Hair relaxers, chemical straighteners and keratin smoothening systems are Fourth Schedule hair-care preparations, and an imported product must be registered with CDSCO under the Cosmetics Rules, 2020 before the first consignment. Registration is product-level and tied to the exact formulation and manufacturing site.
No dedicated Ninth Schedule Indian Standard covers relaxers and straighteners, so the finished product is tested against the manufacturer's country-of-origin standards read with the Cosmetics Rules, 2020. What makes this category demanding is the chemistry: the actives that do the straightening are precisely the ones the Rules restrict.
📌 Under Rule 12(1) of the Cosmetics Rules, 2020, no hair relaxer or straightener may be imported into India unless it is registered by the Central Licensing Authority. The application is Form COS-1 on the CDSCO SUGAM portal and the approval is issued as an Import Registration Certificate in Form COS-2 — it must be in place before the first consignment lands.
📋 Is CDSCO Registration Mandatory for Hair Relaxer?
Yes. A hair relaxer, chemical straightener or keratin smoothening treatment is a Fourth Schedule hair-care preparation and needs CDSCO registration before the first consignment. The country-of-origin CoA is the technical base; the active limits — formaldehyde, thioglycolates, alkalis — are what the file really turns on.
The application is filed by the overseas manufacturer or, in practice, its Authorised Indian Agent, and covers professional-salon and retail formats alike.
📘 The Standard in Detail
With no Ninth Schedule Indian Standard for this category, the Certificate of Analysis is drawn against the country-of-origin specification and the Cosmetics Rules, 2020. The CoA is expected to report pH, the active-system assay (thioglycolate, hydroxide or reducing agent), free formaldehyde / methylene glycol where relevant, heavy metals and microbiological limits.
The chemistry sits in three families. Alkali (“lye”) relaxers use sodium, potassium, lithium, calcium or guanidine hydroxide and run at a high pH. Thioglycolate systems reduce and reform the hair bonds. Keratin smoothening systems are the sensitive ones, because many release formaldehyde or methylene glycol on heating — and formaldehyde is tightly restricted under the Rules.
🗂️ The Core Document Set — Required for Every Application
Whatever the product, Form COS-1 carries the same core dossier. Getting this base right is what decides whether the file clears in one pass or comes back as a query letter; the product-specific documents in the next section sit on top of it.
- Covering letter — states the purpose (fresh registration, endorsement of a product, site or pack size, or re-registration), references any earlier certificate and points to the correlation charts.
- Authorisation from the manufacturer (First Schedule) — names the manufacturer, every manufacturing premises, the Authorised Indian Agent and each product, variant and pack size; signed jointly on every page, then notarised and apostilled (Hague states) or embassy-attested.
- Part-I of the Second Schedule — company and product particulars, chemical information and the nine statutory undertakings, completed afresh for each COS-1.
- Ingredient list with percentages — INCI nomenclature, percentage of each ingredient, signed by a competent person; must exclude anything listed in Annex A of IS 4707 (Part 2).
- Inner and outer labels — legible originals for the product and every variant, compliant with Chapter VI.
- Specification and method of testing — the finished-product specification and test method, signed and stamped.
- Finished-product Certificate of Analysis — a batch CoA against the applicable Ninth Schedule Indian Standard, or against country-of-origin standards where no Indian Standard exists.
- Manufacturing licence / marketing authorisation — an authenticated copy from the country-of-origin regulator, or a manufacturer's undertaking where no such regime exists.
- Free Sale Certificate (FSC) — original, from the National Regulatory Authority of the country of origin; if issued by a chamber of commerce, apostilled or embassy-attested, and the product list signed and stamped.
- Non-animal-testing declaration — that the products have not been tested on animals after 12 November 2014.
- Heavy-metal and hexachlorophene declaration — a test report for Pb, As, Hg and other heavy metals plus microbiological results, or a manufacturer's undertaking of compliance.
- GMP / ISO 22716 certificate — evidence of cosmetic Good Manufacturing Practice at the overseas site.
- Correlation chart — maps each product serial number in COS-1 against the FSC and the Authorisation; missing or inconsistent charts are among the most common causes of query letters.
- Bharatkosh fee receipt — acknowledgement of the fee paid under head of account 0210041040000-00-1.
- Duly signed Form COS-1 — original, with every detail matching the Authorisation and Second Schedule Part-I exactly.
➕ Extra Documents for Hair Relaxer
On top of the core dossier above, a hair relaxer application needs:
- Certificate of Analysis against the country-of-origin standard — pH, active-system assay, free formaldehyde / methylene glycol, heavy metals and microbiological limits.
