Is there a licence just to sell?
No, not a separate one. A cosmetic is anything you rub, pour, sprinkle or spray on the body to clean it, beautify it or change how it looks. The Cosmetics Rules, 2020 set out licences to make cosmetics and to import them. They do not set out a separate licence just to sell them. But rule 33 bars anyone from selling a cosmetic made in India unless a licensed maker made it, and it is labelled and packed as the rules require. So the licence you need depends on where your stock comes from.
Which licence fits your business
| If you | What you need | Who grants it |
|---|---|---|
| Resell brands made in India | No licence of your own under these rules, but sell only licensed, correctly labelled stock | Your state drugs controller enforces the sale rules |
| Make products in your own unit | A manufacturing licence in Form COS-8, applied for in Form COS-5 | State Licensing Authority |
| Have your brand made in another licensed factory | A loan licence in Form COS-9, applied for in Form COS-6 | State Licensing Authority |
| Import cosmetics to sell | A registration certificate in Form COS-2, applied for in Form COS-1 | CDSCO |
| Import a product someone else has registered | An import registration number in Form COS-4A, valid for three years | CDSCO |
Making your own products
You apply to your State Licensing Authority, with the form, the fee and the listed documents. You also sign a self-declaration in Form COS-7 that your premises follow good manufacturing practice. The authority must decide within 45 days. The fee is ₹10,000 for up to ten items in each category. A loan licence costs the same, and lets you use another licensee's factory. Once you have the licence, upload a copy to the CDSCO website before you start making products.
Importing cosmetics
Imported cosmetics need a registration certificate from CDSCO, the central drugs regulator. The fee is 1,000 US dollars for each category, 500 dollars for each factory and 50 dollars for each variant, such as a shade. The certificate stays valid in perpetuity if you pay the retention fee within five years. CDSCO does not allow imports of cosmetics tested on animals. Each unit pack must show the registration number and the importer's name and address.
What the label must carry
Rule 34 sets the label. It needs the product name, the maker's name and full address, and a use before or expiry date. It also needs a batch number, the manufacturing licence number and the net contents. Most packs must list the ingredients, starting with those above one percent in order of weight. Rule 36 bars any false or misleading claim. And a product that makes a drug claim is not treated as a cosmetic at all.
Listing cosmetics on your store
Your state drugs controller enforces the rules on sale, stock and offer for sale. So your product page should match the pack. Show the maker, the licence number, the full ingredients and the expiry date. Keep claims to what the product does for the skin or hair, not what it treats. Keep supplier invoices, so you can prove where your stock came from. On The Storemate, every product gets its own page with a description you control, so you can show all of this clearly. For your own case, check with a regulatory consultant.