§1What this business is

Menthol, camphor, beeswax, a petroleum-jelly base and oils such as eucalyptus, clove, ajwain and mustard, with turmeric extract, are melted and mixed in a jacketed steel vessel, filled hot into 5 g, 10 g and 20 g jars or tubes, cooled, labelled and packed. Premium lines add Himalayan herbs like jatamansi. Buyers are pharmacies, AYUSH centres, kirana shops, wellness retreats and online shoppers.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone with a pharmacy or Ayurveda background who can handle drug-licence compliance and sell to chemists.

Who it is not for

Someone who wants to skip licensing — balms are regulated medicines.

Advantages

  • Low investment and small space
  • High margin per jar (cost ₹8–10, price ₹20–25)
  • Steady everyday demand
  • Local herbal branding adds value

Drawbacks

  • Needs an Ayurvedic drug manufacturing licence and a qualified person
  • Big brands dominate pain balms
  • Heated oils and camphor need careful handling
  • Label claims are regulated

Skills you need

  • Formulation and batch records
  • Ayurvedic drug-licence compliance
  • Filling and packing
  • Selling to pharmacies and AYUSH centres

Why difficulty 3/5: Easy to make, but drug licensing and brand competition are real hurdles.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Pharmacies and rural medical stores
  • AYUSH centres and wellness stores
  • Spas, eco-resorts and yoga schools
  • Kirana shops and online buyers

How it sells

  • Distributors to chemists
  • Health camps, panchayat exhibitions and SHG outlets
  • Flipkart, Amazon, OneGreen and Meesho

Good to know

  • The profile suggests pain oils, roll-ons and massage balms as later product lines.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
SS mixing vessel with jacket (50 L)——
Hand-operated or semi-automatic filling unit——
Induction heating plate——
Cold storage cabinet (optional)——
Labelling machine (manual or semi-auto)——

From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Traditional Pain Balm Production in Uttarakhand

  • Menthol crystals and camphorfrom Ayurvedic raw material traders in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun and Haldwani
  • Beeswax and essential oils (eucalyptus, clove, ajwain)can be aggregated through Van Panchayats or the State Medicinal Plant Board
  • Petroleum jelly, mustard oil, turmeric extractbase and active ingredients
  • Glass or plastic jars and tubes5 g, 10 g and 20 g

From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Traditional Pain Balm Production in Uttarakhand

In our raw material database

Beeswax →

§5Licences & registration

  1. Ayurvedic drug manufacturing licence from the state AYUSH licensing authority (Drugs and Cosmetics Act)
  2. GMP compliance for Ayurvedic units
  3. Udyam registration
  4. GST registration
  5. Fire safety arrangements as required

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

The profile names PMEGP, CGTMSE, MUDRA and Stand-Up India loans and DUY subsidy for youth- and women-led units.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: DUY profile cost ₹11,00,000: plant set-up ₹2,00,000, machinery ₹3,50,000, raw material for 3 months ₹1,50,000, packaging and branding ₹1,00,000, licensing and regulatory fees ₹50,000, training ₹50,000, working capital buffer ₹2,00,000. Finance: own ₹1,50,000, PMEGP/CGTMSE term loan ₹6,00,000, DUY/MSME subsidy ₹2,00,000, working capital loan ₹1,50,000.

Working capital: ₹2,00,000 working capital buffer plus ₹1,50,000 of raw material for 3 months.

Year not printed on the DUY profile — check current machinery and material prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

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

3004Medicaments (including Ayurvedic preparations) in measured doses or retail packs

Export council / board: Pharmexcil

  • Ayurvedic medicine exports need a manufacturing licence and often a free-sale or GMP certificate from the state licensing authority.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Licence or quality-test failure
  • Raw material adulteration (menthol, camphor)
  • Competition from big brands
  • Fire risk from heated oils

§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 herbal pain balm making unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Ayurvedic drug manufacturing licence from the state AYUSH licensing authority (Drugs and Cosmetics Act), GMP compliance for Ayurvedic units), 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 Herbal Pain Balm Making?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Traditional Pain Balm Production in Uttarakhand

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