How to read a cosmetics label in India: MRP, batch, expiry, importer details and what CDSCO registration means

Most of the small print on an Indian cosmetics pack is there because a law requires it. Each item tells you something useful: whether the product is genuine, whether it is in date, who to complain to, and whether you are being overcharged. This guide covers what each piece means and which rule requires it.

One caution: rules get amended. What follows is based on the official texts we could access. If something matters for a dispute or a business decision, check the current rules or ask the regulator.

Who regulates what

CDSCO, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, summarises the split clearly. The manufacture of cosmetics is regulated through inspection and licensing by State Licensing Authorities, while the import of cosmetics is regulated through registration by the Central Licensing Authority. The Drugs Controller General of India grants the import registration certificate.

Separately, the Department of Consumer Affairs runs the Legal Metrology rules, which cover packaged goods in general: price, quantity, and who is responsible for the package.

What the Cosmetics Rules require on the label

Rule 34 of the Cosmetics Rules, 2020 (official text also listed on CDSCO’s website) sets out the “manner of labelling”. In summary:

1. Name of the cosmetic

The product name as sold.

2. Manufacturer name and address

The rules require the name of the manufacturer and the complete address of the premises where the product was made. If it was made in a factory the brand does not own, the label must name the actual manufacturer, or say “Made in [country]”. Very small packs (30 g or less for solids and semi-solids, 60 ml or less for liquids) may give the manufacturer’s name and principal place of manufacture with PIN code instead of the full address.

What to look for: a real, specific address. “Marketed by” alone, with no manufacturer, is a gap worth questioning.

3. Expiry or “use before” date

The label must carry a use-before or expiry date (month and year), or an “expiry XX months from manufacture” statement with the date of manufacture. CDSCO defines this as the date up to which the cosmetic retains its characteristics at the storage condition stated on the label. How this interacts with the open-jar PAO symbol is covered in our guide on how to tell if makeup has expired.

For imports there is an extra safeguard. Rule 18 says no cosmetic shall be imported unless its use-before date is later than six months from the date of import. That rule applies at the border. It does not stop a seller from stocking a product until it is nearly expired, so check the date yourself.

4. Batch number

A batch or lot number, shown as “B. No.”, “Batch No.”, “Lot No.” or similar, lets the manufacturer trace exactly which production run your product came from. Rule 34 exempts very small packs (10 g or less for solids and semi-solids, 25 ml or less for liquids).

Why it matters: after a reaction or a recall, the batch number is what the brand and regulator will ask for. Keep the box.

5. Manufacturing licence number

Shown after “M”, “M.L. No.” or “Mfg. Lic. No.”. Under Rule 33, no cosmetic of Indian origin may be sold unless it is made by a licensed manufacturer. Imported products can omit this if the country of origin does not require it, as long as other import rules are met.

6. Net contents

Weight for solids, volume for liquids, either for semi-solids. Very small perfume packs (60 ml or less) and small solid or semi-solid packs (30 g or less) are exempt under the Cosmetics Rules.

7. Ingredient list

Preceded by the word “INGREDIENTS”. Ingredients present above 1% must be listed in descending order of concentration, and those at 1% or less may follow in any order. Packs of 60 ml or less of liquid, or 30 g or less of solids and semi-solids, are exempt. This is where you will find things like mica (CI 77019) in shimmer products.

Imported cosmetics: what “CDSCO registered” means

CDSCO states that any article falling within the definition of a cosmetic must be registered, along with its pack size, variants and manufacturing premises, before it is imported, citing Rule 12(1) of the Cosmetics Rules.

What you should see on the pack

Rule 34(5) requires imported cosmetics to show the import registration certificate number, preceded by “RC”, “RC No” or “Reg. Cert. No”, together with the name and address of the importer, on the unit pack. CDSCO’s own guidance document on import registration repeats this requirement. The rules allow India-specific details to be stickered on at bonded warehouses, so a sticker carrying the RC number and importer details is normal and is not by itself a warning sign.

