Jaipur: Henna products from three companies claiming to use the famed Sojat mehndi allegedly failed quality tests and were found adulterated during state health department sample inspections conducted between Jan 15 and Jan 31, raising consumer concerns.Sojat and nearby regions are historically known for superior henna with strong colour and consistent quality, but the health department’s campaign has cast a shadow over products marketed as Sojat henna.
The health department said samples of ‘Pushp Henna’ from Pushp Henna Pvt Ltd were noncompliant with established quality standards and showed no traces of lawsone pigment, the key element responsible for henna’s staining properties.M/s Velnik India Limited’s Mehandi Cone, branded as Nazia Gold, and Shringar Mehandi Cone from Sankhla Mehandi Udhyog were also flagged for nil lawsone content. Officials said the absence of the natural pigment could compromise the depth and longevity of colour, raising alarm as the wedding season approaches.Ajay Phatak, drug controller (I) of the health department, said the findings indicate severe adulteration.
“If a henna product has no lawsone content, it implies that it is not pure henna but instead contains picramic acid, a synthetic dye prohibited under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940,” Phatak said. “This compound is typically associated with textile and leather dyes, further exacerbating safety concerns for consumers hoping for authentic henna products,” he added.In 2022, Sojat mehndi was awarded a Geographical Indication (GI) certificate to deter counterfeit products.
The recent tests, however, found several local products with no lawsone content, prompting the health department to initiate legal action against the companies involved.Phatak said the department, for the first time, sampled henna products from Sojat, Beawar and other parts of the state, and found nil lawsone content, calling it a cause of concern. “We will file a case in court against the companies selling adulterated henna,” Phatak told TOI.
