Unchecked anti-ageing, wellness supplement market in India could pose huge health risks: doctors

The Hindu

2 days ago

The death of 42-year-old actress Shefali Jariwala, recently, has brought to the fore the rapidly-expanding anti-ageing and over-the-counter herbal supplements market in the country.
As per estimates, this market in India is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.10% between 2025 and 2034. Doctors say that not only does this growing market have very few regulations, it now caters to diverse segments of the population -- even to people in their 20s.
Understanding products in the market
Anti-ageing products, say experts, incorporate active ingredients in them, while herbal supplements often marketed as 'safe' alternatives to medicines, could contain steroids.
'What is often sold as 'natural' or 'safe' can sometimes be silently dangerous. This tragedy (death of Ms. Jariwala) compels us to pause and reconsider how we approach wellness, especially at a time when supplements, detoxes, and herbal mixes are available at the click of a button— without regulation, without screening, and too often, without medical guidance,'' warned Ajara Sayyad, aesthetic dermatologist and regenerative medicine expert at The Eterne Clinic, Mumbai.
She added that in recent years the market has been flooded with beauty and health supplements— powders for glowing skin, capsules for hair regrowth, gummies for weight loss, herbal teas for detox, and pills to 'balance hormones.
'Most are marketed as Ayurvedic, natural, or plant-based, and therefore mistakenly assumed to be risk-free. The body, however, responds to biochemical signals, regardless of their source. These supplements when taken without proper medical guidance may disrupt hormonal balance, burden the liver and kidneys, cause allergic reactions, interfere with medications and can trigger latent or undiagnosed medical conditions,'' she said.
Also Read: Government keen to accelerate growth of India's nutraceuticals sector
Safety first
While the exact cause of death in Shefali Zariwala's case is still under investigation, the combination of long-fasting, use of multiple wellness drugs and related medical complications is also being looked into, said Aravind Badiger, technical director, BDR Pharmaceuticals. 'Any type of medical therapy must be customised for the individual, considering lifestyle, diet, and underlying conditions. Fasting can alter the body's electrolyte balance, hydration status, and blood glucose levels, which can affect the absorption and metabolism of medications.''
He added that even well-adjusted therapies may behave differently when taken in a state of fasting, and so, dosing, timing, and monitoring are vital. The goal should always be to effectively and safely improve health, he noted.
Misinformation abounds
However, some doctors also note that there is no connection between these drugs and possibly adverse events.
'Recent headlines have raised public anxiety by loosely linking anti-ageing injections to severe adverse outcomes, including death. This connection is unsubstantiated and misleading. Anti-ageing injections—such as botulinum toxin (Botox), dermal fillers (like hyaluronic acid), and mesotherapy serums—are clinically approved and widely used worldwide, often under dermatological or plastic surgeon supervision. These are minimally invasive aesthetic procedures with strong safety records when administered correctly. There is no direct evidence to suggest that anti-ageing injections, when administered properly, have ever caused early death,' explained Viral Desai, a board-certified plastic and cosmetic surgeon working in Mumbai.
He added that serious risks, like vascular occlusion, are exceptionally rare and typically result from improper technique or untrained personnel—not from the injection material itself.
The need for regulation
Doctors across the board however, stress the urgent need for far more regulation in the herbal supplements and nutraceuticals sector than there currently exist. Misleading advertisements have to be curbed, unsubstantiated claims should not be allowed on product packaging or in adverts, stringent monitoring of the ingredients has to be carried out and quality checks must be put in place, they say.