Fact-check
Are glutathione skin-whitening injections legal in India?
Last checked 10 October 2026
They are not lawful as a cosmetic and not approved as a drug for whitening: CDSCO's public notice of 18 May 2026 states that injectables are not cosmetics and that no cosmetic is permitted to be used as an injection by consumers, professionals or aesthetic clinics, while injectable glutathione is licensed in India only as a drug for other indications, so a clinic giving it for skin lightening is using a drug off-label with no approved claim.
- Classification
- Regulatory notice or advisory
- Decided by
- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), cosmetics division
- Reference
- CDSCO public notice, File COS-1211/2026, 18 May 2026
- Latest action
- 18 May 2026
- Last checked
- 10 October 2026
Photo: Woman applying cream to hand.jpg by Moose Photos (CC0). All photo credits.
CDSCO public notice: injectables are not cosmetics; no cosmetic is permitted to be used as an injection (File COS-1211/2026)
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 Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date.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
- The notice
- Injectables are not cosmetics; no cosmetic is permitted to be used as an injection; cosmetics are not for treatment of disease; violations to cosmetics@cdsco.nic.in
- Glutathione as a drug
- Licensed injectables exist for other uses; there is no approved indication for skin lightening and no clinical evidence standard met for it
- Who is covered
- Consumers, 'professionals' and aesthetic clinics alike
- Abroad
- The Philippines FDA has warned against glutathione whitening injections since 2011; the US FDA has acted against compounded versions
Where the claim comes from
The May 2026 notice was reported as a 'ban on glutathione injections'. The notice is broader: it covers every injectable sold as a cosmetic.
On 18 May 2026 CDSCO's cosmetics division published a public notice, File COS-1211/2026, in response to the growth of 'glow drips' and whitening injections in aesthetic clinics and salons. It makes three statements: injectables are not cosmetics; no cosmetic is permitted to be used as an injection by consumers, professionals or aesthetic clinics; and cosmetics are not for the treatment of disease. It asks the public to report violations to the cosmetics division.
Glutathione itself is not banned. It is sold by mouth as a supplement and is licensed in injectable form as a drug for a few specific uses. What has never been approved in India, or by any major regulator, is intravenous glutathione for skin lightening; the evidence does not meet the standard for a drug claim, and the reported harms abroad include infection from unsterile practice, allergic reactions and kidney effects at high doses. A clinic selling it as a whitening service is therefore either using a drug off-label with no approved claim or, after the May 2026 notice, selling a cosmetic that cannot lawfully be injected.
The notice applies to every injectable marketed as a cosmetic, not only glutathione, which is why it has been read as covering 'vitamin drips' and similar services too.
What this means for you
What a clinic can lawfully do
A registered medical practitioner may prescribe a licensed drug. A 'glow drip' sold as a cosmetic service, by a clinic or a salon, has no legal basis after the May 2026 notice.
Reported risks
Infections from unsterile practice, allergic reactions and, with high-dose intravenous use, kidney and thyroid effects have been reported abroad. No Indian safety data exists because the use is not approved.
Report what you find
CDSCO asks the public to report Indian-made cosmetics to the State Drugs Controller and imported ones to the Drugs Controller General of India at cosmetics@cdsco.nic.in. Keep the pack and the bill.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Is glutathione banned in India?
Oral glutathione is sold as a supplement and injectable glutathione is a licensed drug for other uses. What is not permitted is injecting anything as a cosmetic, or claiming skin whitening for a drug that has no such approval.
Can a dermatologist give a glutathione injection?
A doctor can prescribe a licensed drug, but there is no approved skin-lightening indication, so it is an off-label use with no approved claim, and it cannot be marketed as a cosmetic service.
Official sources and primary records
- CDSCO public notice: injectables are not cosmetics; no cosmetic is permitted to be used as an injection (File COS-1211/2026)RegulatorCDSCO · 18 May 2026
- Beauty through syringes no longer cosmetic: glutathione drips and injectable aesthetic procedures under CDSCO lensNewsMedical Dialogues · 20 May 2026