New BIS standard for incense sticks to ensure consumer safety

• Union Minister Pralhad Joshi released IS 19412:2025, a dedicated standard for incense sticks (agarbattis) developed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

• Products conforming to this standard will be eligible to carry the BIS Standard Mark.

India’s agarbatti market

• India is the world’s largest producer and exporter of agarbattis.

• Agarbatti making is a traditional industry in India with a size of around Rs 8,000 crore annual production with involvement of about five lakh people and exports of about Rs 1,200 crore to more than 150 countries.

• The sector supports a large ecosystem of artisans, MSMEs and micro-entrepreneurs, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, and provides significant employment opportunities, especially for women.

• Agarbattis are an integral part of India’s cultural and religious practices and are widely used in households, places of worship, meditation centres and wellness spaces. 

• With rising global interest in yoga, meditation, aromatherapy and holistic well-being, demand for incense products has increased significantly in both domestic and international markets.

Highlights of the new standard:

• Consumer safety, indoor air quality, environmental sustainability and regulatory compliance, along with global restrictions on certain fragrance compounds and chemicals globally, has underscored the need for a dedicated Indian Standard for Agarbattis.

• The newly notified standard specifies prohibited use of certain insecticidal chemicals and synthetic fragrance substances in agarbattis that may pose risks to human health, indoor air quality and the environment. 

• To address these issues, IS 19412:2025 specifies a list of substances prohibited for use in agarbattis. 

• This includes certain insecticidal chemicals such as allethrin, permethrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, and fipronil, as well as synthetic fragrance intermediates like benzyl cyanide, ethyl acrylate, and diphenylamine. 

• Many of these substances are restricted or banned internationally due to their potential impact on human health, indoor air quality, and ecological safety.

• The standard classifies agarbatti into machine-made, hand-made, and traditional masala agarbattis, and prescribes requirements for raw materials, burning quality, fragrance performance, and chemical parameters, ensuring safer products and consistent quality for consumers.

• The standard has been developed by the Fragrance and Flavour Sectional Committee (PCD 18) of BIS through extensive stakeholder consultations. 

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)