§1What this business is
A thickener solution, caustic or potash solution, water softener, surfactants and foam boosters are mixed in stainless-steel vessels, then activated charcoal powder, colour, fragrance and preservatives are added. After lab checks for pH, viscosity and smell, the body wash is pumped to a filling line, capped and labelled. Buyers are chemists, supermarkets, general stores and online shoppers.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with FMCG or chemist-shop distribution experience and a feel for branding.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot spend on marketing or wait for a brand to build up.
Advantages
- Charcoal personal-care products are popular
- Simple mixing and filling process
- Gross margin above 20%
- Same line can make shampoo, face wash or hand wash
Drawbacks
- A cosmetics manufacturing licence is needed
- Big FMCG brands own the shelf
- Advertising and packaging costs are high
- Some buyers now avoid parabens and SLS
Skills you need
- Cosmetic formulation and QC
- Filling-line operation
- Brand and packaging design
- Distributor and online sales
Why difficulty 3/5: Process is easy, but licensing and brand selling take effort.
§3Market
Who buys
- Households
- Hotels and gyms
How it sells
- Distributors to chemists and general stores
- Supermarkets
- Online marketplaces
Good to know
- The report says activated charcoal draws out dirt and oil from the skin and that charcoal products are doing well in the market.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Stainless-steel mixing vessel, 500–1,000 L | — | — |
| SS jacketed cooling reactor vessel with agitator, 2,000–3,000 L | — | — |
| Homogeniser, 100–1,000 L | — | — |
| Bottle filling line, 3,000 bottles an hour | — | — |
| Automatic capping machine, 100 bottles a minute | — | — |
| Labelling machine, 100–200 bottles a minute | — | — |
| All plant and machinery together | — | ₹16.50 lakh |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Charcoal Body Wash (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Surfactants (e.g. sodium laureth sulphate, cocamidopropyl betaine)cleaning and foaming agents
- Caustic soda or caustic potashpH adjustment
- Activated charcoal powderspecial ingredient
- Soda ash or trisodium EDTA, thickeners, foam boosters, conditioners, preservatives, colour and fragrancesupporting ingredients
- Bottles, caps, labels and cartonspackaging and consumables ₹3.87 lakh in year 1
From: PMEGP sample project report — Charcoal Body Wash (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- Cosmetics manufacturing licence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act
- Trade licence
- Udyam
- GST
- Pollution control board NOC
- Company or firm registration
§6Schemes & subsidies
PMEGP sample project; CGTMSE covers the collateral-free loan. The ₹24.78 L cost is above MUDRA's usual loan sizes.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: plant & machinery ₹16.50 L + other misc assets ₹0.50 L + working capital ₹7.78 L = ₹24.78 L. Land and building owned or leased. Finance: term loan ₹15.30 L, WC loan ₹7.00 L, own ₹2.48 L.
Working capital: Working capital ₹7.78 lakh, of which the bank funds ₹7.00 lakh.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: CHEMEXCIL
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker.
- You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Brand competition
- Regulatory compliance under the Drugs and Cosmetics rules
- Raw-material price swings
- Product returns from stockists
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working activated charcoal body wash unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Cosmetics manufacturing licence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, Trade licence), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Activated Charcoal Body Wash?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.