The Government of India has enforced the Cosmetics Rules, 2020, effective December 15, 2020, under the ambit of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. These rules mandates compliance for cosmetics importers, ensuring adherence to established standards and procedures. By a circular dated February 23, 2024, CDSCO has emphasised on compliance with these rules.
Under these rules, importers are required to obtain an Import Registration Number (IRN) through Form COS-4A for cosmetics already registered under Rule 13, enabling their import and sale in India. However, despite these provisions, there has been an observed lapse in the submission of annual statements detailing the imported cosmetics by relevant importers.
In light of this, all applicants importing cosmetics under COS-4A are now directed to furnish an annual statement to the Central Licensing Authority. This statement should comprehensively outline details such as the number of consignments and bill of entries for each consignment, the imported quantity in each consignment, total cost of imported cosmetics per consignment, warehouse details where the products are stored for further distribution and sale, among others.
Importers are urged to promptly comply with these requirements to facilitate regulatory oversight and uphold the integrity of the cosmetics market in the country.
