Substance or rule
Hexachlorophene in cosmetics: banned except in soap
Last checked 10 October 2026
Hexachlorophene is banned as a cosmetic ingredient in India: Rule 18(3) of the Cosmetics Rules 2020 prohibits the import of cosmetics containing it and Rule 39(4) prohibits its manufacture in cosmetics, with the single exception of soap containing not more than 1 per cent by weight.
- Classification
- Prohibited (the Cosmetics Rules, 2020 under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940)
- Decided by
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Reference
- Rules 18(3) and 39(4), Cosmetics Rules 2020
- Latest action
- 15 December 2020
- Last checked
- 10 October 2026
Photo: DSCF0910 Evening market scene shoppers browse a brightly lit stall of cosmetics and trinkets under the night sky.jpg by PattayaPatrol (CC BY-SA 4.0). All photo credits.
Cosmetics Rules, 2020, full text (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe organise and explain what the document says. The document above is the authority.
Key facts
- Status
- Prohibited in all cosmetics except soap (up to 1 per cent w/w)
- Why
- An antibacterial that is absorbed through skin and is neurotoxic; infant deaths in France in 1972 from a contaminated talc led to bans worldwide
- History
- The Indian prohibition dates from the 1945 rules and was carried into the 2020 Rules
Hexachlorophene is a chlorinated antibacterial that was widely used in soaps, powders and skin cleansers until the early 1970s, when infant deaths in France from a talc contaminated with it, and evidence of brain damage from skin absorption, led most countries to restrict it. India's rules prohibit it in cosmetics twice over: Rule 18(3) of the Cosmetics Rules 2020 bars the import of any cosmetic containing it, and Rule 39(4) bars its use in manufacture. The one exception is soap, where up to 1 per cent by weight is allowed, as it was under the 1945 rules.
It is one of the few substances the Cosmetics Rules name directly; most prohibited ingredients are listed by reference to IS 4707 Part 2.
What this means for you
You will not see it on a lawful label
Any cosmetic other than soap listing hexachlorophene is unlawful. In soap it is capped at 1 per cent and is rare in modern formulations.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Official sources and primary records
- Cosmetics Rules, 2020, full text (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)GazetteMinistry of Health and Family Welfare · 15 December 2020
- Cosmetics Rules, 2020 (G.S.R. 763(E), 15 Dec 2020), CDSCO cosmetics division page with rules, FAQs and noticesGazetteCDSCO · 15 December 2020