Ayurveda and Supplement Brands on Shopify in India

Ayurvedic and supplement brands are among the most common D2C launches in India, and they carry a risk most other categories do not. The same jar of herbal powder can be regulated as a medicine, a health supplement or a food, depending on how it is made and what you say about it. This guide explains which regulator applies, what you can and cannot claim on a product page, and how to build a Shopify store that shows the right information from day one.

Regulatory details are from the Ministry of Ayush, FSSAI regulation texts and Press Information Bureau releases, and Shopify details from the Shopify Help Centre, all checked on 9 October 2026. This is general information, not legal or medical advice. Confirm your product category and licence with a regulatory consultant or lawyer before you launch.

Is your product an Ayurvedic medicine, a supplement or a food?

It depends on the product's formulation and its intended use, and you should settle this before you design a single page. In broad terms there are three routes, and each one has a different regulator, licence and set of rules for what you may say.

The lines between these routes are drawn in the regulations themselves. FSSAI's 2022 nutraceutical regulations say products under them "shall not include a drug as defined in clauses (a), (b) and (h) of section 3 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940". They also say products "claiming cure, prevention or mitigation of any specific disease, disorder or condition shall also not fall under these regulations, unless specifically permitted by Food Authority". In plain terms, if your marketing promises to treat a disease, you are probably not selling a supplement any more.

We will not guess which route your product falls into, and you should not let a developer or a marketer guess either. Ask a regulatory consultant, then build the store around the answer.

Who licenses an Ayurvedic medicine brand?

The State or Union Territory Licensing Authority where the medicine is made, not the Ministry of Ayush. The Ministry's own public notice states that it does not "grant license of manufacture for sale" to any Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani or Homoeopathic company, and that under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules, "the license of manufacture for sale of any ASU&H medicine /drug is granted by the State/ UT Licensing Authority (SLA) of the concerned State/UT."

A PIB release from December 2022 adds the detail most founders need to brief a contract manufacturer:

• Rule 158-B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 gives the guidelines for issuing a licence to manufacture Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani medicines.
• Manufacturers must comply with Good Manufacturing Practices under Schedule T and Schedule M-I, and with the quality standards in the relevant pharmacopoeia.
• Enforcement of quality control and drug licensing sits with the State drug controllers and State Licensing Authorities.

Many D2C brands sell medicines made by a licensed third-party manufacturer under their own brand. If that is your model, the manufacturer's licence and the product's approval details are what your product page and your packaging will rely on, so collect them in writing before you build anything.

One labelling point affects your store directly. The Ministry's notice says Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani medicines containing Schedule E1 ingredients must be taken under the supervision of a registered practitioner, and the container will carry "Caution - To be taken under Medical supervision" in Hindi and English. If your packaging carries that warning, your product page should show it too.

When is a supplement regulated by FSSAI instead?

When it is a specially formulated food for a nutritional or dietary purpose, sold in defined doses, and it does not claim to cure, prevent or mitigate a disease. FSSAI's 2022 regulations cover five categories: Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, and Prebiotic and Probiotic food. They are intended for people above 2 years of age and are consumed orally.

The regulations also say what does not count. Minimally processed foods such as vegetables, cereals, legumes, spices and fruits, for example "amla, jamun, grapes" or "pepper, jeera, turmeric", sold in their normal form, "shall not constitute 'health supplement' or 'nutraceutical'". Plain turmeric powder is a spice, not a supplement, however you market it.

For products that do fall under these regulations, the label requirements are specific. The front or back of the pack must carry, among other things:

• The statement "NOT FOR MEDICINAL USE" in capital and bold letters, unless exempted for that category
• The recommended usage level, and duration of usage where applicable
• "Not to exceed the recommended daily usage", prominently written
• Warnings on precautions, known side effects, contraindications and interactions, as applicable
• A statement that the product "is not to be used as a substitute for a varied diet", except for two medical and special dietary categories
• A warning that the product is to be stored out of reach of children

Every one of these lines is something your product page needs to show as well, for the reason covered in the e-commerce section below.

What is Ayurveda Aahara, and does it fit your product?

Ayurveda Aahara is a separate FSSAI category for foods made as per Ayurvedic texts. According to a PIB release from July 2022, FSSAI notified the Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022 in the official gazette on 5 May 2022, in consultation with the Ministry of Ayush. The regulations define Ayurveda Aahara as "a food prepared in accordance with the recipes or ingredients or processes as per method described in the authoritative books of Ayurveda listed under 'Schedule A'".

The same release lists what is excluded, including Ayurvedic drugs and proprietary Ayurvedic medicines, metal based Ayurvedic medicines such as bhasma or pishti, herbs listed under Schedule E-1, and everyday foods such as pulses, rice, flour and vegetables without added Ayurveda ingredients. A May 2022 PIB release adds that Ayurveda Aahara is not recommended for children below 2 years.

If your product fits, the labelling is distinctive. Per the July 2022 release, products must carry the words "AYURVEDA AAHARA" close to the product name, the specified logo on the front of the pack, and the statutory warning "ONLY FOR DIETARY USE". In July 2025 FSSAI issued an order listing products covered under category A of these regulations, and it says businesses with category A products not on that list can ask FSSAI to add them by submitting the relevant text from the authoritative books.

What can you say on a Shopify product page?

Less than most founders expect, because your website counts as advertising. The FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 define "advertisement" as any publicity made through any "print, electronic media, internet or website", and that includes your product descriptions, banners, emails and social posts.

