From Itching Skin to Itching Palms: Calamities of Lacto Calamine of Piramal Pharma’s Pharmakon

Posted on 7th October, 2025 (GMT 03:45 hrs)

DEBAPRASAD BANDYOPADHYAY ⤡

AKHAR BANDYOPADHYAY ⤡

ABSTRACT

This paper examines Lacto Calamine, a widely used topical cosmetic-lotion marketed by Piramal Pharma, through the lens of pharmacological efficacy, regulatory ambiguity, and ethical marketing. Drawing from publicly available data on its ingredients—primarily kaolin clay, zinc oxide, glycerin, and aloe vera—this study interrogates whether the formulation justifies its “pseudo-medical” truth-claims. It situates Lacto Calamine within India’s broader landscape of over-the-counter (OTC) cosmetic-medicinal hybrids that thrive on consumer faith rather than clinical validation. Methodologically, the paper employs both toxicological data analysis and self-reflexive ethnography, integrating critical theory and personal testimony to illuminate how pharmacological discourse and neoliberal consumerism intertwine. Ethical questions regarding celebrity endorsements, placebo reassurance, and gendered beauty expectations are explored. The study concludes that Lacto Calamine functions less as a pharmacologically commensurable product and more as a symbolic artefact of cosmetic capitalism, merging colonial legacies of fairness with neoliberal health consumerism.

Keywords: Lacto Calamine, Piramal Pharma, placebo cosmetics, ethical marketing, pharmacological efficacy, India

Self-Reflexive Prelude: LACTO SELVES — A Personal Testimony

“The pharmakon is never merely a remedy or a poison; it is always both, entwined in its ambiguity.”
—Derrida, Dissemination (1972, p. 70)

I wake in the midnight hours, my skin ablaze. Not with fever, but with guilt—an itch that radiates from my being to my epidermis, as though my body remembers every injustice I’ve endured.

I am a victim.
No, not metaphorically—but literally: financially abused by Mr. Ajay Piramal, who, in full view of law and public gaze, “bought” DHFL while its case was still active. He overrode NCLT rulings, dismissed NCLAT decisions, and now holds ₹45,000 crore in DHFL property for a token rupee. Meanwhile, I and others—FD holders, NCD investors—are left to burn.

They call it capitalism. I call it cannibalism.

I don’t play the victim card. I am the victim.
But the disease doesn’t exist in DSM.
It’s called savage and cannibal capitalism.
It’s a pathology of power, of structural violence, of legalized theft.

I know well that he accessed DHFL through electoral bonds, PM CARES fund subterfuge, and the complicity of corrupt bureaucrats. I lack proof; I lack power. But my skin feels the evidence. It knows the crime.

My hands itch. My face flushes.
My dermatological condition mirrors my political condition.
It is psychosomatic. Not because my body betrays my mind, but because my body is my mind, altered by every defeat and betrayal.

I google “psychodermatology.”
It is messy, bidirectional, multifactorial.
Stress worsens psoriasis; anxiety aggravates eczema; depression may trigger alopecia.
The skin and the brain, they say, share an origin, a language of nerves, immune signals, hormones.
There is no one-to-one mapping—no “if stress → eczema.”
But the overlap is undeniable.

I should see a dermatologist, a psychiatrist.
But they are luxuries I cannot purchase now.
Instead, my well-wisher says:
“Buy Lacto Calamine. It’s time-tested. It soothes the skin, controls oil, cures pimples.”

I believed them.
I searched for Lacto Calamine.
Models appeared—perfect faces, luminous, matte.
“Daily use,” they said.
“Oily skin expert,” they claimed.

I went to the cosmetics shop. The keeper said, “It’s sold in chemists and druggist shops, not beauty parlors.”
I arrived at the chemist. Rows of variants:
Oil Balance, Pimple Control, UV Shield.
And there it was: Tetmosol ⤡ ⤡— soap, often marketed along with Piramal’s portfolio.

Tetmosol: a metaphor that sank deeply into my psyche.
A small, harsh bar—“anti-fungal, antiseptic,” they claim.
But to me, it is the mirror of capitalism’s logic:
You must scrub, wash, disinfect yourself—erase stains, erase dissent, scrub away the evidence of injustice.
Tetmosol is the soap of dispossession: a remedy and a weapon in the same bar.

The shopkeeper was my childhood friend. He sells me sleeping pills off the record.
He handed me the bottle and said, “This one will help your skin.”
But I realized: the same hand that sells me sedation also sells me this lotion—to salve the wound it helped inflict.

They create the stress. Then sell the balm.
They pollute the air, allow UV poisoning, then market sunscreen.
They collapse the banks, crash the economy, then sell “relief.”
This is not coincidence. This is deliberate. This is the pharmakon: remedy and poison, intertwined.

Now I itch. My skin pulses with betrayal.
I cannot distinguish the rectangle of lotion from the architecture of debt.
The lotion that “absorbs oil” becomes the emblem of my soggy shame.
Every application is a confession: I submit, I comply, I pay in sweat, in tears, in cells.

