Consumers will soon be able to differentiate between shampoos and soaps with vegetarian and non-vegetarian origins. The changes come as the Centre amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, making veg or non-veg labelling compulsory for products including soaps, shampoos and toothpaste. The amendment came into effect on Monday.
The new rules require products made entirely from plants or plant-derived ingredients, without any components taken from animals, to have a green dot at the top of the principal display panel, while others that use animal components are to be labelled with a red dot.
Amending the sub-rule 4A, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs added the clause “In the case of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, other cosmetics and toiletries, a red or, as the case may be, a brown dot for products of non-vegetarian origin and a green dot for products of vegetarian origin, at the top of the principal display panel.”
According to reports, the move aims to make shopping easier for customers and to easily identify products that align with their interests.
An earlier amendment in 2014, under Rule 6(8), already required personal-care products to carry green and red or brown dots. The rule was introduced after advocate Rajt Aneja filed a petition saying that it is the fundamental right of any citizen to know whether the food they consume, cosmetics they use or clothes they wear are manufactured using parts derived from the body of an animal.
However, a legal conflict arose between the Director of Legal Metrology, who introduced the rules and the opposing Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB). The health departments argued that the dots added an unnecessary regulatory burden.
In February 2026, the Delhi High Court ordered the departments to sort out their differences after Dettol manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser challenged Rule (6)8. The DTAB agreed not to mandate the use of green, red, or brown dots for personal-care products and cosmetics.
However, the disputed Rule 6(8) has been removed and formally structured and inserted under Rule 6(4A)(d), notified in the Official Gazette on September 21. Since the changes are in effect, manufacturers and sellers of the products will follow the prescribed labelling requirements on their packaging.
