India is a potential market for cosmetics and beauty products. The beauty industry in India is booming. Moreover, there is a high demand for imported cosmetics products in India. Hence, cosmetics products to be imported into India are heavily regulated by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). This is necessary to protect consumer health. Notably, the Gazette Notification G.S.R 426(E) has highlighted the registration of imported cosmetics with CDSCO is compulsory. Furthermore, for the ease of imported cosmetics product registration, CDSCO has released a list of cosmetics items. CDSCO are categorised cosmetics products into approximately 80 product families. The Column 3 of the cosmetic products list presents the categories of cosmetics items. In this blog, we have presented in detail the list of cosmetics products provided by the CDSCO guidelines.

Regulations for imported cosmetics product registration: List of cosmetics items

As of 1^st April, 2013, all cosmetics imported into India will have to be mandatorily registered with the CDSCO. Furthermore, CDSCO has issued guidelines for registering imported cosmetics. For the ease of imported cosmetics product registration, CDSCO has categorised cosmetics into approximately 80 product families. It has released a list of cosmetics items. The Column 3 of the cosmetic products list presents the 80 product categories.

CDSCO list of cosmetics items

We have presented the CDSCO list of cosmetics items.

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
1. Skin products	1. Skin care products	1. Face care products other than a face mask
		2. Face mask
		3. Eye contour products
		4. Lip care products
		5. Hand care products
		6. Foot care products
		7. Body care products
		8. External intimate care products
		9. Chemical exfoliation products
		10. Mechanical exfoliation products
		11. Skin lightening products
		12. Other skin care products
	2. Skin cleansing products	1. Soap products
		2. Bath / shower products
		3. Make-up remover products
		4. External Intimate hygiene products
		5. Other skin cleansing products
	3. Body hair removal products	1. Chemical depilatories
		2. Physical epilation products
		3. Other body hair removal products
	4. Bleach for body hair products	1. Bleach for body hair
	5. Correction of body odour and/or perspiration	1. Products with antiperspirant activity
		2. Products without antiperspirant activity
	6. Shaving and pre- / after- shaving products	1. Products for shaving
		2. Pre- / after-shaving products3.Various other shaving and pre- / after- shaving products
	7. Make-up products	1. Foundation
		2. Concealer
		3. Other face make-up products
		4. Mascara
		5. Eye shadow
		6. Eye pencil
		7. Eye liner
		8. Other eye make-up products
		9. Lip stick
		10. Lipstick sealer
		11. Other lip make-up products
		12. Body or face paint, including “carneval make-up”.
		13. Other make-up products
	8. Perfumes	1. Hydroalcoholic perfumes
		2. Non hydroalcoholic perfumes
	9. Sun and self-tanning products	1. Before and after sun products Sun protection products
		2. Self-tanning products
		3. Other sun and self-tanning products
	10. Other skin products	1. Other skin products
2. Hair and scalp products	1. Hair and scalp care and cleansing products	1. Hair conditioner
		2. Scalp and hair roots care products
		3. Antihairloss products
		4. Other hair and scalp care and cleansing products
		5. Antidandruff products
	2. Hair colouring products	1. Oxidative hair colour products
		2. Non-oxidative hair colour products
		3. Hair bleaching and dye remover products
		4. Other hair colouring products
	3. Hair styling products	1. Products for temporary hair
		2. Styling Permanent wave products
		3. Hair relaxer / straightener products
		4. Other hair styling products
	4. Other hair and scalp products	1. Hair sun protection products
		2. Other hair and scalp products
3. Nail and cuticle products	1. Nail varnish and remover products	1. Nail varnish / Nail make-up
		2. Nail varnish remover
		3. Nail varnish thinner
		4. Nail bleach
	2. Nail care / nail hardener products	1. Nail care products
		2. Nail hardener
		3. Other nail care / nail hardener products
	3. Nail glue remover products	1. Nail glue remover
	4. Other nail and cuticle products	1. Cuticle remover / softener
		2. Nail sculpting products
		3. Other nail and cuticle products
4. Oral hygiene products	1. Tooth care products	1. Toothpaste
		2. Tooth cleansing powder / salt
		3. Other tooth care products
	2. Mouth wash / breath spray	1. Mouth wash
		2. Breath spray
		3. Other mouth wash / breath spray products
	3. Tooth whiteners	1. Tooth whiteners
	4. Other oral hygiene products	1. Other oral hygiene products

CDSCO guidelines for imported cosmetics product registration

We have highlighted some important imported cosmetics product registration guidelines pertaining to the CDSCO list of cosmetics products.

• Brand: A “Brand” will mean each category of cosmetic products as mentioned in Column 3 of the cosmetic products list.
• Existing valid registration certificate: If the applicant wants to add any further brand or product of an already registered category as mentioned in Column 3 of the table for the same manufacturer, a separate application will need to be submitted by the importer. However, the registration fee will not be charged. In this instance, additional product permission will be mentioned on the already approved category in the Registration Certificate.
• Power of attorney: It should list the names of all cosmetic products along with their trade names, Brand as per Column 2. Moreover, it should also clearly show variants for example, colour, shades, pack sizes, etc. Further, the name of the cosmetics should be like those mentioned in Form 42.
• Fees: A fee of USD 250 or its equivalent Indian rupees for each Brand for each category of cosmetics as mentioned in Column 3 will be required.

Pharmadocx Consultants: Your trusted CDSCO imported cosmetics product registration consultant

India has extensive regulatory requirements for domestically manufactured and imported cosmetics products. Navigating the CDSCO regulatory requirements for cosmetics products can be a tricky task. Thus, we at Pharmadocx Consultants have designed our cosmetics regulatory support service to cover the extensive requirements of the Indian cosmetics regulations. Our team of experts always stays abreast of the latest CDSCO regulations and guidelines. Moreover, we customise our regulatory service according to customer’s needs and expectations. By availing our cosmetics regulatory support service, your CDSCO cosmetics registration process will be hassle-free. We have in-depth knowledge of the applicable guidelines and CDSCO requirements for securing permissions for importing cosmetics into India. With years of regulatory experience, we will be your trusted ally during the regulatory process.

Cosmetics products in India are rigorously regulated and the regulations are constantly evolving from time to time. Importers and overseas brands can easily sell their cosmetics products in the Indian markets by availing our regulatory service. With over 27 years of experience in this industry, we have served more than 200 happy clients. Additionally, we have helped set up over 100 cosmetics factories. Our team will guide you through the CDSCO list of cosmetics items and help you understand the applicable guidelines. Drop an email at [email protected] or call/Whatsapp on 9996859227 to get started.