Tetmosol as metaphor: a bar of exclusion.
You scrub away the finer details—the corruption, the land grab, the violent dispossession—and you end up with bare skin, raw, vulnerable, exposed to the elements.

I dream now of political trials, of legal redress.
But the laws bend to money. The courts become stages for spectacle.
Meanwhile, my body is the courtroom. My lesions are witnesses.
They speak the language of power, of stolen value, of silent revolt.

In this existential wound, I must ask:
Is there a remedy?
Is there a balm that is not also a blade?
Is there a cosmetics of justice?

I will continue this narrative at the margins—on the skin, under the light, in the itch between activism and despair.
Because my skin is the map of my struggle, and every scar is part of the argument.
Tetmosol and Lacto Calamine are not simply soaps and lotions—they are metaphors, weapons, illusions, and archive.
And as long as they drip from my fingertips, I will write their truth into my flesh.

1. Introduction

Lacto Calamine, a long-standing topical formulation widely marketed across South Asia. It is among the oldest topical skincare formulations in India, marketed as both a moisturizer and a dermatological remedy. Owned by Piramal Pharma, its persistent success can be attributed not to scientific innovation but to the continuity of colonial-era cosmetic ideologies of fairness, hygiene, and purity. Despite its medical-sounding name and presentation, the product operates within a pharmacologically ambiguous and fuzzy domain — neither fully cosmetic nor therapeutically verifiable.

1.1 Product Variants

Known variants of Lacto Calamine include:

• Lacto Calamine Oil Balance (for oily skin)
• Lacto Calamine Aloe (for combination skin)
• Lacto Calamine Face Wash (kaolin clay, niacinamide & vitamin E)
• Lacto Calamine Cucumber Face Toner (with green tea, 2% niacinamide)
• Lacto Calamine Super Light Face Moisturizer Gel
• Lacto Calamine Skin Balance Cream (for all skin types)

2. Ingredient Composition and Pharmacological Analysis

Table 1. Lacto Calamine Product Range — Ingredients, Functions, and Sources

Product Variant	Key Ingredients	Pharmacological / Dermatological Role	Primary Sources
Oil Balance Lotion	Aqua, Light Kaolin Clay, Sorbitol Solution (~70%), Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Aloe Vera Gel, Castor Oil, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Carbonate, Simethicone, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Cetostearyl Alcohol, Pigments, Perfume, Preservatives	Kaolin clay: absorbent, oil control; Zinc oxide/carbonate: antiseptic, astringent; Aloe vera: anti-inflammatory, moisturizing; Humectants: moisture retention; Surfactants: consistency	SkinSort + INCIDecoder + 1mg + Apollo Pharmacy
Normal/Combination Lotion	Aqua, Kaolin Clay, Glycerin, Castor Oil, Zinc Oxide, Stabilizers, Parabens	Oil absorption, cleansing, soothing, antibacterial effects	Amazon + 1mg
Aloe Variant	Kaolin Clay, Zinc Oxide, Aloe Vera Extract, Aqua, Castor Oil, Witch Hazel Extract, Perfume, Preservatives	Absorbent, astringent, cooling, anti-inflammatory	PharmEasy + 1mg
Cucumber Face Toner	Purified Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Sodium Salicylate, Green Tea Extract, Cucumber Extract, Preservatives	Anti-inflammatory, brightening, barrier repair, antioxidant	INCIDecoder + PUSHMYCART
Rose Face Toner	Purified Water, Niacinamide, Rose Petal Extract, Aloe Vera, Glycerin, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol	Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hydrating	INCIDecoder + SkinSafe

While Kaolin clay and Zinc Oxide possess individual absorbent and mild antimicrobial properties, there is no published evidence showing that the specific concentrations used in Piramal’s products yield synergistic, clinically meaningful outcomes for acne or inflammatory dermatoses. The presence of Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), a recognized dermal irritant capable of disrupting barrier integrity, contradicts any claimed soothing benefit and may worsen irritation in sensitive skin. Simethicone, an anti-foaming agent common in oral formulations, has no established mechanistic role in topical dermatology and appears to be included to enhance tactile feel rather than therapeutic action. Botanical extracts and parabens are included without standardized dosage data or rigorous validation, raising concerns about dose-dependency, batch-to-batch variability, and potential formation of pro- or anti-inflammatory metabolites. Without data on minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against acne-associated bacteria, validated skin-penetration profiles, or sustained anti-inflammatory action, the formulation cannot be regarded as pharmacologically plausible. This incongruity supports the central thesis: the product functions as a cosmetic placebo rather than a bona fide dermatological intervention.

3. Pharmacological Commensurability Assessment

3.1 Regulatory Framework

Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act (India) and parallel international frameworks, most ingredients are individually “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) or listed in official pharmacopeias. However, the final combination is not a licensed pharmacological formulation but is registered under cosmetic/OTC categories.

3.2 Commensurability Concerns

From a pharmacological standpoint, ingredient-level compatibility does not equate to formulation-level commensurability:

• Zinc oxide and kaolin clay perform similar absorbent roles but may lead to excessive drying.
• Sodium lauryl sulphate is a known irritant, potentially counteracting soothing components.
• Parabens can interact with botanical extracts, increasing allergenic potential.
• Simethicone lacks standardized topical pharmacology.
• Pigments are purely aesthetic and pharmacologically inert.

