New Legal Metrology Rules Mandate Veg/Non-Veg Identification on Soap, Shampoo & Toothpaste

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Dated: 23.09.2026

New Legal Metrology Rules Mandate Veg/Non-Veg Identification on Soap, Shampoo & Toothpaste

The Central Government has amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 to introduce a specific declaration requirement for soap, shampoo, toothpaste, other cosmetics and toiletries, requiring packaged products to display a red or brown dot for products of non-vegetarian origin and a green dot for products of vegetarian origin.

The amendment has been notified by the Department of Consumer Affairs through G.S.R. 826(E) dated 21 September 2026 and comes into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette itself.

Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Fourth Amendment Rules, 2026

The new rules are formally titled the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Fourth Amendment Rules, 2026.
The Central Government has issued them in exercise of its powers under Section 52(1), read with clauses (j) and (q) of Section 52(2) of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009.
Unlike amendments that provide a future transition period, the notification expressly states that these rules “shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.” Accordingly, the amendment took effect on 21 September 2026.

Rule 6 Amended: Veg and Non-Veg Identification for Cosmetics & Toiletries

The principal change has been made in Rule 6 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, which deals with declarations to be made on packages.
In Rule 6(4A), a new clause (d) has been inserted after existing clause (c).

The newly inserted provision applies specifically to:

Soap
Shampoo
Toothpaste
Other cosmetics
Toiletries

For these categories, the package must display a prescribed coloured dot depending upon whether the product is of vegetarian or non-vegetarian origin.

Red or Brown Dot for Non-Vegetarian Origin Products

Under the new clause (d), products falling within the specified categories that are of non-vegetarian origin must carry a red or brown dot.
The notification uses the formulation “a red or, as the case may be, a brown dot for products of non-vegetarian origin.”
Accordingly, manufacturers, packers and importers dealing with covered products should review whether the ingredients or origin of the product trigger this declaration requirement.

Green Dot for Products of Vegetarian Origin

For products of vegetarian origin, the amendment requires a green dot.
The colour coding therefore provides a visual distinction between vegetarian and non-vegetarian origin products within the specified categories of cosmetics and toiletries.

Where Must the Dot Be Displayed?

The notification does not merely prescribe the colour of the declaration; it also specifies its location.
The red/brown or green dot, as applicable, must appear “at the top of the principal display panel.”
This location requirement is particularly important from a Legal Metrology compliance perspective. Businesses should therefore not assume that displaying the prescribed dot anywhere on the package will necessarily satisfy the amended text.
For products covered by the amendment, packaging artwork and labels should be reviewed to ensure that the declaration is positioned at the top of the principal display panel.

Rule 6(8) Omitted

The amendment makes another important change to Rule 6.
The Central Government has directed that sub-rule (8) of Rule 6 shall be omitted.
The two-page amendment notification does not reproduce the text of the omitted sub-rule. Therefore, the precise practical effect of deleting Rule 6(8) should be assessed by reading the amendment together with the immediately preceding consolidated version of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.

Compliance Impact on Manufacturers and Importers

The amendment has immediate relevance for businesses manufacturing, packing or importing the specified packaged products into India.
Companies dealing in soap, shampoo, toothpaste, cosmetics and toiletries should now review their product portfolio to determine the vegetarian/non-vegetarian origin status applicable to each covered product and ensure that the prescribed coloured dot is correctly incorporated into the principal display panel.
For imported packaged commodities, the change is particularly relevant because Legal Metrology declarations applicable to packages placed in the Indian market generally form part of import and market-access compliance. Importers should therefore examine packaging artwork and declarations before import and sale rather than treating the requirement solely as a post-import retail-label issue.
The amendment itself, however, does not provide a separate transition period or deferred implementation date. Its commencement provision expressly makes it effective from the date of Gazette publication.

What the Notification Does — and Does Not — Say

For compliance purposes, it is important to remain within the actual language of G.S.R. 826(E).

The notification expressly requires:

Product category	Origin	Required declaration	Location
Soap	Vegetarian	Green dot	Top of principal display panel
Soap	Non-vegetarian	Red/Brown dot	Top of principal display panel
Shampoo	Vegetarian	Green dot	Top of principal display panel
Shampoo	Non-vegetarian	Red/Brown dot	Top of principal display panel
Toothpaste	Vegetarian	Green dot	Top of principal display panel
Toothpaste	Non-vegetarian	Red/Brown dot	Top of principal display panel
Other cosmetics & toiletries	Vegetarian	Green dot	Top of principal display panel
Other cosmetics & toiletries	Non-vegetarian	Red/Brown dot	Top of principal display panel

These requirements flow directly from newly inserted Rule 6(4A)(d).

The notification itself does not define in this amendment text what ingredients or materials constitute “vegetarian origin” or “non-vegetarian origin,” nor does it prescribe dimensions for the dot in the newly inserted clause. Those issues should therefore not be inferred from this two-page amendment alone.

Principal Rules and Previous Amendment

The notification records that the principal Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 were originally published through G.S.R. 202(E) dated 7 March 2011.
It further records that, immediately before the present amendment, the Rules had last been amended through G.S.R. 418(E) dated 29 May 2026.
The latest notification therefore forms part of the continuing series of amendments to India’s packaged commodities labelling framework.

Key Takeaway

With effect from 21 September 2026, Rule 6 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 has been amended to expressly require soap, shampoo, toothpaste, other cosmetics and toiletries to carry a vegetarian/non-vegetarian origin declaration.

A green dot is required for products of vegetarian origin, while a red or brown dot is required for products of non-vegetarian origin. Crucially, the prescribed dot must appear at the top of the principal display panel. Manufacturers, packers and importers dealing with these products should accordingly review their labels and packaging artwork against the newly inserted Rule 6(4A)(d), particularly because the Government has provided no future commencement date in this notification.

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Source: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

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