Used by 450+ corporate clients across India since 2015

Cosmetic Manufacturing License in India for Brands

A cosmetic manufacturing license is the licence a State Licensing Authority grants under the Cosmetics Rules, 2020 before cosmetics are made for sale: Form COS-8 for your own plant, COS-9 for a loan licence. LexComply prepares the COS-5 or COS-6 application, checks your premises before the inspection and tracks the retention fee on a platform used by 450+ corporate clients.

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Cream jars and lotion bottles on a filling line in a cosmetics manufacturing plant in India, representing LexComply's cosmetic manufacturing license services

Our Cosmetic Manufacturing License Services

One route for each way a cosmetic is made for sale in India, and for the obligations that follow the grant. Importing cosmetics is a separate registration with the Central Licensing Authority and is not covered here.

Own-Plant Licence in Form COS-8

For a company manufacturing cosmetics in its own premises. We prepare the COS-5 application with the COS-7 GMP self-certificate, map each product to its category and file with the State Licensing Authority, with one licence per manufacturing premises.

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Cosmetic Loan Licence in Form COS-9

For a brand owner whose products are made at another licensee's plant. We prepare the COS-6 application, check it against the host plant's licence, staff and testing set-up, and file it so your licence and the host plant's records match.

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Premises and GMP Readiness

A review of your premises, plant and equipment against the Seventh Schedule to the Cosmetics Rules, 2020, which sets the good manufacturing practice standard, before the inspection the authority carries out within 30 days of grant.

Get a Readiness Review

Technical Staff and Testing Set-Up

Rule 26 requires at least 1 whole-time technical person with a qualification the Rules recognise, plus testing in your own laboratory or an approved one. We check both before filing so the application is not returned.

Check Staff Rules

Retention Fee and Amendments

A licence stays valid in perpetuity if the retention fee is paid before each 5-year period ends. LexComply tracks that date, files the fee and handles amendments when products, categories or premises change.

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Label and Compliance Tracking

Your label must carry the manufacturing licence number under Rule 34. The licence, its retention date and every amendment then sit in LexComply's compliance platform, monitored across 200+ government portals, so a rule change reaches the accountable owner.

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A quality-control chemist in an Indian cosmetics factory checking a cream sample, the technical staff and testing step in LexComply's cosmetic manufacturing license process

How a Cosmetic License Consultant Works With You

Route and Category Assessment

We establish whether you need an own-plant licence or a loan licence, which State in India your plant sits in, and how your products divide into categories and items. The output is a written note naming the forms, the authority and the government fee you will pay.

Premises and Staff Check

Your premises, plant and equipment are reviewed against the Seventh Schedule, and your technical staff and testing arrangements against Rule 26, before anything is filed. A gap found now is fixed before the authority sees it; one found at the post-grant inspection can put the licence at risk.

Application and Self-Certificate

We prepare the COS-5 or COS-6 application with the COS-7 self-certificate of good manufacturing practice and every supporting document, check the set against the State portal's format, and file it, so the authority's document review starts on a complete and consistent application.

Grant and Post-Grant Inspection

The Rules ask the State Licensing Authority to grant or report deficiencies within 45 days, then inspect within 30 days of grant. We answer each query, prepare your team for the inspection and record every submission, so you keep an auditable trail.

Retention and Assurance

Once granted, your licence sits in LexComply's compliance platform with every other obligation your Indian plants carry. The retention fee date is tracked against the five-year rule, and a new or extended due date reaches the accountable owner within 48 hours.

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Is outside support worth it

When a Cosmetic Manufacturing License Needs a Specialist

A single-site manufacturer with one product category and an experienced technical person can often file without help. A specialist earns its place when you run more than one premises, add a loan licence at a third-party plant, cover several product categories, or have never faced a post-grant inspection. Because a false self-certificate can lead to cancellation, a weak application costs most after grant, at inspection. LexComply's output is the route agreed in writing, premises and staff checked against the Rules before filing, and the licence tracked for its retention fee in one compliance register.

Discuss Your Requirement

A clean cosmetics production room with a mixing vessel and sealed drums, prepared for the premises inspection that follows a cosmetic manufacturing licence grant in India

From LexComply users

What Clients Say About the LexComply Platform

it keeps us updated with all regulatory and statutory changes, updates as soon as they're implemented/rolled out. It's been our saviour and alarm clock !!!

RachnaLawyer★★★★★

Contains every bit of information and the best part is it keeps updated with latest changes in acts rules etc.

Gaurav KapoorLegal Services★★★★★

Useful software for the organisation. Provide good control mechanisms for top management

Automotive IndustryHead Legal & Company Secretary★★★★☆

Licence plus tracking

Why Choose LexComply as Your Cosmetic License Consultant?

New Delhi Base, Pan-India Filing

Based in New Delhi since RSJ Lexsys was incorporated in 2015, LexComply prepares cosmetic manufacturing applications for plants across India and files them with the State Licensing Authority where each plant sits.

Licence and Tracking in One Place

Your licence work does not end at grant. The five-year retention date, every amendment and every rule change touching your plant are tracked in LexComply's compliance platform, used by 450+ corporate clients.

