New Legal Metrology Rules Mandate Veg and Non-Veg Symbols on Toiletries Packaging

Key facts

• The Centre has amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, requiring soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, other cosmetics and toiletries to display a symbol indicating whether the product is of vegetarian or non-vegetarian origin.
• Under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Fourth Amendment Rules, 2026, notified on September 21, vegetarian-origin products must carry a green dot, while non-vegetarian-origin products must carry a red or brown dot.
• The symbol must appear at the top of the principal display panel of the package, and the amendment came into force on the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
• The labelling requirement for personal-care products was first introduced in 2014 under Rule 6(8); the September 2026 notification inserts it under Rule 6(4A)(d) and omits Rule 6(8).
• In February 2026, the Delhi High Court dealt with a challenge to the provision and directed regulatory authorities to arrive at a clear position on the labelling of cosmetics and toiletries.
• Toiletries and cosmetics must display the product name, manufacturer's name and address, importer details for imported goods, quantity in metric units, batch and licence numbers, manufacturing and expiry dates, and MRP inclusive of all taxes under the Cosmetics Rules, 2020 and the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules.
• Ingredients above 1 per cent concentration must be listed in descending order of weight or volume, while ingredients at 1 per cent or less can follow in any order; packs under 30 grams for solids or semi-solids and 60ml for liquids are exempt from the full ingredient list.