Beyond the absence of randomized controlled trials, there is a critical void in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data for Lacto Calamine’s specific matrices. No transepidermal water loss (TEWL) studies, no skin penetration/permeation data for zinc oxide or kaolin, and no duration-of-action measurements are publicly available. Consequently, even if short-term perceptual benefits are observed, there is no evidence of sustained pharmacological activity, meaningful dose–response relationships, or clinically meaningful endpoints. This data gap reinforces the conclusion that reported “oil balance” and “pimple control” claims rest on cosmetic effects and placebo mechanisms rather than on pharmacotherapeutic action.

4. Toxicological and Dermatological Risk Profile

4.1. Toxicity & Side Effects of Lacto Calamine

A. Zinc Oxide & Kaolin Clay

• Generally safe as topical protectants (used in baby rash creams, sunscreens).
• Risk: In rare cases, may cause dryness, tightness, or chalky buildup on skin.
• Toxicity: Only dangerous if ingested in large amounts → zinc toxicity (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea).

B. Parabens (Methyl, Propyl Paraben)

• Widely used preservatives in cosmetics.
• Risks: Linked to skin irritation, allergic dermatitis in sensitive users.
• Controversy: Some studies suggest estrogenic (hormone-disrupting) potential with long-term use, though regulators (FDA, EMA) still permit them at low concentrations.

C. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)

• A surfactant/emulsifier.
• Risks: Known skin irritant; can worsen dryness, redness, burning sensations, especially in eczema or sensitive skin.
• Toxicity: Not systemically toxic at cosmetic levels, but frequent use damages skin barrier.

D. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis Extract)

• Contains tannins and alcohols.
• Risks: Drying effect, may provoke stinging or allergic reaction in sensitive skin.
• Systemic toxicity: Minimal unless ingested.

E. Artificial Colorants (CI 15850, CI 77491, Lithol Rubine)

• Cosmetic-approved pigments.
• Risks: Can cause allergic contact dermatitis, rare cases of photo-allergic reactions.
• Toxicity: Regulatory bodies allow them, but impurities in pigments sometimes linked to heavy metal traces.

F. Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sorbitol

• Used as humectants (moisture binders).
• Risks: Propylene glycol is a known irritant in some dermatology patients → may cause burning/itching.

Overall Product Toxicity Profile

• Short-term use (normal skin): Usually safe, mild protective effect.
• Sensitive/eczema/acne-prone skin: Risk of irritation, worsening dryness, or contact allergy due to parabens, SLS, alcohol, pigments.
• Systemic toxicity: Only if ingested (accidental poisoning in children → nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, zinc overdose risk).

Critical Point

Lacto Calamine is legally categorized as a cosmetic, not a drug. That means it is tested for safety (skin irritation, toxicology) but not for therapeutic efficacy or long-term side effects. Claims like “oil balance” or “pimple control” are marketing rhetoric, not pharmacological guarantees.

Lacto Calamine is generally safe for casual topical use, but its ingredients (SLS, parabens, pigments, witch hazel) carry risks of skin irritation, dryness, and allergic dermatitis; its therapeutic claims remain unproven.

Table 2. Toxicity Classification of Lacto Calamine Ingredients

Ingredient Category	Examples	Dermal Irritation Potential	Systemic Toxicity Risk	Allergenicity Risk	Overall Classification
Inorganic Protectants	Zinc Oxide, Kaolin Clay	Low	Low	Very Low	Low
Humectants/Polyols	Glycerin, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol	Low – Moderate	Low	Moderate (for PG)	Low–Moderate
Botanical Extracts	Aloe Vera, Witch Hazel, Rose	Low – Moderate	Very Low	Moderate	Low–Moderate
Preservatives	Methyl/Propyl Paraben	Low	Low	Moderate	Low–Moderate
Surfactants/Emulsifiers	SLS, PEG-100 Stearate	Moderate – High	Low	Moderate	Moderate
Colorants/Pigments	CI 15850, CI 77491	Low	Very Low	Low – Moderate	Low–Moderate
Fragrances	Synthetic Aromatic Blends	Moderate	Very Low	High	Moderate–High

4.1 Composite Toxicity Assessment

• Short-term use: Generally safe for normal skin.
• Sensitive/compromised skin: Risk of irritation, dryness, contact allergy.
• Systemic toxicity: Only via accidental ingestion.
• Primary concerns: Local irritation, barrier disruption.