Expert-Guided from Assessment to Inspection

LexComply runs every application through an expert-guided workflow, from the route assessment to the post-grant inspection, and gives you a reasoned view in writing of the forms and fees before anything is filed.

About LexComply

A RegTech company built by legal and finance practitioners

LexComply is the anchor brand of RSJ Lexsys Private Limited, a RegTech company incorporated in New Delhi in 2015. Its registration services cover Central and State licences across India, from legal metrology and EPR to factory licences and CDSCO approvals, and its leadership brings more than 80 years of combined experience across law, chartered accountancy, company secretarial practice and enterprise technology. LexComply's compliance platform and services are used by manufacturing, automotive, consumer goods, healthcare, real estate and logistics enterprises, including two of the Big 4 global accounting and tax firms. Today 450+ corporate clients and 20,000+ active users run their obligations on the platform. Once a licence is granted, its retention fee and amendments move into the same compliance register that tracks 10,000+ laws.

450+Corporate Clients
20,000+Active Users
80 yearsCombined Leadership Experience

Cosmetic Manufacturing License FAQs

What is a cosmetic manufacturing license?

It is the licence a company needs under the Cosmetics Rules, 2020 to manufacture cosmetics for sale or distribution in India. It is granted in Form COS-8 for manufacture in your own premises, or in Form COS-9 as a loan licence when your products are made at another licensee's plant.

Who issues a cosmetic manufacturing license in India?

The State Licensing Authority, which is the drugs control authority of the State where the plant is located. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation does not issue it, although a product that is a new cosmetic under the Rules needs prior permission from the Central Licensing Authority before a State can license its manufacture.

What is the government fee for a cosmetic manufacturing license?

For a COS-8 licence the Third Schedule sets ₹10,000 for up to ten items of each category, ₹500 for each additional item and ₹10,000 for each additional category. LexComply's professional fee depends on the number of premises, categories and items and whether a loan licence is involved, and is quoted before work starts.

How long does a cosmetic manufacturing license take?

Rule 23 asks the State Licensing Authority to grant the licence, or tell you what is missing, within 45 days of the date you apply with the fee and documents, and to inspect the premises within 30 days of grant. Preparing the premises, staff and documents beforehand is usually what decides the timeline.

What is the validity of a cosmetic manufacturing licence?

Under Rule 30 the licence remains valid in perpetuity, provided the retention fee is paid before each five-year period from the date of issue ends. A late payment attracts 2% of the retention fee for every month or part of a month for up to 180 days, after which the licence is deemed cancelled.

What is a loan licence for cosmetics?

A loan licence lets a company, typically a brand owner, manufacture its cosmetics at another licensee's plant, using that plant's facilities. The applicant files Form COS-6 and the State Licensing Authority grants it in Form COS-9. LexComply aligns the application with the host plant's licence, staff and testing arrangements before filing.

What do I need before applying for a cosmetic manufacturing license?

Premises, plant and equipment that meet the Seventh Schedule, at least one whole-time technical person with a recognised qualification such as a Diploma in Pharmacy or a bachelor's degree in Cosmetic Technology, testing arrangements, and the COS-7 self-certificate. LexComply checks each item against the Rules before filing.

Do I need a cosmetic license consultant, or can my team file it?

Many single-site manufacturers file in-house. A cosmetic license consultant is worth engaging when you run several premises, add a loan licence, cover several product categories or are preparing for your first post-grant inspection. LexComply confirms which situation you are in before you engage.

Not sure whether you need an own-plant or a loan licence

A specialist can confirm your route, forms and government fee before you commit to anything.

Confirm My Licence Route

Cosmetic Manufacturing License by State

Each State's drugs control authority acts as the State Licensing Authority for plants inside that State, and applications are made to it through the online portal identified for the purpose. The forms and the government fee are set by the Cosmetics Rules, 2020 and are the same in every State. Choose your State to confirm its authority.

45 daysTo grant or report deficiencies, Rule 23(5)
30 daysInspection after grant, Rule 23(7)
1 licenceFor each manufacturing premises, Rule 24

Maharashtra

Gujarat

Tamil Nadu

Karnataka

Telangana

Himachal Pradesh

Uttarakhand

Delhi

Plant in another State

The same forms and fees apply everywhere. Tell us where your plant is and we will confirm the authority and its portal.

Confirm My State Authority

Independent recognition

Awards and Recognition

Compliance Management System of the Year 2023

Awarded at the UBS Forum, Mumbai.

Prithvi Awards, Startup Focused on ESG

Presented by Union Minister Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Entrepreneur Awards 2023

MSME Online Business Entrepreneur of the Year, CS Gaurrav Jaiin.

Talk to a Cosmetic Licensing Specialist Today

Tell us what you manufacture, where your plant is, whether you use a third-party plant and how many product categories are involved. A LexComply specialist will confirm your licence route and what the application involves for you.

info@lexcomply.com

Request a Licence Assessment

Connect with one of our platform specialists to discuss how can we help your business stay out in front.

info@lexcomply.com Check My Eligibility