Indian regulations aim to address import safety

The new regulations were published in February 2007 as amendments to the Indian Drugs and Cosmetic Rules 1945, and came into force on April 1, 2013.

Since Indian government was facing concerns about the quality of overseas-produced beauty items, the regulations were introduced in an attempt to bring the rules for imported products in line with those for cosmetics produced in India.

New information needed​

Under the new rules, the manufacturer must supply detailed information about beauty products’ ingredients, their place of manufacture, their supposed benefits and their safety standards.

These details are normally supplied by filling out a form 42, and the producer must also provide proof of their right to create the cosmetics through a manufacturing license.

A longer time scale​

Time scale from the submission of an application to a request being granted seems to range from two to six months, with the organization suggesting that applicants may have to wait up to six months.

There is also a registration fee of $250 for each brand label registered, for which the importer must provide a certificate.

The original introduction of the regulations was delayed by in 2010 due to importer’s concerns about receiving certificates in a timely fashion.

The domestic cosmetics engine​

The Indian domestic cosmetic market grew to approximately US $9.3bn in 2012, propelled by a powerful combination of increased consumer incomes and a growing interest in physical looks.

However, the continent also has a huge problem with harmful and illegitimate beauty products.

According to a study by leading Ayurveda expert Dr Samuel Mansuri, around half of all cosmetics sold in India are “fake or spurious” ​and potentially capable of endangering health.

Items which were marketed as being organic were found to have been grown using chemicals, and pesticide residues were also discovered in many of the Ayurveda products.

Fake cosmetics factories​

In addition to imported fakes, Indian police regularly arrest domestic forgers for counterfeiting.

This February, authorities seized fake products worth 10 lakhs in three domestic outlets in Patna.

Legal official Mustafa Hussain informed the Times of India: “There are many shops which openly retail such fake products in the name of top national brands in the heart of the city.” ​