ADDENDUM

The Formulation as a Pharmacologically Incoherent Placebo Cosmetic

• A rigorous pharmacological analysis of Lacto Calamine’s ingredient matrix exposes fundamental formulation contradictions that render it therapeutically incoherent and essentially a placebo cosmetic masquerading as dermatological intervention. The primary active components—Kaolin clay (aluminum silicate) and Zinc Oxide—while individually recognized for sebum absorption and mild antimicrobial properties respectively, lack any peer-reviewed clinical data demonstrating synergistic efficacy in the specific concentrations used by Piramal. More critically, the formulation contains pharmacologically antagonistic elements: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, a known dermal irritant with a documented propensity to disrupt the stratum corneum barrier, directly counteracts the purported “soothing” effects of Aloe Vera extract. This contradiction suggests either gross formulation incompetence or deliberate sensory manipulation over therapeutic intent.
• The inclusion of Simethicone—an anti-foaming agent primarily used in gastrointestinal preparations—in a topical dermatological product has no established pharmacological rationale and appears purely cosmetic to create a silky application feel. The botanical extracts (Aloe Vera, Witch Hazel, Rose Petal, Cucumber) are present in undisclosed, likely sub-therapeutic concentrations without standardized phytochemical profiles, making any claimed anti-inflammatory effects pharmacologically meaningless. Furthermore, the presence of multiple parabens alongside “natural” botanicals creates potential chemical interactions that could generate pro-inflammatory metabolites, directly opposing the product’s anti-acne claims.
• Most damning is the absence of any standardized active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with established minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against acne-causing bacteria like Propionibacterium acnes. Without quantified antimicrobial activity, controlled pH buffering, or clinically validated penetration enhancers, Lacto Calamine functions purely as a cosmetic placebo—its perceived efficacy derives entirely from temporary mechanical oil absorption and the psychological comfort of ritualized application, not from any genuine pharmacotherapeutic mechanism. Piramal’s formulation strategy appears designed to exploit consumer ignorance about dermatological pharmacology while maintaining plausible deniability about therapeutic claims.

Given chronic daily application, there is a plausible risk of cumulative sensitization from paraben–botanical interactions. While direct causal data are limited, existing dermatopharmacology literature indicates that phenolic plant constituents can react with parabens to form oxidized or esterified metabolites that may act as sensitizers. A formal in vitro and ex vivo assessment of paraben–botanical interactions, coupled with post-marketing surveillance for contact dermatitis, would be a prudent regulatory recommendation. This precautionary stance aligns with precautionary public health principles in the absence of comprehensive interaction data.

5. Regulatory and Legal Critique

Lacto Calamine exemplifies regulatory sleight-of-hand under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. Piramal Pharma navigates legal boundaries by:

• Avoiding explicit “cure” claims in the available ads.
• Using quasi-therapeutic language (“oil balance,” “pimple control”).
• Exploiting cosmetic classification to imply medical benefits.
• Operating under “safe until proven otherwise” rather than “effective because proven.”

Table 3. Drug vs. Cosmetic Regulation Comparison

Parameter	Pharmaceutical Drug	Cosmetic (Lacto Calamine)
Governing Body	CDSCO	State Drug Licensing Authority
Required Data	Clinical trials, efficacy, toxicity	Safety declaration only
Advertising Restrictions	Prohibited under Magic Remedies Act	Permitted under consumer law
Pharmacovigilance	Mandatory	Voluntary/None
Retail Access	Prescription or regulated OTC	Open OTC/Cosmetic counters

5.2. Comparative Efficacy Benchmarking

To contextualize Lacto Calamine’s pharmacological shortcomings, juxtapose it with established, evidence-based dermatological therapies in randomized trials. For example, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, niacinamide, and retinoids each have robust trial data demonstrating reductions in inflammatory lesions and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The absence of such clinical validation for Lacto Calamine highlights a profound efficacy gap, underscoring that marketing claims substantially exceed what is demonstrated in controlled practice. This benchmarking supports the argument that the product’s therapeutic aura rests on cosmetic effects and placebo-like experiences rather than on proven pharmacotherapy.

6. Marketing Ethics and Celebrity Propaganda

6.1 Truth-Claims Analysis

Lacto Calamine has long been advertised as more than just a cosmetic — it is packaged in the language of medicine. This medicalized rhetoric is deliberate. It blurs the line between cosmetic skincare and dermatological treatment, creating a false impression of pharmacological credibility. Yet, Lacto Calamine is not approved or tested as a therapeutic drug; it is only regulated under cosmetic standards.

Piramal’s advertising campaigns features:

• “Absorbs excess oil while keeping skin moisturized.”
• “Keeps pimples and dark spots away.”
• “SPF 50 PA++ providing 98% UVA/UVB protection.”
• “Oil balance therapy”
• “Pimple care”
• “Daily skin treatment”
• Celebrity endorsements (e.g., Mrunal Thakur) substituting medical authority.

FEW INSTANCES OF TRUTH CLAIMS FROM DIGITAL MEDIA

Lacto Calamine Face Lotion I For a clear and matte look daily I

Truth-Claim: “Lacto Calamine Face Lotion is enriched with the goodness of natural ingredients like Kaolin Clay and Glycerin. Kaolin Clay helps absorb excess oil from your skin, leaving it matte and shine-free, while Glycerin maintains your skin’s moisture balance, preventing dryness.”

Truth-Claim: “The secret to Mrunal’s clear matte skin is #LactoCalamine Lotion. It absorbs excess oil while keeping the skin moisturised. Don’t wait for oily skin problems, avoid them. #OilySkinHaiTohLactoCalamine. Regular use recommended in the reel just like regular performances of Yoga!