What registration does and does not mean

• The import registration certificate (Form COS-2) is granted by the Central Licensing Authority after examining the documents submitted with the application (Rule 13). It confirms the product is registered for import. It is not a stamp saying “tested and approved as good”.
• Imported cosmetics must still meet Indian quality and safety specifications where they exist, or those of the country of origin otherwise (Rule 39).
• “CDSCO registration” is about imports. An Indian-made lipstick will not carry an RC number. It should carry a state manufacturing licence number.
• No cosmetic may make false or misleading claims (Rule 36). A label claiming “CDSCO approved” as a quality badge deserves some scepticism.

Red flags on an imported product

• No RC number and no Indian importer name and address anywhere on the pack or sticker.
• Only foreign-language labelling with no Indian importer sticker, which suggests a parallel import or personal-luggage resale.
• An expiry date that has been covered, scratched or overwritten. Rule 35 prohibits anyone except as permitted by the regulator from altering, obliterating or defacing the manufacturer’s inscriptions.

What the Legal Metrology rules add

The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 apply to packaged goods generally. A Press Information Bureau release summarises the mandatory declarations as name and address of the manufacturer, packer or importer; country of origin; common or generic name; net quantity; month and year of manufacture; MRP; unit sale price; best before or use by date where relevant; and consumer care details.

MRP (inclusive of all taxes)

MRP is the maximum retail price, and it must be declared inclusive of all taxes. After the 2021 amendments, the government said the rules now mandate declaration of MRP in Indian currency inclusive of all taxes. The rules also say that no retailer, manufacturer, packer, importer or wholesaler may sell a packaged commodity at a price exceeding its retail sale price, and that dealers may not obliterate, smudge or alter the MRP.

In practice: being charged above MRP, or an extra “cooling charge” or “GST” added on top, is not allowed for packaged goods. A seller may affix a sticker with a lower MRP, but per the rules that sticker must not cover the original MRP.

Unit sale price

The 2021 PIB release says it allows “easier comparison of the prices of the commodities at the time of purchase”. Use it to compare pack sizes.

Country of origin and importer

For imported packages, the rules require the importer’s name and address and the country of origin or manufacture.

Consumer care details

Every package must carry the name, address, telephone number and email address of the person or office to contact for consumer complaints. If a product has none of these, you have nobody to complain to, which is a good reason not to buy it.

Buying online

The rules also say e-commerce platforms must display the mandatory declarations, except the month and year of manufacture, on the digital and electronic network used for the transaction. A listing with no manufacturer, importer, country of origin or MRP is the online equivalent of an unlabelled box. (The text we read compiles amendments up to 2017, so check the current rules.)

A quick checklist

1. Readable expiry / use-before date, not too close.
2. Batch number (unless it is a very small pack).
3. Indian-made: manufacturer address and licence number. Imported: RC number plus Indian importer details.
4. MRP inclusive of all taxes, and nothing charged above it.
5. Consumer care phone number or email.
6. No overwritten dates, covered MRPs, or “approved” badges used as marketing.

Where to complain

For overcharging or missing pack declarations, the National Consumer Helpline accepts grievances through its official portal. Your state’s Legal Metrology department, which enforces these rules, is the other route; check its website for the current complaint process. For a suspected spurious or unsafe cosmetic, contact your state drug control department, which licenses manufacturers, and keep the pack and its batch number.

For what the shimmer descriptions on the front of the pack mean, see shimmer vs glitter vs metallic vs satin. For eye products in the monsoon, see eye makeup for humid Indian weather.

FAQ

Does every cosmetic in India need CDSCO registration?

No. CDSCO registration applies to imported cosmetics. Cosmetics made in India are licensed by the State Licensing Authority and carry a manufacturing licence number instead.

Is a sticker with the importer’s details a sign of a fake?

Not by itself. The Cosmetics Rules allow India-specific labelling to be stickered onto imported unit packs at bonded warehouses. What should worry you is a missing RC number, missing importer details, or a sticker that covers the expiry date or original MRP.

Can a shop charge more than MRP if the product is chilled or “imported”?

No. Under the Legal Metrology rules, nobody may sell a packaged commodity above its declared retail sale price, which must be inclusive of all taxes.

Does “CDSCO registered” mean the product is safe?

It means the product is registered for import after the regulator examined the submitted documents, and it must meet applicable standards. It is not a personal guarantee that the product will suit your skin, so patch-test new products as usual.