Canadian Skincare Shipping to the US: What Changed

TL;DR — Canvia ships to US addresses from Canada. Shipping itself still takes roughly 5–10 business days. What's changed since this page first went up is customs: the US suspended its $800 duty-free "de minimis" exemption in August 2025, and that suspension is now written into US Customs and Border Protection regulation. In practice, that means most Canada-to-US orders — regardless of how small — are now subject to duty, unless the goods qualify as originating under CUSMA, which most globally-sourced specialty beauty products do not. Budget for that possibility rather than assuming your order slips in duty-free the way it used to.

If you're in the United States and you've found a Canadian skincare store, the shipping question used to be simple: pay the item price, wait a week, done. That's no longer the full picture, and getting it wrong is worse than not mentioning it — so here's what actually changed, and what to expect on an order today.

Does Canvia ship to the United States?

Yes. Canvia ships to US addresses, fulfilled from Canada and sent via tracked carriers. That part hasn't changed.

What changed: the end of the $800 de minimis exemption

For years, the US allowed shipments valued under US$800 per person per day to cross the border duty-free with minimal paperwork — the "de minimis" exemption. Almost every individual skincare order fell comfortably under that limit, so cross-border shopping from a Canadian store was, for most people, effectively duty-free.

That exemption is gone. A US executive order suspended de minimis treatment for shipments from every country, effective August 29, 2025. US Customs and Border Protection has since folded that suspension into its own regulations — covering non-postal carriers from June 2026 and international mail shortly after — and a separate piece of US legislation schedules a permanent, global statutory repeal of de minimis for July 1, 2027. In plain terms: this isn't a temporary policy that might snap back. A parcel crossing from Canada into the US today is treated as dutiable by default, no matter how small the order.

Does CUSMA make Canvia's products duty-free?

Not automatically, and this is the part worth understanding before you order. The Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA) still allows qualifying goods to enter the US duty-free — but only goods that are "originating," meaning they were produced or substantially transformed in Canada, the US or Mexico under CUSMA's specific rules of origin. A Canadian company reselling a serum or hair oil manufactured overseas does not turn that product into a CUSMA-originating good just by shipping it from a Canadian address. Canvia is Canadian-owned and ships from Quebec, but the products themselves are sourced globally, so most orders should be expected to face duty rather than qualify for CUSMA's exemption.

There's also a carrier wrinkle worth knowing. Shipments sent through the postal network (Canada Post to USPS) are now having duty assessed and collected on them regardless of CUSMA eligibility, through a customs-collection intermediary process. Commercial couriers can still apply a CUSMA exemption on goods that genuinely qualify, but as above, that's not the typical situation for an imported specialty-beauty order.

What this means for your order in practice

Expect that duty may be assessed on your order and collected either before delivery (through a link from the carrier) or at the door, depending on which carrier handles the parcel and how it's processed at the border. The exact amount depends on the product's tariff classification and country of origin — those rates vary by product category and aren't something we can quote generically here. If duty is assessed, it's collected by the carrier or by US Customs, not added to your Canvia order total at checkout.

For the most current, authoritative information on rates and thresholds, US Customs and Border Protection's own site (cbp.gov) is the source to check — this is a fast-moving regulatory area and any specific dollar figure quoted today could be out of date within months.

Shipping times

Cross-border shipping from Canada to the US typically takes 5–10 business days depending on the destination state and carrier. Orders going to border states (New York, Michigan, Washington, etc.) tend to arrive faster. Remote or rural addresses may see longer transit times, and if a parcel is held at the border for duty processing, that can add to the timeline. Tracked shipping means you'll get status updates throughout either way.

Why order from a Canadian skincare store anyway

Even with the duty change, there are still real reasons US shoppers order from Canvia. Canadian e-commerce stores sometimes carry products not yet widely distributed in the US market, particularly from smaller K-beauty and niche ingredient-focused lines. Canvia carries brands built around specific active ingredients — batana oil, bee venom, vitamin C — that aren't uniformly stocked by large US retailers, and the CAD price often remains attractive even after accounting for a duty charge, depending on the current exchange rate.

Popular categories shipped cross-border

Hair oils and scalp conditioning formulas are a consistent draw for US customers looking for something more specific than a mainstream drugstore option. Our Batana Nourishing Hair & Scalp Oil and Batana Hair Cream are both frequently ordered by shoppers searching for authentic batana formulas.

