below 1% in any order; nanomaterials marked «(нано)»).

4. Import duty, VAT and customs

• No free trade agreement with Korea. Ukraine's FTAs cover the EU, the UK, EFTA, Canada, Türkiye, Israel, the UAE and others, but not Korea.
• Import duty 6.5% for Korean skincare and make-up under HS 3304 99 00 00. For comparison, the same products of EU or UK origin enter at 0%.
• Import VAT 20%, calculated on the customs value plus duty.
• No excise on cosmetics (alcohol-based perfumery should be checked separately).
• Aerosols under this code require an import licence.
• Customs may run market surveillance checks, and this code is in a customs valuation risk group, so correct invoicing and documents matter.

Duty rates for other headings (for example HS 3305, hair care) should be checked for each product.

5. Protecting your brand

• Register the trademark in Ukraine with the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (UANIPIO). National registration takes about 15 months if there are no objections and is valid for 10 years, renewable.
• Ukraine is part of the Madrid System (since 2000), so you can designate Ukraine in an international registration.
• Customs IP register: a registered trademark can be recorded with the State Customs Service, which allows customs to suspend clearance of suspected counterfeits. Since 2025 the registration must be extended on application.
• Recordal does not stop genuine goods imported by third parties (grey imports). This is handled through an exclusive distribution agreement, pricing policy and work with retailers.

6. A realistic timeline

No official timeline exists. Based on a compliance consultancy's estimates and our experience:

1. Document review: about 1 week.
2. PIF and CPSR: 3 to 6 weeks if laboratory tests already exist, 8 to 10 weeks if a challenge test is needed.
3. Notification: about 5 to 7 working days.
4. Labelling, first order, shipping and customs clearance.
5. Launch: listing on krkr.com.ua within about 5 days after the goods arrive, then rollout to retail partners.

Add about 6 months of prior notice for products with nanomaterials, and about 15 months if the trademark is not yet registered in Ukraine.

7. What a Ukrainian partner should take on

A strong distributor removes most of this work from the brand. KR BRANDS acts as importer and responsible person, prepares notification and Ukrainian labelling, clears customs, protects the brand in Ukraine and sells through national chains, marketplaces, pharmacies, independent stores and our own online store KRKR®.

In September 2026 KOTRA's Kyiv office interviewed KR BRANDS about the Ukrainian K-beauty market.