For food, supplement and Ayurveda Aahara products, the key rules from those regulations are:

• No disease claims. Regulation 10(1): no claim may refer to the suitability of the food for "the prevention, alleviation, treatment or cure of a disease, disorder or particular physiological condition" unless specifically permitted under other FSS regulations. The 2022 nutraceutical regulations say the same for their products.
• No doctor endorsement language. Regulation 10(2) bars words implying the food is "recommended, prescribed, or approved by medical practitioners".
• Claims must be truthful and substantiated. Regulation 4 requires claims to be "truthful, unambiguous, meaningful, not misleading" and nutritional or health claims to be scientifically substantiated.
• Your ads must match your label. Regulation 4(12): "Claims in advertisements shall be consistent with information on the label".
• Do not use the FSSAI logo or licence number as a selling point. Regulation 4(9) says no promotion may be made using them, even though they must appear where required.
• Watch words like "natural", "pure" and "traditional". If such a word in a brand name is likely to mislead, a disclaimer is required on the front of the pack.

The nutraceutical regulations allow statements about "structure, function or general well-being of the body" where supported by generally accepted scientific data, and nutritional, health or disease risk reduction claims only where listed under the 2018 claims regulations or approved by FSSAI.

Ayurvedic medicines sit under a different law. The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, in the Ministry of Ayush's words, "strictly prohibits the advertisement of drugs and magic remedies for the treatment of certain diseases and conditions." Read the Act's Schedule on India Code for the list before writing any copy. The government takes this seriously: a PIB release from August 2024 says the Ayush pharmacovigilance programme had reported a total of 38,539 misleading advertisements related to Ayush drugs to state licensing authorities. Separately, a July 2025 release notes that the omission of Rule 170 of the Drugs Rules, which deals with Ayush advertising, was stayed by the Supreme Court in August 2024 and the rule "is subjudice". That is one more reason to have a lawyer check your copy.

What must your product page show when you sell online?

For FSSAI regulated packaged foods, including supplements and Ayurveda Aahara, the mandatory label information. The FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, regulation 4(2), say that when a food product is sold through e-commerce or other direct selling, "the mandatory requirements of the label as given in these regulations shall be provided to the consumer through appropriate means before sale", except batch or lot number, best before, use by, expiry and manufacturing or packing dates.

For your own Shopify store, "before sale" means on the product page, not only on the box. The general requirements in the same regulations include the name of the food, list of ingredients, nutritional information, veg or non veg declaration, food additives, name and complete address, FSSAI logo and licence number, net quantity, retail sale price and consumer care details, instructions for use and food allergen declarations, plus the category specific statements listed earlier. If you sell an Ayurvedic medicine, show the details and cautions that appear on its label, as your consultant advises.

How do you set this up properly in Shopify?

Treat compliance information as structured data, not as text pasted into each description. Shopify metafields let you add custom fields to products, and Shopify's metafields documentation says that if your theme supports dynamic sources, "you can connect most metafields to your theme by using the theme editor." Our guide to metafields and metaobjects covers the setup in more depth.

A setup we would suggest for this category:

1. Create product metafields for licence or registration number, manufacturer and marketer details, regulatory category, recommended usage, duration, warnings and contraindications, and the mandatory statement for that category, such as "NOT FOR MEDICINAL USE" or "ONLY FOR DIETARY USE".
2. Add a compliance block to the product template that reads from those metafields, so every product shows the same information in the same place and nothing depends on a copywriter remembering it.
3. Make fields required in your process. No product goes live until every compliance field is filled and checked against the physical label.
4. Keep descriptions claim safe. Write about ingredients, sourcing, taste, format and how to use the product, then have the copy reviewed before publishing.
5. Moderate featured reviews. Our view is that a customer review promising a cure, shown prominently on your page, can read like your own claim. Use a review app that lets you approve reviews before they appear.
6. Match your ads to your label. Meta and Google ad copy is advertising too, and regulation 4(12) asks it to match the label.

For the wider launch, from payments to positioning, our guide on launching a wellness D2C brand on Shopify covers the steps that are not specific to regulation. Payment gateways also review your website before going live, so read our Razorpay and Cashfree comparison before you choose one.

Which mistakes get Ayurveda and supplement brands into trouble online?

• Choosing the category after the marketing. The words on the page should follow the licence, not the other way round.
• Copying competitors' claims. A claim you see on another site may be under complaint already.
• Product pages that skip label information because "it is on the box". For FSSAI products sold online, it has to be available before sale.
• Before and after images and testimonials that imply treatment of a condition.
• Selling one formula under two categories, for example calling it a supplement on the website and a medicine on marketplace listings.
• Collection names that make claims, such as a "Diabetes care" collection, which can turn a whole category page into a disease claim.

Do you need a regulatory consultant as well as a developer?

Yes, and they do different jobs. A regulatory consultant or lawyer decides which category your product falls under, which licence you need and whether a specific claim is allowed. A Shopify developer builds a store that displays that information correctly, consistently and without relying on manual effort. Founders get into trouble when they expect either one to do the other's job.

If you already have your licence details and approved label text, the store side is straightforward to plan. If you do not, get those first. They decide what your product pages are allowed to say.

Launching an Ayurveda or supplement brand on Shopify?

Free product page review. Get in touch or email hello@exactwhy.com with the subject "Ayurveda Store Review" and your store URL or planned launch date. Tell us your product category, whether you have your FSSAI or drug licence yet, and how many products you sell. We reply within 4 hours with a list of the information your product pages should display and the copy patterns to send to your consultant for checking.

If you go ahead. We build your Shopify store with compliance metafields, a consistent product information block, review moderation, Indian payment gateway setup and launch testing, working alongside your regulatory consultant on the content they approve.