How to Import Cosmetics from UK to India?

India is a country known for having a large consumer base and has, as such, a large market for cosmetic products as well, which is growing exponentially every year. Although many products can be shipped without an export licence, a license or special import permission from the Government of India is needed to process the import of certain goods. Cosmetics fall under this latter category. In this blog, we will discuss the procedure to import Cosmetics from UK to India.

Regulatory Bodies for Import Cosmeticsfrom UK into India

The import of cosmetic products into India is regulated under the provisions of the Drugs & Cosmetic Act 1940 & Rules 1945. Regulation of cosmetic goods falls under the purview of the Cosmetics Division, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)which, in turn, operates under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of the Indian Government.

Labelling of Cosmetic Products for Import Cosmetics from UK to India

1. The original labels of the cosmetic products need to be submitted to the CDSCO at the time of application. However, applicants are allowed to submit a copy of the original label instead, as long as it covers all the necessary details as mentioned in Part XV of Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945, as needed.
2. All product labels need to conform to Rule 129-H read with Part XV of Drugs and cosmetics Rules, 1945.
3. For importers of registered products, India-specific requirements can be incorporated into the label once the products have landed in either a Customs warehouse or another location that has been approved by the Licensing Authority.
4. For any cosmetic goods containing possibly hazardous materials, the inner labels must dictate the proper direction for safe usage of the product, any and all necessary warnings, any special directions needed to be taken by the consumer and a list of the names and quantities of all hazardous pr poisonous ingredients present.
5. As per the regulations, if the packaging of a cosmetic product contains only one label, then such a label must contain all necessary information that would otherwise be presented on the inner and outer labels.
6. All cosmetic products to be imported need to comply with the labelling requirements, if any, that are specified in the relevant Indian standard, as set up by the BIS or Bureau of Indian Standards for the cosmetic products that are covered under the Ninth Schedule.

List of Necessary Documents for Import Cosmetics from UK to India

Following are some vital documents for import Cosmetics from UK to India:

1. Covering Letter mentioning the purpose of the application
2. Authorisation from the manufacturer (duly authenticated)
3. Filled in Part-I of Second Schedule D
4. List of Ingredients along with their percentage contents
5. Labels of proposed products
6. Specifications and testing methods
7. Pack insert
8. Manufacturing Licences/undertaking for no provision of manufacturing licence in the Country.
9. Free Sale Certificate (duly authenticated)
10. Non-Animal Testing Declaration
11. Declaration for Heavy Metal and Hexachlorophene content.
12. Other documents (If any).
13. Application in Form COS-1
14. Fee: Original Bharatkosh e-receipt for a fee paid.

Procedure to Import Cosmetics from UK to India

As per the provisions of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, the import of cosmetics is regulated through a process of registration by the Central Licensing Authority (CLA), which the Central Government appoints. The Drugs Controller General operates as the Central Licensing Authority that is tasked with granting the Import Registration Certificate and regulating the import of cosmetics into India under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940^[1].

1. An application for the issuance of the Registration Certificate to import cosmetic goods from the UK can be made by either the manufacturer themselves, by their authorized agent, by the subsidiary of the manufacturer or by any other importer of cosmetic products.
2. You can sign up through the CDSCO online portal to register to be licensed to import cosmetics from the UK to India.
3. All necessary documents mentioned above should be submitted to the CDSCO website.
4. The Designated Officer reviews all submitted applications for compliance with the required registration documents.
5. Once an application has been approved, the approval letter for satisfactory applications will be available at the Applicants SUGAM dashboard online.

Validity of Registration Certificate

1. Barring any cancellation or early suspensions, a Registration Certificate remains valid for three years, starting from the date it was issued.
2. An application for a fresh registration Certificate must be made at least six months before the original certificate is set to expire for the existing Registration Certificate to continue to remain valid until orders are passed on the fresh application.
3. Any changes regarding the manufacturer, such as a change in the constitution, change in name, address, etc., as well as any changes regarding the importer, such as a change in the constitution, change in name, etc., would call for a fresh registration.

Restrictions on the Import Cosmetics from UK into India

Following are some restrictions on the import Cosmetics from UK to India:

1. No cosmetic products can be imported into India from the UK or any other foreign country unless the said product is registered as per the rules set by the Central Licensing Authority.
2. Cosmetic products can be neither imported into India from the UK or another foreign country nor manufactured in-house unless they are in compliance with the specifications dictated under the Ninth Schedule or under any other standards of quality and safety that may apply and any other provisions made under these rules.
3. No cosmetic product can claim, convey, or even imply any idea that is either straight-up false or misleading to the consumers.
4. Any cosmetic products whose manufacture or development has involved animal testing at any point after 12th November 2014 cannot be imported into the Country.

Conclusion

The import of cosmetic products from the UK into India needs to be regulated to ensure the quality and safety of cosmetic products being imported into India, as well as the safety of the consumers using these cosmetics. The Government of India had, hence, issued the Gazette Notification G.S.R 426(E) dated 19th May 2010 for the amendment of the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945, providing for the registration of import of cosmetics into the Country.

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