Product record
Mehandi and henna cones that failed BIS tests (2024 to 2026)
Last checked 10 October 2026
CDSCO's alerts from May 2024 to March 2026 list a dozen mehandi and henna cone batches, from Nagris, Neeta, Shringar, Pushp, Golecha and unbranded makers, as not of standard quality against IS 17318:2020, mostly for microbial counts, loss on drying and claims the product does not meet; one Telangana sample was tested for picramic acid, a prohibited dye.
- Classification
- Declared Not of Standard Quality (NSQ)
- Decided by
- State drug-testing laboratories (Jaipur, Chandigarh, Telangana); listed by CDSCO
- Reference
- CDSCO NSQ alerts, May 2024, Aug 2025, Jan to Mar 2026, state lab lists
- Latest action
- 1 March 2026
- Last checked
- 10 October 2026
Photo: Mehndi tatoo for wedding in India.jpg by DADEVAL (CC0). All photo credits.
CDSCO: Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) alerts, public portal (monthly lists from state and central labs)
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 Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date.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
- Standard
- IS 17318:2020, henna-based hair and skin colouring preparations (mehandi); earlier IS 11142 for henna powder
- Typical failures
- Total microbial count, loss on drying, 'does not conform to claim' (colour or fastness claims on the label)
- Serious failure
- May 2024, Telangana: Nagris Pakeezah Art Henna cones tested for picramic acid, a prohibited colourant used to deepen henna stain
- Labs
- DTL Jaipur, RDTL Chandigarh, Telangana DCA laboratory
Henna cones are among the most frequently sampled cosmetics in CDSCO's monthly lists because they are cheap, sold loose, and made by hundreds of small units. The failures fall into three groups. Microbial counts above the limit, which point to contaminated water or poor hygiene in filling. Loss on drying, which means the paste is wetter than the standard allows. And 'does not conform to claim', where the label promises a colour, fastness or duration the lab could not reproduce.
One finding is of a different kind. In May 2024 Telangana's laboratory listed Nagris Pakeezah Art Henna cones with a test for picramic acid. Picramic acid is a nitro dye used to deepen henna stains and is not a permitted cosmetic colourant in India; it is also a skin sensitiser. The CDSCO entry records that the sample does not conform to the standard; it does not state the quantity.
The brands named in the alerts between 2024 and 2026 are Nagris, Neeta, Shringar, Pushp, Golecha and several unbranded 'fast colour' cones from Rajasthan and Punjab. Each is a batch finding. Readers who get a burning or blistering reaction from a cone should keep the pack: the batch number is what the state lab needs.
What this means for you
One batch, not the brand
A failed lab test names a batch number and the lab that tested it. It does not mean every pack of that product is affected. Check the batch on your pack against the one in the record.
'Fast colour' is the warning sign
Natural henna stains orange-brown over hours. Cones that promise a black or deep stain in minutes often contain PPD or other dyes not permitted in skin products. These are the ones that cause the blistering reactions dermatologists report.
What the standard checks
IS 17318 sets limits on microbes, moisture and heavy metals and requires the label claims to be true. A microbial failure means the cone was contaminated; a 'claim' failure means the label promised something the product does not do.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Are mehandi cones banned in India?
No. They are cosmetics that must meet IS 17318. Individual batches from several brands failed tests between 2024 and 2026; no brand has been banned.
Is black mehandi legal?
A cone that turns black fast usually relies on PPD or similar dyes. PPD is permitted in hair dyes within limits but not in products applied to the skin, so a 'black mehandi' for hands is not a compliant cosmetic.
Official sources and primary records
- Regulator
- Cosmetics Rules, 2020 (G.S.R. 763(E), 15 Dec 2020), CDSCO cosmetics division page with rules, FAQs and noticesGazetteCDSCO · 15 December 2020