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India cosmetic ingredient regulations

Cosmetics Rules and gazette updates are authoritative; some standards may require separate access.

Regulator: Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
Source language: English and Hindi
Coverage version: Cosmetics Rules 2020 plus current BIS IS 4707 parts (1:2020, 2:2025, 3:2025, 4:2022)

What this list is

India regulates cosmetics under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act through the Cosmetics Rules 2020, and leans on BIS standards for composition. Imports additionally need registration before they may be sold.

1,931 Indian records: 1,614 prohibited, 317 restricted.
The regulator is the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation.
Imported cosmetics require CDSCO import registration, which is separate from any ingredient question.
BIS standards such as IS 4707 set composition requirements and are referenced by the Rules.

India's ingredient rules sit inside a wider approval structure, and the ingredient answer alone will not get a product to market. The Cosmetics Rules 2020, made under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, govern manufacture and import, and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation administers them. An imported cosmetic needs registration with CDSCO before it may be sold, regardless of how unremarkable its formula is.

Composition is handled partly by reference. The Bureau of Indian Standards publishes standards for cosmetic products and their ingredients — IS 4707 among them — and the Rules pull those in. That means a complete Indian answer can require reading a standard that is published separately from the Rules and is not always freely available.

One further point of difference: India prohibits the import and manufacture of cosmetics tested on animals, and prohibits certain substances outright such as hexachlorophene and mercury compounds. The 1,931 records below carry the status the Indian source gives them.

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1931 matching records

RestrictedBinding ruleOriginal is EnglishOfficial-source import checked

Phenol, 3-amino-2,6- dimethyl 3-Amino-2,6- Dimethylphenol (CAS No.: 6994-64-5)

CAS 6994-64-5 · EC 230-268-6

IS 4707 Part 2:2025 Annex B permits this ingredient only subject to the stated fields of use, limits, requirements and label warnings.

Conditions: Field of application/use: a)Hair dye substance in oxidative hair dye products | Other limitations/requirements: After mixing under oxidative conditions the maximum concentration applied to hair must not exceed 2.0percent | Label conditions/warnings: To be printed on the label: The mixing ratio. “Hair colorants can cause severe allergic reactions. Read and follow instructions. This product is not intended for use on persons under the age of 16. Temporary ‘black henna’ tattoos may increase your risk of allergy. Do not colour your hair if: a)you have a rash on your face or sensitive, irritated and damaged scalp b)you have ever experienced any reaction after colouring your hair; and c)you have experienced a reaction to a temporary ‘black henna’ tattoo in the past.”

Source:IS 4707 (Part 2):2025 Annex B, entry 294 · version IS 4707 (Part 2):2025, fifth revision · effective Aug. 9, 2025 · source checked 2026-08-31

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RestrictedBinding ruleOriginal is EnglishOfficial-source import checked

Phenol, 4,4'- (4,5,6,7- tetrabromo-1,1-dioxido-3H- 2,1-benzoxathiol-3- ylidene)bis[2,6- dibromo Tetrabromophenol Blue CAS No.4430-25-5

CAS 4430-25-5 · EC 224-622-9

IS 4707 Part 2:2025 Annex B permits this ingredient only subject to the stated fields of use, limits, requirements and label warnings.

Conditions: Field of application/use: a)Hair dye sub stance in oxidative hair dye products; and b)Hair dye sub stance in non- oxidative hair dye products. | Maximum authorised concentration: b)0.2 percent | Other limitations/requirements: a)After mixing under oxidative conditions the maximum concentration applied to hair must not exceed0.2 percent (calculated as free base) | Label conditions/warnings: a)As from 3 December 2021, to be printed on the label: The mixing ratio. ‘Hair colorants can cause severe allergic reactions. Read and follow instructions. This product is not ded for use on persons under the age of 16. Temporary “black henna” tattoos may increase your risk of allergy. Do not colour your hair if: a)you have a rash on your face or sensitive, irritated and damaged scalp b)you have ever experienced any reaction after colouring your hair; and c)you have experienced a reaction to a temporary ‘black henna’ tattoo in the past.”

Source:IS 4707 (Part 2):2025 Annex B, entry 312 · version IS 4707 (Part 2):2025, fifth revision · effective Aug. 9, 2025 · source checked 2026-08-31

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ProhibitedBinding ruleOriginal is EnglishOfficial-source import checked

Phenol, dodecyl-, branched (CAS No. 121158-58-5) Phenol, 2-dodecyl-, branched (CAS No. 1801269-80-6) Phenol, 3-dodecyl-, branched (CAS No. 1801269-77-1) Phenol, 4-dodecyl-, branched (CAS No.

CAS 121158-58-5; 1801269-80-6; 1801269-77-1

IS 4707 Part 2:2025 Annex A lists this ingredient as one that must not form part of a cosmetic product in India.

Conditions: Must not form part of the composition of cosmetic products. Apply the general trace and safety notes published after Annex A.

Source:IS 4707 (Part 2):2025 Annex A, entry 1374 · version IS 4707 (Part 2):2025, fifth revision · effective Aug. 9, 2025 · source checked 2026-08-31

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