In the same reel in Instagram, the user (mrunalthakur) suggests, “My skincare secret is out! I use Lacto Calamine, the Oily Skincare Expert, every day to get clear, matte skin.What makes it the Oily Skincare Expert? Watch to find out. And always remember” (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDyjo6hTf7A/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)

Truth-Claim: A female Rock Climber suggests this lotion relating it with her marriage (politically incorrect racist colour-consciousness exposed) as skin “colour” changes when exposed to strong sunshine during climbing.

“Lacto Calamine presents Face Up, a series of common yet extra-ordinary women who have faced up to the challenge of effectively balancing their passion in life and their career rather than turning their face away from it. In our next story, we have Kopal Goyal – a film maker by profession and a rock climber by passion. Against all norms, not only has she pursued her passion for rock climbing unconditionally, but also supports other women in helping them discover their love for rock climbing. Watch her story and #FaceUp to your challenges that stop you from balancing your personal and professional life.”

Table 4. Truth-Claims Evaluation

Claim / Media Source	Truth Claim Description	Type of Authority	Ethical Assessment	Dermatological Consideration / Risk

Instagram Reel DDyjo6hTf7A

“Regular use recommended”

Celebrity (non-medical)

Encourages daily compliance without medical oversight; lacks discussion of irritation or sensitization

Repeated topical use may cause local irritation, dryness, or allergic reactions; no MSDS guidance provided

YouTube gSwwnb9Bk9Y

Erasing pimples, dark spots, oily skin

Celebrity endorsement

Suggests therapeutic efficacy; violates non-maleficence principle; quasi-therapeutic claim

Active ingredients (ZnO, kaolin) may reduce oil; no clinical trials; risk of misperceived effectiveness

YouTube cAsDarCPu6E

SPF 50 sunscreen absorbs excess oil; daily protection

Celebrity, marketing copy

Implicitly medicalizes cosmetic; daily-use imperative absent safety caveats

Kaolin may absorb sebum; zinc oxide protects against UV; improper application or overuse may irritate sensitive skin

YouTube B5UIDJBI9So

Clear matte skin due to kaolin, zinc oxide, glycerin; pimples & dark spots prevention

Celebrity

Misrepresents cosmetic as curative; bypasses dermatologist advice; consumer deception

Cosmetic effect plausible; efficacy for acne/dark spots not clinically validated; possible irritation from surfactants or fragrance

Marketing Copy (Multiple Sources)

“Oily Skincare Expert”

Brand claim + celebrity

Promotes cosmetic as quasi-medical; ethically problematic in misrepresenting effect

No randomized clinical trial; ingredients safe individually but combination not validated therapeutically

Advertising / Promotions

“Don’t wait for oily skin problems, avoid them”

Marketing imperative

Covert imperative shifts systemic responsibility to consumer; exploits anxiety

Encourages prophylactic daily use without professional guidance; risk of sensitization over time

Retail Description / Online Store

Matte, oil-free finish; protects from tanning & UV

Marketing copy

Overstates protection; implies efficacy comparable to dermatologically tested sunscreen

SPF label may protect against UV; actual percentage of zinc oxide or UV filters unknown; insufficient safety data for prolonged use

6.2 Ethical Implications

• Medicalization of cosmetics: Product marketed with quasi-therapeutic claims.
• Celebrity authority substitution: Replaces scientific or medical validation.
• Consumer deception: Violates principles of veracity and informed consent.
• Regulatory circumvention: Exploits cosmetic-pharma grey zone.

One radically needs to frame the issue as a public health concern and advocate for consumer education on the distinction between cosmetic and pharmacological products. Propose educational materials that explain how placebo effects can influence perceived skincare benefits and emphasize reliance on evidence-based dermatological therapies. One needs to rcommend collaboration with consumer protection agencies to develop labeling and outreach that mitigate inappropriate self-treatment with quasi-therapeutic cosmetics, particularly among adolescents and young adults.

7. Anthropogenic Climate Crises and Dermatological Commodities

7.1. The Climate–Skin Nexus

Anthropogenic climate change—driven by greenhouse gas accumulation, ozone-depleting chemicals, and industrial emissions—has drastically altered the human–environment interface (McKenzie et al., 2022; UNEP, 2023). Among its many consequences, the amplification of ultraviolet (UV) radiation at the Earth’s surface has been directly correlated with increased dermatological vulnerability: photodamage, pigmentation disorders, erythema, premature aging, and carcinogenesis (Diffey, 2020). The skin, once a biological boundary, becomes a permeable site of ecological exposure, registering atmospheric toxicity, radiation, and particulate pollution as micro-level inscriptions of global environmental breakdown.

Within this crisis, the body’s surface becomes an economic frontier. The dermatological industry transforms planetary anxiety into dermal pathology, and pathology into profit. Every wrinkle or flare-up becomes evidence of the Anthropocene’s embodied violence—marketed back to consumers as something treatable through commodified care.

