If any Indian sector is directly in the path of the move to 2D barcodes at retail, it is FMCG and cosmetics. Shampoos, biscuits, face creams and detergents pass through modern-trade checkouts, pharmacy counters and marketplace warehouses every day, and the retailers handling them are the ones being asked to read 2D codes. This guide is a practical readiness check for brands in these categories.
Why these categories are closest to the checkout
Ambition 2027 — often called Sunrise 2027 — is GS1's global goal for retail checkouts to read the GTIN from 2D barcodes as well as linear ones by the end of 2027. It is a voluntary industry objective, not an Indian government mandate. The background is in what Sunrise 2027 means for Indian brands.
What makes it relevant to FMCG and cosmetics is how these products are sold:
- Volume through organised retail. Modern trade, pharmacy chains and quick-commerce dark stores typically scan at receiving, checkout or both.
- Dates matter. Food and personal-care products have expiry dates, and a 2D barcode can carry the batch and expiry in machine-readable form, which an EAN-13 cannot.
- Retailers are already piloting. GS1 India, which runs the National Industry Forum for Retail (NIFR) for the 1D-to-2D migration, reports a pilot at a large Indian retailer with 2D codes carrying GTIN, batch, expiry and MRP.
On regulation, keep a clear line: we have not identified a general Indian requirement to print a QR code or 2D barcode on everyday FMCG or cosmetics. Your retail customers, not a regulator, are the likely source of any 2D request.
Readiness in five areas
1. GTIN hygiene
A 2D code inherits whatever is wrong with your numbering. Before anything else, confirm that every sellable variant has its own GTIN. GS1's GTIN Management Standard gives the rules. A new product always needs a new GTIN, and so do changes such as a different declared net content, a change of primary brand, or a different pack quantity. Indian packaging habits create easy traps: the "20% extra" festive pack, the combo pack and the trial size are each worth checking against the standard. If GTINs are new to your team, start with what a GTIN is and why it matters.
2. What data to encode
Decide this with your retail customers, not in isolation:
| Option | What it gives you | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| GTIN only | Checkout readiness; consumer link to product information | Can be printed on the artwork, like the EAN-13 |
| GTIN + batch + expiry | Expiry and recall checks at the retailer; batch-specific consumer content | Printed on the line, because it changes per batch |
| GTIN + batch + serial | Unit-level serialization for anti-counterfeit signals, rewards or warranty | Unique code per unit; line printing and data handling at scale |
Most FMCG brands start with GTIN plus batch and expiry, since they already print those values as text. Cosmetics brands concerned about counterfeits or grey imports sometimes go further to unit serials — but a serial is an identifier, not proof of authenticity. It helps you detect suspicious patterns; it does not stop a copy being printed.
3. Artwork and space
GS1 places the retail 2D code within 50 mm of the centre of the linear barcode, and the EAN-13 stays on pack during the transition — see do Indian manufacturers need to replace their existing barcodes? for what dual marking involves.
Space is the real constraint on lipstick cartons, sachets and travel sizes. GS1's retail specification sets a target module size of 0.495 mm for 2D codes, within a permitted range, plus a clear quiet zone — four modules round a QR code, one module round a Data Matrix. A GS1 DataMatrix is more compact than a QR code, but a phone camera will not open it as a web page. If consumers should scan the code, a QR code carrying a GS1 Digital Link is the usual choice; our comparison of QR code vs GS1 DataMatrix helps with the trade-off.
4. Printing and print quality
If the code includes batch and expiry, it is printed on the line by a coder, not by the carton printer. That raises two questions: can your coders print a 2D code legibly at line speed on your substrates (laminated pouches, curved tubes, glossy cartons), and how will you check them?
GS1 sets a minimum print-quality grade of 1.5 (C) for retail barcodes, measured to ISO standards with a verifier. A phone reading the code once is not the same thing.
5. What the scan leads to
A QR code carrying GS1 Digital Link is a web address, so consumers who scan it land somewhere. Decide what that is before the packs are printed: ingredients and allergens, usage guidance, a regional-language page, a complaint or feedback route, or a loyalty offer. The checkout ignores all of this — it extracts the GTIN offline and prices the item from the retailer's own system — so the same code can serve both purposes. We explain how in why the same GS1 2D code can work for checkout and consumers.
A worked example: Kesar Naturals
Kesar Naturals, a fictional ayurvedic cosmetics brand, sells 40 SKUs through pharmacy chains, modern trade and two marketplaces. Its largest modern-trade customer has asked suppliers to plan for 2D codes with batch and expiry.
Kesar's first discovery is that six "promo" packs reused regular GTINs; it assigns new ones. It then chooses GTIN plus batch and expiry for most SKUs, and adds a unit serial only to its premium kumkumadi oil, which it has seen counterfeited online. Artwork for the 15 ml bottles is redesigned to fit a QR code beside the EAN-13 with the right quiet zone. Its coders are trialled on the curved bottle label, and a verifier is added to the line for periodic grading.
Consumers scanning a face-wash tube see usage instructions in English and Hindi. Scans of the serialized oil are also checked for duplicates and unlikely locations, which feeds its brand-protection team — one signal among several, not a guarantee.
Next steps
Work through the GS1 2D readiness checklist for manufacturers with your packaging, marketing and operations leads in the same room. The decisions above touch all three.
Book a 2D readiness conversation for your FMCG or cosmetics range