--- title: Indian rules for OTC, cosmetic and supplement claims description: Plain-English guide to the Indian rules that apply to OTC, cosmetic and nutraceutical brand websites, and how GetPreferred is designed around them. canonical: https://getpreferred.impactplus.co.in/indian-rules/ last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- # Indian rules for OTC, cosmetic and supplement claims In India, a brand website is advertising, so advertising rules apply to it. OTC claims answer to the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and Schedule J of the Drugs Rules, 1945. Cosmetics answer to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Cosmetics Rules, 2020. Supplement claims answer to the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018. Every advertisement answers to the ASCI Code and its influencer and disclaimer guidelines. Endorsements answer to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 with the CCPA endorsement guidelines. Last reviewed: 27 October 2026 ## Built for consumer health brands and the Indian rules they answer to A website is a public advertisement that ASCI, the CCPA, FSSAI, and state drug authorities can review at any time. Every claim on a consumer health page has to meet the rules for its category. For OTC claims, that means the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and Schedule J of the Drugs Rules, 1945. For cosmetics, the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 defines a cosmetic, and the Cosmetics Rules, 2020 set what its label may say. For supplement claims, the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 apply, together with the Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, and Prebiotic and Probiotic Food) Regulations, 2022. Across all three, the ASCI Code and its influencer and disclaimer guidelines apply to every advertisement, and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 with the CCPA endorsement guidelines applies to every expert or influencer mention. GetPreferred™ is designed around those rules: every page is built from facts your team confirms in writing, every expert's connection to the brand is disclosed, and nothing is published without your written approval. Final sign-off on any claim stays with the client's regulatory team. Pharma companies have a section of their own below: For pharma companies: corporate and business pages. ## Each rule in plain English ### Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 What it covers: Advertisements for drugs, including claims for the purposes and conditions the Act lists. What we do: We never write a claim the Act prohibits, however well supported. Read the official source: https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/1412 ### Schedule J of the Drugs Rules, 1945 What it covers: The diseases no drug may claim to prevent or cure. What we do: We check every OTC page against this list before your team sees it. Read the official source: https://cdsco.gov.in/opencms/opencms/en/Acts-and-rules/Drugs-Rules/ ### Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 What it covers: What counts as a cosmetic (the Act) and what its label may say (the Cosmetics Rules, 2020). What we do: We build cosmetic product pages from facts that match the label. Read the official source (Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940): https://cdsco.gov.in/opencms/opencms/en/Acts-and-rules/Drugs-and-Cosmetics-Act/ Read the official source (Cosmetics Rules, 2020): https://cdsco.gov.in/opencms/opencms/en/Acts-and-rules/Cosmetics-Rules/ ### Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 FSSAI's 2022 rules for health supplements and nutraceuticals, applied through FSSAI directions What it covers: Claims made for foods, including health supplements and nutraceuticals. What we do: We write measured facts about the product and leave out disease claims. Read the official source: https://www.fssai.gov.in/docs/food-law/regulations/Gazette_Notification_Advertising_Claims_27_11_2018.pdf ### ASCI Code and its influencer and disclaimer guidelines What it covers: Every advertisement, including influencer posts and the disclaimers they carry. What we do: Every mention we guide states its connection to the brand. Read the official source: https://www.ascionline.in/the-asci-code/ ### Consumer Protection Act, 2019 with the CCPA endorsement guidelines What it covers: Misleading advertisements, and endorsements by experts and influencers. What we do: Every expert mention states the expert's affiliation. Read the official source: https://consumeraffairs.nic.in/sites/default/files/PIB1897389.pdf This summary is general information and is no substitute for legal advice. ## For pharma companies: corporate and business pages ### Prescription medicines GetPreferred does not promote prescription medicines to the public. The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and the Drugs Rules, 1945 limit what may be advertised about medicines. A draft amendment to the Drugs Rules, 1945 (G.S.R. 861(E), dated 28 September 2026) proposes a new Rule 65(22): no advertisement of medicines in Schedules H, H1 and X by holders of licences to sell or distribute medicines. It is a draft and may change. What we do: Company facts only. We do not promote prescription medicines to the public. Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; CDSCO. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: https://mohfw.gov.in CDSCO: https://cdsco.gov.in This summary is general information and is no substitute for legal advice. ### Promotion to doctors The Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices, 2024 governs promotion to doctors. What we do: GetPreferred does not promote to doctors. Source: Department of Pharmaceuticals. Department of Pharmaceuticals: https://pharma-dept.gov.in/policy/uniform-code-pharmaceutical-marketing-practices-ucpmp-2024-reg This summary is general information and is no substitute for legal advice. ### Company claims Facts about a company, such as plant approvals and certificates, must be true and current. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 applies, with the CCPA guidelines of 2022 on misleading advertisements and endorsements. What we do: Every approval or certificate appears only as your team confirms it in writing, with its source and date. Source: consumeraffairs.nic.in. consumeraffairs.nic.in: https://consumeraffairs.nic.in This summary is general information and is no substitute for legal advice. ## How the rules shape our work Where a category is regulated, the law sets what a brand may say. That also sets what AI assistants can pick up and repeat. 1. Confirmed facts sheet. Everything we publish uses only facts your team has confirmed. 2. Named reviewer. Each page is reviewed by a named, qualified expert whose affiliation is stated. 3. Your approval. Nothing is published without it. 4. Disclosure. Every mention states its connection to the brand. 5. Claim check. Risky words are flagged before a page reaches your team. 6. Final sign-off. Your regulatory team has the last word on every claim. ## Questions about the rules ### Is a brand website advertising under Indian law? Yes. In India, a brand website is advertising, and the ASCI Code, the CCPA guidelines and the rules for each category apply to it. ### Who has the final say on a claim? Your regulatory team. We prepare pages from your confirmed facts and flag risky words before you see them. Nothing is published without your approval. ### What are the rules on reviews? Reviews are never bought, and we never write reviews for a brand. Find out which brands AI assistants name in your category. A thirty-minute call with the founder, then a written baseline: the buyer questions for your category put to five AI assistants, and which brands they name. Free, with no obligation. Get your free baseline assessment: https://getpreferred.impactplus.co.in/baseline-assessment/