7.2. Dermatological Commodities as Micro-Technologies of Adaptation

Topical formulations—especially those marketed as “climate-resilient” or “UV-protective”—emerge as micro-scale adaptive technologies. These products perform a biopolitical function: they promise control over one’s skin against planetary instability while absolving larger industrial agents from environmental accountability.

This dynamic is emblematic of what Žižek (2010) calls “cultural capitalism”—a system that sells redemption from the very conditions it perpetuates. The consumer’s purchase becomes a moral and dermatological gesture of protection, yet the production of such commodities continues to rely on the petrochemical, extractive, and polluting infrastructures that intensify the climate crisis.

7.3. Lacto Calamine: From Colonial Pharmacopoeia to Climate Commodity

Piramal Pharma’s Lacto Calamine stands as a paradigmatic dermatological commodity—a remnant of colonial pharmacology repackaged for neoliberal wellness culture. Its formulation of kaolin clay, zinc oxide, glycerin, aloe vera, and preservatives echoes the British pharmacopoeial “calamine lotion,” historically used for mild dermatitis and sunburns. Yet in contemporary advertising, Lacto Calamine transcends its modest therapeutic origins.

The brand now operates in the affective register of climate anxiety:

• “Sunshield SPF 50” variants promise “oil-free protection” and “98% UV defense,” implying immunity from anthropogenic radiation.
• Influencer campaigns (e.g., Mrunal Thakur’s endorsements) equate daily use with environmental adaptation—“Don’t wait for oily skin problems; avoid them.”
• By positioning itself as an “Oily Skincare Expert,” Piramal rhetorically transforms the climate-exposed epidermis into a manageable surface, privatizing what is otherwise a planetary disorder.

Thus, Lacto Calamine functions as a pharmakon—a Derridean double sign of remedy and poison (Derrida, 1972). It heals only within the system that makes healing impossible, soothing the skin even as its production and promotion sustain extractive capitalism.

7.4. The Bioethical Paradox: Skin Care as Climate Denial

By framing ecological injury as a matter of individual skincare, the corporation converts collective environmental failure into private epidermal maintenance. Hansen et al. (2021) warn that such adaptation narratives sustain “false agency”: the illusion that consumers can offset global risk through personal hygiene. This “dermatological individualism” mirrors what Nancy (2008) calls the dismembering of the world—the loss of shared being under the pressures of technocapitalism.

Ethically, this deflection is profound. Instead of addressing the structural pollution—from chemical plants, pharmaceutical waste, and carbon-intensive production—corporations like Piramal redirect public attention to symptomatic consumption. The lotion becomes both screen and shield: a literal sunblock and a figurative barrier against guilt, anxiety, and political responsibility.

7.5. Psychodermatology and the Capitalization of Distress

The marketing of Lacto Calamine also intersects with psychodermatology—the study of bidirectional relationships between psychological distress and skin disorders. Stress, anxiety, and depression exacerbate acne, eczema, psoriasis, and urticaria (Gupta et al., 2016). Yet Piramal’s advertising collapses this complexity into a single imperative: “Use daily.”

In this formulation, capitalism manufactures both the itch and the ointment. Environmental degradation and economic precarity generate psychosomatic eruptions—itching skin, burning scalp, anxiety-driven rashes—only to be pacified by the very industry complicit in their cause. Lacto Calamine thus becomes a somatic prosthesis of neoliberal governance, selling serenity while sustaining systemic stress.

Table 5: Skin–Climate–Capital Loop

Stage	Description	Mechanism	Result
1. Climate Stressors	UV radiation, heat, particulate matter	Environmental exposure	Skin irritation, pigmentation, dryness
2. Psychological Distress	Anxiety, insecurity, self-surveillance	Neuro-immuno-cutaneous pathways	Psychosomatic eruptions
3. Market Intervention	Lacto Calamine marketed as daily adaptive protection	Commodity fetishism, influencer validation	Consumer dependency
4. Structural Invisibility	Production-related emissions, pharmaceutical waste	Regulatory opacity, media complicity	Continued ecological degradation

(Author’s model based on McKenzie et al., 2022; Diffey, 2020; Hansen et al., 2021.

[Financial / Social Stress]
│
▼
[Psychological Distress: Anxiety, Depression, Anger]
│
▼
[Psychodermatological Response: Itching, Acne, Flare-ups]
│
▼
[Consumption of Cosmetic / OTC Products (e.g., Lacto Calamine, Tetmosol)]
│
▼
[Temporary Relief / Placebo Effect]
│
▼
[Reinforced Dependence on Marketed Solutions]
│
▼
[Continued Financial / Social Stress]
└───────────────────────────────┐
│ (Cycle repeats)

7.7. Toward a Reflexive Ecology of Care

The problem, ultimately, is not the lotion but the logic of substitution—where self-care replaces systemic care. The ethical challenge is to reframe dermatological commodities not as shields against the Anthropocene but as symptoms of its moral economy.

Reimagining care requires acknowledging that every tube of Lacto Calamine embodies the contradictions of late capitalism: the promise of comfort built upon planetary exhaustion, the soothing of human skin at the expense of the Earth’s. In this sense, the skin becomes both metaphor and mirror—reflecting the deeper psychosomatic wound of a civilization that treats the planet as a cosmetic surface, endlessly irritated, endlessly soothed.

