President Trump announced a temporary 90-day suspension on reciprocal tariffs for most countries, a move that White House officials claim is meant to pave the way for fairer trade deals. But one country didn’t make the cut: China.
Tariffs on Chinese imports are now set to skyrocket to 145%, following Beijing’s decision to raise its own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods to 125% late last week.
While administration officials insist the policy shift wasn’t driven by recent stock volatility, small business owners nationwide say they’re already feeling the impact.
Maureen Yancey, owner of MY Beauty Unlimited in Tucker, Georgia, says she’s bracing for the impact of a 145% tariff on wigs and hair extensions imported from China.
Yancey, whose store sells hundreds of wigs and hair accessories, worries that the tariffs will disrupt supply chains and hurt customer purchasing habits.
“If these tariffs are being implemented, it’s going to affect supply chains negatively, and it’s going to affect how our customers buy,” she told WSB-TV.
Currently, wigs at Yancey’s store range from $20 for budget-friendly synthetic hair to $400 for premium-quality human hair units.
However, with the 145% tariff in place, she anticipates a 25% to 30% price hike on synthetics and up to 100% increase on some human hair options.
“It’s going to affect the industry pretty heavily,” she added.
The squeeze is just as real in Madison, where Lawanda Majors, owner of Major Styllz Beauty Supply, is juggling rising costs and customer loyalty.
“The wigs, the braided hair, the clothing, the lashes, the earrings—everything is made in China,” she explained.
Majors opened her shop in March 2023 with the mission to offer quality products at affordable prices. She’s built a loyal clientele by staying tapped into their beauty needs, often sourcing new products based on direct requests.
“When they come here and ask me, well, do you have this? And I’m like, what is this? Okay, I’m going to look it up, and I get it, and they’re so happy when I get it,” she told newschannel5.
But now, with her Chinese vendors warning of increased costs due to the new tariffs, Majors is facing tough choices.
“All my vendors sent me a price, said it’s going to go up,” she said. “I try to make it reasonable for them, or whatever, but it’s hard. I ain’t going to lie, I was sitting back thinking, like, okay, is this going to work? Like, is it going to work for me, or should I stay in business? But I’m going to stay.”
And while she dreams of switching to American-made alternatives, she says the math just doesn’t add up.
“I would love to buy American, but those prices? I can’t flip it and still keep my customers.”
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Even beauty brands outside the hair industry are feeling the heat.
Melissa Butler, founder of cult-favorite cosmetics brand The Lip Bar, recently took to Instagram to break it down for her followers.
Her brand manufactures 85% of its makeup in Taiwan, one of the countries now slapped with a 32% reciprocal tariff.
“Small business especially can’t afford these tariffs. This is insane,” she said in the video. “If y’all see our prices go up, this is why.”
“Good luck to all the small business owners out there. You may want to raise prices and cut costs now.”
And while most are looking for alternatives such as sourcing wigs, hair extensions and even beauty products from India, Korea and Vietnam, that pivot won’t be easy or cheap.
For now, everyone’s just hoping a resolution comes soon, one that eases the pressure on small retailers and keeps beauty accessible for the communities they serve.
What about you?
How do y’all feel about these absurd trade wars and sky-high tariffs?
Sound off in the comments. We wanna hear it all.
