Sex toys, Joe Biden’s Ray-Ban Aviators, wigs: Products to get costlier in US as Trump tariffs come into effect

The cost of pleasure and style may be on the rise — quite literally. From sex toys to Ray-Ban sunglasses, US consumers could soon be shelling out more, as President Donald Trump’s latest round of sweeping tariffs on global imports begins to bite.

President Joe Biden’s Ray-Ban Aviators were an integral part of his look.(AP file)

Bloomberg reported that the impact on US consumers’ pockets goes far beyond things such as luxury cars and specialist foods. As the new levies take effect – starting Saturday for the 10% base rate – manufacturers and suppliers of everything from daily supermarket goods to shoes have to figure out how much of this extra cost to pass on to customers.

During Donald Trump’s first term, when he imposed much more limited tariffs on China, many companies reported that they lacked the pricing power to pass on costs to consumers.

Here are some of imports that could now get more expensive.

Ray-Bans: Joe Biden’s Ray-Ban Aviators were an integral part of his look. The iconic sunglasses, first commissioned by the US Army Air Corps in the 1930s and later worn by Tom Cruise in the Top Gun movies, helped the former president craft his All-American image.

Yet most aviators are actually produced in a tiny mountain village on the Italian Dolomites before they are shipped all across the world, including to America.

Ray-Ban, along with other popular brands including Oakley, Oliver Peoples and Vogue Eyewear, is owned by the French-Italian eye-wear giant EssilorLuxottica SA, the biggest company in the sector with a market cap exceeding €100 billion ($110 billion). In 2024, its sales to North America amounted to almost €12 billion.

With the European Union now facing a 20% rate — once the reciprocal tariffs kick in on April 9 — accessorizing like Cruise’s Maverick character could get a lot more expensive.

Nespresso: Nestle SA’s Nespresso coffee capsules may be sold worldwide — about 14 billion of them a year, according to estimates — but everyone is still made in just three factories in Switzerland.

Imports from Switzerland to the US are facing a tariff of 31% (much higher than the neighbouring EU). Nespresso global sales amounted to 6.4 billion Swiss francs ($7.5 billion) in 2024, Nestle figures show.

Wigs, eyelashes and sex toys: China is the world’s largest producer and exporter of wigs, with its exports reaching approximately $3 billion in 2022. It accounts for around 80% of the global hair accessories market, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency, and the US has long been the primary destination.

It also accounts for approximately 70% of worldwide production of false eyelashes as well as 70% of sex toys. The US market for sex toys amounted to $10.6 billion in 2024, according to Grand View Research, with China and India among the top sources. They have been slapped with tariffs of 34% and 26%, respectively.

Botox: Americans eyeing cosmetic beauty treatments may have to fork out more for their anti-wrinkle injections eventually. While specific levies on pharmaceuticals haven’t been announced yet, there’s concern that the escape may prove temporary.

AbbVie Inc., the company behind Botox, makes almost of all of the product in the town of Westport on Ireland’s west coast. Production takes place in a highly-secure plant given Botox is made from one of the world’s most toxic substances, botulinum toxin. Any price increases from tariffs will hit US consumers as Botox for aesthetic purposes isn’t covered by insurance. AbbVie reported almost $1.7 billion of Botox cosmetic sales in 2024 (plus another $2.7 billion for therapeutic purposes).

Hospital beds: A major supplier of high-tech hospital beds is Linet Group in the Czech Republic. (One of its branded beds even featured in Netflix’s House of Cards after an assassination attempt on lead character Frank Underwood.)

The company said for future contracts with US clients, it will have to raise prices and focus more on higher-end products with higher price tags and profit margins. That could have implications for health providers in a country where there is already huge controversy over healthcare costs. According to chief executive officer Tomas Kolar, exports to the US account for about 20% of its €370 million in annual sales.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)