This represents climate-commoditized consumerism, where:

• Environmental anxieties are leveraged for marketing.
• Individual responsibility is emphasized over systemic causes.
• Products exploit emergent crises to generate consumer dependence.
• Regulatory and industrial accountability remain obscured.

In this moral landscape of marketed anxiety and cosmetic comfort, Mr. Ajay Piramal’s dual role emerges as an emblem of contradiction: a self-styled philanthropist promoting “clean skin” through Lactocalamine while his industrial empire has itself been implicated in unclean ecological legacies.

The Digwal pollution incidents ⤡⤡ in Telangana—where industrial waste from Piramal units reportedly contaminated local groundwater—constitute a material inversion of the “purity” that Lactocalamine’s pink lotion advertises. Likewise, the skyscraper developments by the Piramal Group along Mumbai’s flood-prone coastlines⤡ dramatize a climate-risk blindness: the same conglomerate that markets protection from the sun’s UV radiation contributes to the urban heat-island effect and ecological instability that intensify such exposure.
Here, the lotion and the landscape collapse into one another—an emblem of philanthrocapitalism’s epidermal ethics, where ecological harm is masked beneath a layer of perfumed self-care.

8. Sociocultural and Ideological Critique: Lacto Calamine vs. Fair & Lovely

Lacto Calamine and Fair & Lovely (now rebranded as Glow & Lovely to avoid racism) occupy adjacent but distinct corners of India’s cosmetic–pharma landscape. Both illustrate the late-capitalist commodification of the body—its surface anxieties, its manufactured needs, and its social inscriptions. Where Lacto Calamine constructs a discourse of “clinical reassurance,” Fair & Lovely operationalizes a visual economy of fairness, virtue, and social elevation. Each exploits a different register of insecurity: the former the dermatological, the latter the sociocultural. Yet, their ideological infrastructure converges upon a single logic—the medicalization and monetization of human vulnerability.

Table 5. Sociocultural and Ideological Critique: Lacto Calamine vs. Fair & Lovely (Glow & Lovely)

Lacto Calamine and Fair & Lovely (now rebranded as Glow & Lovely to evade charges of racism) occupy adjacent but distinct corners of India’s cosmetic–pharma landscape. Both illustrate the late-capitalist commodification of the body—its surface anxieties, its manufactured needs, and its social inscriptions. Where Lacto Calamine constructs a discourse of clinical reassurance, Fair & Lovely operationalizes a visual economy of fairness, virtue, and social elevation. Each exploits a different register of insecurity: the former the dermatological, the latter the sociocultural. Yet, their ideological infrastructure converges upon a single logic—the medicalization and monetization of human vulnerability.

In the moral economy of contemporary India, both brands function as technologies of self-regulation. Fair & Lovely promises redemption through pigmentary transformation; Lacto Calamine offers redemption through chemical equilibrium. The former moralizes complexion; the latter scientizes it. Together, they constitute a regime of beautification as discipline, where the body becomes a laboratory of market morality.

Table 6. Lacto Calamine vs. Fair & Lovely (Glow & Lovely)

Dimension	Lacto Calamine	Fair & Lovely / Glow & Lovely	Critical Insight
Claimed Purpose	“Oil control,” “pimple management,” “hydration balance.”	“Skin lightening,” “brightening,” “glow.”	Both promise corrective transformation targeting insecurity: Lacto Calamine medicalizes appearance; Fair & Lovely aestheticizes it.
Ingredient Base	Zinc oxide, calamine, kaolin, humectants; OTC cosmetic-grade formulation.	Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), sunscreens, skin-lightening agents, parabens, perfumes.	Neither is pharmacologically approved as a drug; both rely on cosmetic safety standards that do not mandate clinical efficacy.
Side Effects / Risks	Dryness, irritation, allergic dermatitis; false impression of therapeutic dermatology.	Dryness, irritation, long-term pigment disruption; reinforcement of colorism.	Toxicity manifests differently: dermatological for Lacto Calamine, psychological and sociocultural for Fair & Lovely.
Regulatory Grey Zone	Marketed as cosmetic but employs quasi-drug claims (“oil balance therapy,” “pimple treatment”).	Marketed as cosmetic but promotes health-like promises (“healthy fairness,” “glow boost”).	Both exploit the porous boundary between cosmetic and therapeutic language, revealing India’s regulatory inertia.
Ideological Core	Pseudo-medical reassurance — a “doctor in a bottle.”	Sociocultural validation — “fairness equals success.”	Both commodify human vulnerability: Lacto Calamine through clinical imagery, Fair & Lovely through social stigma.

Critical Takeaway.
While Fair & Lovely has been widely condemned for perpetuating colorism and gendered hierarchies of beauty, Lacto Calamine hides behind the legitimacy of medical aesthetics, smuggling cosmetic promises into a quasi-drug framework. The former’s violence is overtly cultural; the latter’s deception is epistemic. Both are less about cure or care and more about capitalizing on insecurity—whether of pigment or of pimple, of appearance or of authenticity.

