§1What this business is

Mild surfactants, a thickener, citric acid, activated charcoal powder, EDTA, foam booster, moisturiser and preservatives are mixed and homogenised, tested, then filled into tubes that are crimp-sealed, capped and labelled. A face wash is milder than soap and keeps the skin's pH. Buyers are chemists, cosmetic shops, supermarkets and online shoppers.

Capacity: 1,500 tubes of 100 g a day on a 10-hour shift.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone with cosmetics distribution contacts or an existing personal-care brand.

Who it is not for

Someone without sales staff or a marketing budget.

Advantages

  • Face wash is now a daily-use product in towns
  • Low break-even at 27%
  • Machinery under ₹12 lakh
  • Can add other variants (neem, aloe) on the same line

Drawbacks

  • Net margin is only 4.7–6.2%
  • Needs a cosmetics licence
  • Shelf space is costly
  • Customers are wary of harsh chemicals like parabens and SLS

Skills you need

  • Formulation and QC testing
  • Tube filling and sealing
  • Brand building
  • Retail and online sales

Why difficulty 3/5: Simple process; licence and brand-led selling are the hard parts.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Young adults and households in towns and cities

How it sells

  • Chemists and cosmetic shops
  • Supermarkets
  • Online marketplaces

Good to know

  • The report cites the global activated charcoal market at 4.2 billion US dollars in 2018.
  • It says concern over parabens and SLS is pushing buyers toward natural ingredients.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Homogeniser mixer1₹4,75,000
Tube filling and crimping machine1₹1,90,000
Stainless-steel jacketed mixer vessel1₹95,000
Transfer pump1₹45,000
Labelling machine1₹2,00,000
Storage tank1₹1,10,000

From: PMEGP sample project report — Charcoal Facewash (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Surfactantsmain cleansing agent
  • Activated charcoal powderspecial ingredient
  • Nitrosol (thickener), citric or ascorbic acid, trisodium EDTAthickening and pH control
  • Foam booster, moisturising agent, preservatives and other additivessupporting ingredients
  • Tubes, caps and labelspackaging

From: PMEGP sample project report — Charcoal Facewash (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

In our raw material database

Charcoal (wood, bamboo and coconut shell) →

§5Licences & registration

  1. Cosmetics manufacturing licence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act
  2. Udyam
  3. GST
  4. Pollution control board NOC
  5. Trade licence
  6. Trademark for the brand

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMEGP sample project; MUDRA (up to ₹20 L) and CGTMSE fit the ₹17.80 L size.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: plant & machinery ₹11.15 L + furniture ₹0.80 L + working capital ₹5.85 L = ₹17.80 L. Premises own or rented. Finance: term loan ₹10.76 L, WC loan ₹5.27 L, own ₹1.78 L.

Working capital: Working capital ₹5.85 lakh, bank finance ₹5.27 lakh — 10 days of stock, 14 days' credit to buyers, 15 days from suppliers.

Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export

3401.30Organic surface-active products and preparations for washing the skin, in liquid or cream form, put up for retail sale

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
  • Raw-material price rise
  • Returns of expired stock

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working charcoal face wash unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Cosmetics manufacturing licence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, Udyam), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

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 Charcoal Face Wash?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Charcoal Facewash (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.