Cosmetic labelling requirements in India for pack approval
Cosmetic labelling in India requires pack-specific declarations under Rule 34. Check ingredients, import details, warnings and separate retail-pack rules.
Cosmetic labelling in India is set by Chapter VI of the Cosmetics Rules, 2020, and Rule 34 places the main declarations on different parts of the pack. A pack check covers the name, manufacturer and manufacturing site, expiry month and year, batch, manufacturing licence, net contents, ingredients and any required warnings. Imported unit packs also need the registration certificate number and the importer's name and address.
A herbal brand name does not create a labelling exemption. Confirm the product is a cosmetic before you apply this checklist.
Cosmetic labelling requirements by pack location
Separate the inner label, the outer label and the imported unit pack. Rule 34 does not let you place every declaration wherever the artwork has space. If the pack has only one label, that label must carry the particulars required for both the inner and outer labels. Rule 34(6)
| Pack location | What to check |
|---|---|
| Inner and outer labels | Cosmetic name, manufacturer and actual manufacturing-site identification, and expiry or use-before information with month and year |
| Inner or outer label | Distinctive batch number and manufacturing licence number, subject to the qualifications in the rule |
| Outer label | Net contents: weight for solids, fluid measure for liquids, either for semi-solids, and a count where the contents are subdivided |
| Every inner label, where a hazard exists | Safe-use directions, necessary warnings or cautions, and hazardous or poisonous ingredient particulars |
| Imported unit pack | Registration certificate number with the appropriate RC prefix, plus importer name and address |
Those placement rules are Rule 34(1) to (5). Keep the manufacturing licence number apart from the Indian registration number. Rule 34 treats them as different particulars. An import from a country that does not require a manufacturing licence number can use that qualification, and the Indian registration declaration still applies. Rule 34(2) and (5)
Ingredient lists and small-pack concessions
Rule 34(7) requires a list headed INGREDIENTS, unless the small-pack concession in that clause applies. Ingredients above 1% go in descending order of weight or volume. Ingredients at 1% or less follow, in any order. Rule 34(7)
Small-pack relief is declaration-specific. Rule 34 has limited concessions for the manufacturer address, the batch number, net contents and the ingredient list, and the conditions are not the same. Soap can show the month and year of manufacture instead of a batch number. Rule 34(1) to (3) and (7)
Don't call the pack exempt.
Record the clause for each omission. A Cosmetics Rules concession on net contents does not, by itself, clear the packaged-commodity rules. The Department of Consumer Affairs Legal Metrology acts index lists packaged-commodity amendments dated 2 December 2025, 13 February 2026, 27 April 2026, 29 May 2026 and 21 September 2026. Read those instruments before you treat any retail-pack wording as settled.
Imported cosmetics and India-specific stickers
The unit pack needs the registration certificate number and the importer's name and address. Rule 34(9) also requires compliant packing and labelling, including certificate-holder identification. That is separate from both the importer particulars and the overseas manufacturer's name. Rule 34(5) and (9)
India-specific labels may be applied as stickers on unit packs in bonded warehouses under Rule 34(9). That route does not authorise unrestricted relabelling after customs clearance. Rule 34(9)
And a sticker is not permission to hide what is already printed. Rule 35 restricts altering, obliterating or defacing a manufacturer's marks and inscriptions, unless the Central Licensing Authority permits or directs it. Don't cover the original batch or expiry details on the strength of the bonded-warehouse route. Rule 35
Product-specific standards and warnings
Rule 34(8) adds the labelling requirements in the applicable Indian Standard for products covered by the Ninth Schedule. Identify the category, then take the standard and its amendments before you lock the wording. Rule 34(8)
On the current BIS catalogue, IS 4707 (Part 2):2017 is marked withdrawn on 9 February 2026, and Part 2:2025, the fifth revision, is shown as superseding that edition. The same search lists Part 1:2020 for colourants, Part 3:2025 for preservatives and Part 4:2022 for UV filters. Catalogue status is not a statutory transition date, and it does not give the warning text for a formula. BIS standards catalogue
Hair dyes have extra text under Rule 37: prescribed cautions and patch-test instructions, with language and placement requirements in the rule. Use that prescribed wording. A generic allergy line is not a substitute. Rule 38 adds fluoride content and expiry labelling for fluoride toothpaste, on the tube and the carton. Rules 37 and 38
The CDSCO Cosmetics Division page says that, under Rule 36, no cosmetic may purport or claim to purport to convey an idea that is false or misleading to the intending user. Check marketing lines before sign-off. CDSCO Cosmetics Division
Final artwork checks before approval
Tie each declaration to its label, its rule and any concession used. For an import, record the RC particulars and the sticker location. Price and consumer-contact details stay on the separate retail-pack check.
RegAffairs AI's answer on Indian cosmetic labels links the sources behind this question. Before release, check the CDSCO rules index for later uploads. The 21 November 2022 release date on that index is a website date, not proof of an amendment or a consolidated 2026 text.