In India, most products marketed as “Natural”, “Organic”, “Herbal”, “Ayurvedic”, “100% Pure”, “Chemical-Free” etc… simply are not.
They hide behind regulations.
They hide behind language.
They hide behind loopholes.
And the burden of safety is dumped on the consumer.
Loopholes in the law
India has two separate regulatory tracks for personal care products:
| Category | Who Regulates | What must they disclose |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic shampoo / soap / lotion | CDSCO | Must list every ingredient |
| Ayurvedic Proprietary Medicine (same shampoo but with herbs) | Ministry of AYUSH | Only needs to list herb actives. Can hide the chemical base under the single word: “Excipients / Q.S.” |
Brands know this.
They exploit this ruthlessly.
A popular “Ayurvedic” shampoo openly admits that 10 ml contains only 2.2 grams of herbs.
The rest of the shampoo — the majority — is hidden as: Shampoo Base – Q.S.
Meaning → “we will not tell you what it contains, and it is legally allowed.”
That’s the game.
And this is not just shampoo. This applies to food, beverages, supplements, skincare, baby products — across categories.
The other side: Adulteration
And then there’s another layer of madness — adulteration.
Social media is full of DIY home tests:
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how to test fake paneer with iodine
-
how to detect wax on apples
-
how to check if honey is real
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how to see if peas are dyed with malachite green
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how to burn a candle under plastic-like rice grains
Why are we being forced to do all this?
Why are we expected to build a laboratory in my kitchen?
Isn’t this exactly what government food labs and drug safety departments are for?
The absurd expectation
Somehow the entire system is designed so that the ordinary citizen must become the inspector.
The common man is expected to:
-
read microscopic fine print
-
understand Latin chemical names
-
know all the category-specific legal classifications
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remember dozens of chemical codes
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PLUS detect fakes and adulteration at home
This is ridiculous.
And I say this as someone who actually tries to research.
What about the 1 crore families who simply buy what is affordable?
What about senior citizens who can’t even read the label text without glasses?
What about people in villages who don’t even know English?
How can you expect them to understand international certification systems and foreign logos?
None of us can track which certifying body is genuine for which product category.
So… what can we reasonably do?
We cannot turn into chemists.
We cannot turn into lawyers.
We can do only 3 practical things — and that’s it:
1) Treat hidden language as a red flag.
If a product says “Base: Q.S.” or “Excipients” → assume it is a normal synthetic formulation.
2) Prefer simpler / fewer ingredient products.
Fewer components = fewer places to hide nonsense.
3) When something is blatantly false → complain.
Use CCPA. Use your right.
That is the only thing that truly pressures the system.
Final line
We should not have to perform an iodine test to check if our paneer is real.
We should not have to decode Latin to understand shampoo.
We should not have to fear every purchase.
The burden of safety is the job of regulators — not the average citizen.
Till that changes, the only sane survival strategy is:
Assume nothing, simplify choices, and question loudly.
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