Black beauty salons and wholesalers have been hit hard by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Prices of supplies have skyrocketed, and small businesses say they are forced to pass costs on to customers.

Black-owned beauty businesses in the United States are experiencing significant challenges as a result of tariffs imposed on imports from China and Vietnam. Many essential products, such as hair extensions and glues, have seen sharp price increases, with some items nearly doubling in cost. Business owners report difficulties in maintaining their client base, as higher prices are passed on to consumers or absorbed by the businesses themselves, impacting their bottom line.

The tariffs have also caused supply chain disruptions, leading to shipment delays and further financial strain, particularly for smaller, minority-owned stores. Some owners have been forced to lay off staff, work longer hours, or even close their physical stores. Experts highlight that these tariffs disproportionately affect Black entrepreneurs, who often have less financial cushion to absorb such shocks.

Trump tariffs leaving Black beauty businesses in peril

I understand that tariffs are designed to protect U.S. businesses, and that's important. But when you start creating policies like this and you're not consulting with professionals in the beauty industry, especially black professionals, it creates a gap. So now we're being impacted at every level. Earlier this summer, Deja Blackshear Calloway began to realize that her usual clients weren't coming in as frequently as before. Her salon, Hair Freak Beauty, offers services ranging from $50 natural styles to $745 tape-in weave extensions. But the price of hair extensions and the glue used to craft wigs and weaves have skyrocketed. Why? Well, most black beauty products are made in China and Vietnam, and the two countries have been hit by U.S. President Donald Trump's series of tariffs. Here's an example. A package of synthetic hair imported from Vietnam has gone up $100 to $290 since May. And another, a bottle of hair glue ordered from China has nearly doubled in price at the local supply store. That's really affected my bottom line. And when you start having these type of issues happening, I'm either having to eat that cost or pass that expense along to my clients, which affects their budgets and their pockets as well. To avoid asking her customers to pay more, she started encouraging them to bring in their own hair instead. A quick weave service with client-brought hair is $140 rather than $400. But the problem isn't just the cost of supplies. She's also struggling to even get a hold of her products. Her wholesaler is delaying shipments as the tariff rates fluctuate. There's more than just tariffs at play here, too. Experts say the hikes are impacting black business owners more than others, especially those in low-margin businesses like these. That's because black entrepreneurs often start off with fewer funds. As the tariffs eat into their bottom lines, that wealth gap makes them even more financially vulnerable, they say. When you raise the cost like this, it's like a tax that you're imposing on business. Sina Golara is an assistant professor of supply chains and operations management at Georgia State University. And in some cases, it could be borne by the foreign manufacturer. But in most cases, it will also have quite substantial impacts on the domestic buyers and consumers. Khadija Dosso owns Dosso Beauty and the Dosso Hair Salon in Philadelphia. I think that people are having a really hard time right now financially. And so it makes it difficult for them. She waited over a month to get $50,000 worth of braiding hair made in China after Trump announced 145 percent tariffs on the country over confusion over which tariffs should apply. Another salon owner told us she had to hike her prices by 20 percent, has laid off four employees and is working 16-hour days to compensate. Sales of beauty products are normally pretty resilient when the economy takes a downward turn. But beauty services are often seen as optional, experts say. Black U.S. consumers spent about $2.29 billion on hair care products in 2022, a Nielsen IQ study showed. But higher prices are causing some black women to visit the salon less frequently. A salesman told Reuters she usually goes at least five times a year. So far this year, she's been once. And beauty supply stores are also feeling the pinch. This is a brand. It's called Outre. This is Afro Springy Twist. Until earlier this year, Dionne Maxwell was selling wigs, braiding hair and shampoos out of her mini beauty supply store 30 miles outside of Atlanta. But she had to shut it down after seeing fewer customers in May. Now she works from home. Those people with those bigger stores, they have access to go straight to the source, straight to China and get it. Even though there's a tariff, guess what? They're not going to hurt as much as I am, because, unfortunately, most of the time, when it's a black-owned or minority-owned beauty supply store, our stores are a lot smaller. Like, mine's probably one of the smallest around. The tariffs have upped Maxwell's wholesale price for China-made braiding hair by 50 cents per pack, she says. And her wholesaler is now asking her to order more packs at the higher price. For the past two months, it's trying to trickle up right now, but the past two months, we have been basically paying our bills out of pocket because we really have had nothing coming in.

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