Made in Tunisia cosmetics: what are the advantages for a foreign brand?

Yes, “Made in Tunisia” offers concrete advantages to a foreign cosmetics brand: Tunisian industrial products are exported to the EU at zero customs duty, as the ALECA website points out. Revised rules of origin have applied since 1 March 2025, and proximity makes exchanges in French easier. There are limits too: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 applies in the same way, and the national “Made in Tunisia” label does not yet cover cosmetics.

This article explains what “Made in Tunisia” means, the weight of the sector, EU customs access, the advantages and limits, then the regulatory obligations and decision criteria.

What does “Made in Tunisia” mean for a cosmetic product?

“Made in Tunisia” indicates a place of manufacture, not a quality certification. The national label had its graphic charter validated on 20 October 2026, but its initial programme targets four priority sectors. Cosmetics is not one of them at this stage. A foreign brand must therefore assess the quality of the laboratory, not just the origin.

A place of manufacture, not a guarantee of quality

A mention of origin is information about the country where the product was made. It says nothing about the quality of a formula, the rigour of a production site or the compliance of a regulatory file.

To judge a product, you have other verifiable benchmarks:

• compliance of the production site with Good Manufacturing Practices for cosmetics (ISO 22716);
• the quality of the samples and the documentation supplied;
• batch traceability;
• compliance with Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 for the target market.

It is worth asking any laboratory for these elements, whatever its country, before committing.

The national “Made in Tunisia” label: where does it stand?

A label is a distinctive sign awarded to products that meet defined criteria. Here, it aims to identify Tunisian products. According to Directinfo, the graphic charter of the national brand was validated at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy on 20 October 2026.

In a first phase, the support programme will target four sectors: mechanical and electrical industries, textiles and clothing, leather and footwear, and agri-food. Cosmetics is not included for now. So do not present this label as an established commercial argument for your range.

How much does cosmetics weigh in Tunisian industry?

According to WMC (23 January 2026), the Tunisian perfume and cosmetics sector comprises 60 companies, 7,600 jobs and around 270 million dinars in exports. Scopes vary between sources: compare these figures with caution.

A scope is the set of activities and companies that a figure counts. It explains why two publications can give different amounts for the same sector.

In L’Économiste Maghrébin (7 March 2025), the formal perfumery and cosmetics market is valued at 945 million dinars. The same article states that the sector contributes 1.35% of GDP. This refers to the domestic market and the wealth created, not exports alone.

As for outlets, the same outlet states that Tunisian products are exported to markets such as France, Germany and Spain.

According to WMC, an official from the Ministry of Industry also mentions the use of aromatic plants such as rosemary in cosmetic products. He estimates that Tunisia has privileged access to European and Arab markets in this sector.

Do cosmetics made in Tunisia enter the EU free of customs duty?

Yes, in principle. The Association Agreement, which came into force in March 1998, established a free trade area for manufactured industrial products. Each product must, however, obtain “originating” status. Revised, more flexible preferential rules of origin have applied since 1 March 2025.

What the Association Agreement provides

An association agreement is a treaty that organises the economic and political relations between the EU and a partner country. According to the ALECA website (undated page), this agreement, signed in 1995, established a free trade area and the elimination of customs tariffs for manufactured industrial products.

The same page states that the tariff dismantling was spread over twelve years, from 1996 to 2008. This timetable is now complete.

Rules of origin revised since March 2025

A rule of origin is a criterion that determines whether a product can be considered as originating in a country, and therefore benefit from an exemption. According to La Presse de Tunisie (6 October 2025), Tunisia and the EU agreed to apply revised preferential rules of origin from 1 March 2025.

The newspaper quotes the trade officer of the EU delegation in Tunis:

“These new rules will allow more Tunisian products to benefit from easier access to the European market” (La Presse de Tunisie, 6 October 2025).

This article is informative. Origin status is assessed product by product: have it checked with the customs authorities and the official texts before any shipment.

What concrete advantages for a foreign brand, and what limits?

The advantages lie in EU customs access, geographical proximity, exchanges in French and an offer suited to small volumes. The limits are just as clear: regulatory compliance remains identical and “natural” or “organic” certifications take time.

Advantages and limits table

The table below summarises the points to weigh. The sources for each point are cited in the text that follows.

On the customs side, the ALECA website states that Tunisian industrial products are exported to the EU at zero customs duty. According to La Presse de Tunisie, the revised rules aim to make it easier to obtain “originating” status.