- Active-ingredient declaration with the concentration of thioglycolic acid / thioglycolate, hydroxide alkali or keratin reducing system.
- Free-formaldehyde and methylene-glycol content declaration for keratin and smoothening systems.
- Multi-component declaration where the product is a two- or three-part kit (cream, neutraliser, activator), each part specified and tested.
- Claim-substantiation dossier for the straightening / smoothening claim and any “formaldehyde-free” claim.
- Directions and warnings artwork, including patch-test and professional-use instructions.
⚗️ Composition & Safety Limits
Regardless of category, the finished cosmetic must respect the composition limits in the Cosmetics Rules, 2020. CDSCO checks these against the heavy-metal report or the manufacturer's undertaking:
- Arsenic (in permitted colours) — not more than 2 ppm, as arsenic trioxide.
- Lead (in permitted colours) — not more than 20 ppm, as lead.
- Other heavy metals (in permitted colours) — not more than 100 ppm as the total of the respective metals.
- Mercury — up to 70 ppm (0.007%) as a preservative in eye-area products only; unintentional mercury not to exceed 1 ppm in all other products.
- Hexachlorophene — prohibited, except in soaps up to 1% w/w with the prescribed caution.
- Lead and arsenic compounds as colourants — prohibited outright.
- Dyes, colours and pigments — only those specified in IS 4707 (Part 1) / IS 4707 (Part 2) and the Tenth Schedule.
The active concentration is the composition control for this category. Thioglycolic acid is permitted for hair use within notified limits, with a higher ceiling for professional products; the hydroxide alkalis run to a controlled pH; and free formaldehyde must stay within the restricted threshold and be warned for above it. Declare each active concentration and the pH, and confirm they sit within the permitted range.
🏷️ Hair Relaxer Label Requirements
In addition to the general Chapter VI requirements, hair relaxer labels are checked for these product-specific points:
- Directions for use, processing time and the mandatory patch-test instruction.
- The prescribed “contains formaldehyde” caution where free formaldehyde exceeds the notified threshold, and any “professional use only” marking.
- Warnings on eye and skin contact, and not-for-use conditions (broken or irritated scalp).
- Address of the actual manufacturer, or “Made in ____” where contract manufactured; multi-part kits label each component.
⚖️ Cosmetic Route, but Watch the Chemistry
Hair relaxers and straighteners stay cosmetics on their claims — reshaping and smoothening hair is a cosmetic function, not a therapeutic one. The risk in this category is not the claim but the composition: an active over its permitted limit, or free formaldehyde above the restricted threshold without the warning, is a compliance breach even where the marketing is entirely cosmetic.
The two safeguards are the concentration declaration and honest finished-product testing. Keep thioglycolate and alkali within the permitted range, declare free formaldehyde truthfully and carry the warning where required, and the product clears as a cosmetic. A “formaldehyde-free” claim that the finished-product test contradicts is the fastest way to a query letter.
🛠️ Step-by-Step Registration Process
- Classify the productConfirm the article meets the definition of a cosmetic under Section 3(aaa) and is not a drug, then map it to the correct Fourth Schedule category — this drives both the fee and the certificate scope.
- Appoint the Authorised Indian AgentExecute the authorisation in the First Schedule format, signed jointly by manufacturer and agent on every page, then notarised and apostilled (Hague states) or attested by the Indian Embassy.
- Assemble the technical dossierIngredient list with percentages, specification and method of testing, finished-product test reports, inner and outer labels, GMP / ISO 22716 evidence and the Free Sale Certificate.
- Align the label to Chapter VIIndian labelling is one of the top rejection reasons. India-specific content may be stickered onto the unit pack at a bonded warehouse before clearance.
- Pay the fee on BharatkoshCompute the category, site and variant fees, pay online under head 0210041040000-00-1 and retain the acknowledgement receipt for upload.
- File Form COS-1 on SUGAMUpload the full checklist, including the correlation chart that ties each product serial number in COS-1 to the Free Sale Certificate and the authorisation.
- Respond to CDSCO queriesQueries typically concern apostille defects, Free Sale Certificate scope mismatch, ingredient limits and label non-compliance. Reply within the stipulated period, as each query restarts the effective clock.
- Receive Form COS-2Print the Registration Certificate number on every unit pack, alongside the holder's name and address, before the goods are cleared for sale.
💰 Government Fees
CDSCO cosmetic registration is priced under the Third Schedule and paid category by category, not as a single flat licence. The headline components are:
Each cosmetic category
USD 1,000 for the grant or retention of the Registration Certificate, per Fourth Schedule category.
