The ministry had set a deadline of October 1st, 2012, but in view of the fact that the registration process was not ready to be rolled out for that date, it has now been postponed to the start April 1st, 2013.
The ministry did not give any specific reason as to why the registration was not ready for implementation.
Registration is for individual brands
Known as Gazette Notification 426E, the measure was first announced in May 2010, when it was announced that all imported cosmetics would have to register before entering the country as a means of regulating the product entry into the country.
The regulation requires that any cosmetics company or distributor importing products into the country must fill out and complete form 42, which has to be accompanied by a few of $250 for each individual brand registered, together with a treasury challan.
Those individual brands can be manufactured outside of India at either one or several production sites, providing they operate conjointly as a single manufacturing operation.
Risk of fines and product confisication
The government authorities have stated that after April 1st 2013 the implementation of the regulation means that all imported cosmetics products have to be registered or risk facing fines and the possibility of being withdrawn from store shelves, confiscation and possible jail terms for violators.
The registration refers to all groups of cosmetics, including color cosmetics, oral care, soaps, hair care, skin care and fragrance products.
For full information about the import regulation and how to fill it out, please consult the official government document by clicking here.