THE WHAT? AkzoNobel has warned that anti-dumping duties ushered in by the European Union on titanium dioxide imports from China and the US’ proposed tariff on epoxy will impact prices for shoppers in the West.

THE DETAILS According to a report published by Bloomberg, the specialty chemicals producer said that the measures will impact raw materials prices as China is a ‘significant supplier’ of titanium dioxide, which is used in cosmetics, particularly in sunscreen and toothpaste  

THE WHY? AkzoNobel CEO, Gregoire Poux-Guillaume told Bloomberg, “If our source of supply is more expensive, then we have two possibilities and you have to pursue both. One is a new source of supply and two, you reflect that cost increase into your pricing. There’s a way to mitigate, but there’s no free lunch.”