Each additional category
USD 1,000 for every further category added to the same application.
Each variant
USD 50 for each shade, fragrance or formulation variant declared.
Each manufacturing site
USD 500 for every overseas manufacturing premises covered.
Fees are paid online through the Bharatkosh gateway under head of account 0210041040000-00-1, and the acknowledgement receipt is uploaded with the application. A duplicate certificate is USD 200, permission for a novel ingredient not previously used in India is USD 500, and inspection of an overseas manufacturing site, if ordered, is a further USD 5,000.
⏱️ Timeline & Validity at a Glance
A complete, well-drafted application is typically cleared in about four to six months. The single biggest lever on that timeline is the quality of the first filing: every query CDSCO raises effectively restarts the clock, so a dossier that pre-empts the common objections is worth far more than one filed quickly and corrected later. The certificate is valid for five years and should be re-registered before expiry — an application filed after lapse is treated as a fresh registration, and a retention fee keeps the certificate alive across the term.
⚠️ Where Hair Relaxer Applications Get Queried
Most relaxer and straightener queries concern the restricted actives:
- Free formaldehyde above the notified threshold without the prescribed warning.
- A “formaldehyde-free” claim contradicted by the methylene-glycol content on heating.
- Thioglycolate or hydroxide concentration above the permitted limit, or declared without a figure.
- A multi-part kit filed with only one component specified and tested.
🔗 Related Approvals Alongside CDSCO
CDSCO registration rarely travels alone. Depending on the product and the importer, plan for these adjacent approvals in parallel, because any one of them can hold a consignment at the port even when the CDSCO certificate is in order:
- Importer-Exporter Code (DGFT) — mandatory for any importer of record, obtained before the first consignment.
- LMPC registration (Legal Metrology) — importers of pre-packaged commodities register under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 and carry MRP, net quantity, importer details, country of origin, consumer-care details and date of import on the pack.
- Wholesale licence (Form 20B / 21B) — where the Indian agent also distributes drugs alongside cosmetics.
- Drug import licence (Form 10) — where the product contains a pharmacologically active ingredient or makes a therapeutic claim, it is a drug, not a cosmetic, and this route replaces COS-1.
✅ Post-Approval Obligations
The certificate is the start of an ongoing compliance duty, not the end of it. After grant, the registration holder must:
- Print the Registration Certificate number on every unit pack, with the name and address of the certificate holder.
- Report any change in labelling, composition, testing or specification within 30 days, with an undertaking of continued compliance with the Ninth Schedule standards.
- Report any market withdrawal, regulatory restriction, cancellation of authorisation or not-of-standard-quality finding in any country where the product is sold, and stop dispatch and marketing immediately.
- Allow the Licensing Authority to draw samples for testing and to inspect the overseas manufacturing premises.
- Track BIS standard revisions — a new or amended Indian Standard becomes mandatory six months after publication.
- Diarise re-registration well before the five-year expiry.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is CDSCO registration mandatory for imported hair relaxers and straighteners?
Yes. They are Fourth Schedule hair-care preparations and cannot be imported until registered under Rule 12(1) of the Cosmetics Rules, 2020, with the certificate issued in Form COS-2.
Which standard applies to hair relaxers and straighteners?
There is no Ninth Schedule Indian Standard for this category, so the CoA is drawn against the country-of-origin specification and the Cosmetics Rules, 2020, reporting pH, active assay, free formaldehyde, heavy metals and microbiological limits.
Are keratin smoothening treatments allowed?
Yes, as cosmetics, but formaldehyde is restricted under the Rules. Free formaldehyde must stay within the notified threshold and carry the prescribed warning above it. A product that releases methylene glycol on heating must be tested and declared honestly.
Is a hair relaxer a cosmetic or a drug?
It is a cosmetic — reshaping hair is a cosmetic function. The controls are on composition (active limits and formaldehyde), not on classification, so long as the claims stay cosmetic.
How are two-part or three-part relaxer kits registered?
Each component of the kit — cream, neutraliser, activator — is specified and tested, and the concentration of the active in each is declared. A kit filed with only one part specified is a common query.
Do we need an Authorised Indian Agent?
In practice yes — the agent files on the First Schedule format and carries statutory liability for the product in India.
Hair Relaxer & Straightener Registration, Handled End to End
Global Approbation manages the complete CDSCO cosmetic registration for imported relaxers, straighteners and keratin systems — active-limit and formaldehyde review, multi-part CoA mapping, label warnings and query response — so your first consignment clears cleanly.
Talk to Our CDSCO Team Global Market Access