On the skincare side, the Bee Venom Anti-Aging Firming Face Serum is a genuinely specific formula that's harder to find on mainstream US shelves — note that bee venom products carry a real allergy consideration, so check the ingredient list if you have a bee sting allergy.

K-beauty sets remain a popular gifting option that ships well internationally — the Vitamin C 7-Piece K-Beauty Brightening Skincare Gift Set bundles a full routine into one order rather than several separate cross-border shipments.

Common mistakes

Assuming your order is automatically duty-free because it's small. That assumption was reasonable before August 2025. It no longer is — order value alone doesn't exempt a shipment the way it used to.

Assuming "Canadian store" means CUSMA duty-free. CUSMA exempts goods made in North America, not goods merely sold or shipped from a Canadian business. Where a product was manufactured matters more than where it was ordered from.

Not budgeting any margin for duty on a gift-timed order. If a parcel gets held at the border for duty processing, that can add days you didn't plan for. Order with a buffer, especially around a specific date.

Treating a specific duty percentage you read somewhere as fixed. Rates vary by product classification and country of origin, and the rules have changed multiple times in the past year. Check cbp.gov for current figures rather than relying on a number from an older article — including, if it's out of date by the time you read this, this one.

Practical tips for cross-border orders

Order with enough lead time for both the shipping window and any potential border processing delay — for a gift with a specific date, two to three weeks of buffer is more realistic now than the one-week buffer that made sense before the de minimis change. Make sure your shipping address is complete and accurate; incomplete address information is a separate, unrelated cause of customs delays. Keep your order confirmation email in case you need it for a customs inquiry.

Frequently asked questions

Will I have to pay customs duty on my order now?

Most likely, yes. The US suspended its duty-free exemption for low-value shipments in August 2025, and that suspension is now part of US Customs and Border Protection's regulations. Unless your specific order qualifies as CUSMA-originating (rare for imported specialty beauty products), expect duty to apply regardless of the order's dollar value.

How is the duty collected — will I be charged before or after delivery?

It depends on the carrier. Postal shipments (Canada Post to USPS) generally have duty calculated and collected through a customs-collection process tied to the shipment. Commercial couriers may collect duty at delivery or bill it separately. Either way, it is collected by the carrier or by US Customs, not included in your Canvia checkout total.

Does shipping from a Canadian-owned business make my order duty-free under CUSMA?

No. CUSMA's duty-free treatment applies to goods that are "originating" — produced or substantially transformed in Canada, the US or Mexico — not to goods that are simply sold or shipped by a Canadian company. Most specialty beauty products sourced internationally and resold from Canada do not meet that bar.

How long does shipping from Canada to the US actually take?

Typically 5–10 business days depending on the destination and carrier, with border states usually on the faster end. If a parcel is held for duty processing, add extra time on top of that estimate.

Is it still worth ordering from a Canadian store given the duty change?

For a lot of shoppers, yes — the product selection (specific ingredient-led formulas not widely stocked in the US) and CAD pricing can still make it worthwhile even after a duty charge, but it's no longer the automatic bargain it was when small orders were duty-free by default. Factor the potential duty into your decision rather than assuming it away.

The short answer

• Canvia ships to the US from Canada; transit is typically 5–10 business days.
• The US ended its $800 duty-free de minimis exemption in August 2025 — this is now regulation, not a temporary rule.
• Most Canvia orders will not qualify for CUSMA's duty-free treatment, because the products are internationally sourced, not North American-manufactured.
• Expect duty to be assessed on your order and collected by the carrier or US Customs, separate from your Canvia total.
• Check cbp.gov for current rates — they vary by product and country of origin, and this is a fast-changing area.

Browse hair care or browse skincare to see the full range shipping cross-border.

Written by Jason Cadieux, founder of Canvia. Jason personally sources and tests every product in the Canvia catalogue from Quebec, Canada. Canvia is Canadian-owned and ships from Quebec.

Sources
1. Tax Insights: US eliminates de minimis shipment exemption — What it means for Canadian exporters. PwC Canada, 2025.
2. Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Merchandise Arriving Through All Modes Other Than the International Postal Network. Federal Register, June 24, 2026.
3. What Canadian businesses need to know about the loss of the U.S. De Minimis exemption. Canadian Federation of Independent Business, 2026.