The “natural” and “organic” segment requires particular preparation. If your positioning relies on these terms, allow dedicated time and budget for certification from the outset. COSMOS is an organic and natural standard; it does not replace regulatory compliance.

On quality, Oppenheimer Lab’s manufacturing follows Good Manufacturing Practices for cosmetics (ISO 22716 / GMP). Ask any laboratory you compare for the same level of evidence.

A typical example: a young French brand

Take a typical example, not a real client: a young French brand wants to launch a short range of skincare products. The criteria that lead it to manufacture in Tunisia are concrete:

• talking directly in French with the technical team;
• benefiting from geographical proximity;
• finding an offer suited to its starting volumes.

The decision is then built on verifiable elements: quality of samples, available documentation, delivered cost and schedule reliability. To go further, see our page on cosmetic manufacturing in Tunisia.

Must Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 be complied with for a product made in Tunisia?

Yes. Manufacturing in Tunisia does not exempt you from the requirements of the destination market. To sell in the European Union, you need a Responsible Person established in the EU, a PIF (Product Information File) with a safety assessment (CPSR), a compliant composition and labelling, then a CPNP notification before marketing. This notification is neither an authorisation nor a certification.

Obligations for selling in the European Union

Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 is the European regulation on cosmetic products. It applies to any product placed on the EU market, wherever it is manufactured. Its main articles cover the following points:

• Article 4 designates the Responsible Person for the product;
• Article 10 requires the safety assessment;
• Article 11 sets out the PIF (Product Information File);
• Article 13 organises notification on the CPNP portal;
• Article 19 governs labelling;
• Article 20 regulates claims about the product.

The PIF is the file that brings together the technical and safety information of a cosmetic product. The Responsible Person keeps it available for the authorities. The CPNP is the European portal for the notification of cosmetic products.

On the manufacturing side, Oppenheimer Lab manufactures according to Good Manufacturing Practices for cosmetics (ISO 22716 / GMP) and prepares PIFs and CPNP notifications. These elements remain to be validated for each product and each market.

This article is informative. The official texts prevail: consult Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on EUR-Lex.

Our advice: define the countries of sale from the brief

One question comes up often: “If my product is made in Tunisia, can I sell it directly in France?” Our answer: manufacturing in Tunisia does not exempt you from the requirements of the destination market. We recommend defining the countries of sale from the brief, in order to prepare the corresponding supporting documents and packaging.

This choice affects the composition, labelling and schedule. In private label, the announced lead times are 45 to 90 days; they assume a stable brief and known target markets. To frame your project, you can request a quote for your export project.

How do you decide whether manufacturing in Tunisia suits your brand?

Decide on verifiable criteria: quality of samples, available documentation, delivered cost, schedule reliability and countries of sale. Ask any laboratory for its evidence of compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and its traceability before committing. Origin alone is never enough to decide.

Traceability is the ability to retrace the history of a batch, from raw materials to delivery. Ask your laboratory how quickly it can provide this history. At Oppenheimer Lab, the complete history of a batch is available within 24 hours.

Then compare several laboratories on the same basis:

• the samples received, tested on your own skin and on your target;
• the documentation provided: technical data sheets, GMP evidence, support for the PIF;
• the delivered cost, that is, the delivered price, export formalities included;
• schedule reliability, checked against the announced lead times;
• responsiveness: Oppenheimer Lab replies to quote requests within 48 working hours.

As for experience, Oppenheimer Lab supports more than 50 brands and exports to more than 30 countries. These figures show export practice, but they do not replace your own verification.

Our advice: start with one or two well-positioned products, keep budget to market them, then widen the range based on customer feedback. A short range limits risk and makes it easier to validate the partnership. To start from an existing base, discover our ready-to-launch private label formulas.

Sources

• Le ministère de l’Industrie renforce son soutien à l’industrie cosmétique (in French), L’Économiste Maghrébin, 7 March 2025
• Relation Tunisie / UE (in French), ALECA, undated
• Accord d’association UE-Tunisie : Un engagement à préserver (in French), La Presse de Tunisia, 6 October 2025
• Tunisie : lancement de la nouvelle charte graphique de la marque nationale « Made in Tunisia » (in French), Directinfo (WMC), 20 October 2026
• Parapharmaceutique : 270 MD d’exportations pour les parfums et cosmétiques tunisiens (in French), WMC, 23 January 2026
• Industrie cosmétique : l’urgence d’une réforme pour sauver le Made in Tunisia (in French), L’Économiste Maghrébin, 9 September 2026