Sri Lanka to ban sanitary napkins without SLS certification

Sri Lanka will ban the manufacture, packaging, distribution, transport, storage and sale of locally produced sanitary napkins without the SLS Product Certification Mark from October 8, 2026, the Consumer Affairs Authority has announced.

The special direction has been issued under Section 12(2) of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003.

Under the order, locally produced sanitary napkins may be released to the Sri Lankan market only if they carry the Product Certification Mark issued by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution.

The requirement mainly applies to disposable sanitary napkins covered by the SLS 1732 standard and disposable thin sanitary napkins covered by the SLS 1748 standard.

Sanitary napkins imported into Sri Lanka must be inspected and approved under the Import Inspection Scheme operated by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution. Products without this approval will not be allowed to be imported, distributed, stored or sold in the country.

The Consumer Affairs Authority said the order will also apply to any future amendments made by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution to the relevant standards.