8.1 Ideological Continuities and Divergences

The juxtaposition of these two brands exposes the mutating rhetoric of corporate care. Fair & Lovely’s rebranding into Glow & Lovely signifies a cosmetic repentance—an attempt to retain market legitimacy while evading moral censure. Lacto Calamine, however, avoids scrutiny by adopting the semiotics of medical respectability: sterile whites, laboratory cues, and pseudo-dermatological lexicon (“balance,” “therapy,” “treatment”). Both thus participate in a semiotic laundering of harm, where marketing vocabularies simulate empathy while perpetuating dependency.

The ideology behind both is biopolitical in Foucault’s sense: the governance of bodies through discourses of health and beauty. Lacto Calamine disciplines the epidermis through the promise of purity and equilibrium; Fair & Lovely disciplines pigmentation through the promise of fairness and upward mobility. Each creates an anxious subject—one perpetually monitoring, correcting, and purchasing their own skin.

8.2 Ethical Implications and Consumer Deception

Advertising that deploys pseudo-medical reassurance (e.g., “oil-control therapy”) performs an act of ethical bad faith. It reproduces the authority of medicine without its accountability, exploiting consumers’ ignorance of pharmacological commensurability. When corporations such as Piramal Pharma appropriate dermatological language to sell cosmetics, they enact what the Once in a Blue Moon essay calls “the calamity of the pharmakon”—a cycle in which the same actor produces both ailment and antidote.

This epistemic masquerade mirrors broader neoliberal tendencies in which the body becomes a microcosm of market logic, and health a form of self-discipline mediated through consumption. The outcome is not empowerment but dependency—on products, brands, and a manufactured insecurity that sustains the cosmetic economy.

Table 7. Comparative Framework: Drug vs. Cosmetic Regulation in India

Parameter	Pharmaceutical Drug	Cosmetic (e.g., Lacto Calamine)
Governing Body	Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)	State Drug Licensing Authority
Required Data	Clinical trials for efficacy and toxicity	Safety declaration only
Advertising Restrictions	Prohibited under “Magic Remedies Act”	Permitted under consumer law
Labeling Rules	Therapeutic claims only if verified	May use “beautifying” or “protective” claims
Pharmacovigilance Obligation	Mandatory	Voluntary / None
Retail Access	Prescription or OTC pharmacy	OTC / cosmetic counters

Source: Adapted from Drugs and Cosmetics Rules (1945) and Central Drugs Authority Guidelines.

8.3 Postcolonial and Feminist Commentary

Both brands inherit the colonial legacy of the “civilizing epidermis”—the belief that bodily improvement equals moral progress. Fair & Lovely internalizes the Raj-era hierarchy of skin, while Lacto Calamine extends the colonial clinic’s obsession with hygiene and control. In postcolonial capitalism, these logics converge: to be modern is to be well-managed, spotless, and self-surveilled.

From a feminist standpoint, these products reinscribe patriarchal visibility: the woman’s face becomes the billboard of social worth, the epidermis the terrain of moral labour. If Fair & Lovely enforces aesthetic conformity, Lacto Calamine enforces medical dependency—both producing what Foucault termed docile bodies, where compliance masquerades as confidence.

8.4 The Semiotics of Science and the Aesthetics of Faith

Where Fair & Lovely once offered the miracle of fairness, Lacto Calamine offers the science of balance. The shift from miracle to mechanism marks not progress but a new theology, in which science functions as faith. Piramal Pharma’s advertising borrows the iconography of the laboratory—white coats, sterile fonts, and blue gradients—to perform pharmacological persuasion. The illusion of evidence becomes the new miracle; trust migrates from priest to pharmacist, from fairness cream to “therapeutic lotion.” This scientification of belief converts the epistemic authority of medicine into marketing, blurring knowledge and commerce.

8.5 The Political Economy of Skin

In the neoliberal marketplace, skin is no longer biological but a site of investment. Every blemish is potential capital loss; every “solution” a new asset. Lacto Calamine thus participates in what might be called dermo-capitalism—the monetization of skin as a financial instrument of self-worth. As the planet warms and UV exposure rises, Piramal’s “sunshield” products transform ecological crisis into market opportunity—an ethical inversion whereby climate anxiety is privatized as personal care.

8.6 Ethical Commentary: Manufactured Bad Faith

To market a cosmetic as quasi-medical relief from environmental degradation—while contributing industrially to that degradation—constitutes bad faith in both existential and ethical senses. It displaces collective responsibility onto the consumer, persuading them that survival depends on purchase. By transposing ecological guilt onto the epidermis, Piramal Pharma enacts what Adorno termed commodity reconciliation: the transformation of crisis into comfort, harm into habit.

8.7 Concluding Commentary: The Pharmakon of Capital

The ideological work of Lacto Calamine, read beside Fair & Lovely, reveals not a moral evolution but a mutation of deception—from visible lie to verifiable illusion. Where once the market promised beauty, it now promises science—each equally unverifiable in its consumer context. Lacto Calamine is therefore not merely a lotion; it is a dermatological theology of neoliberalism, an act of faith in the sanctity of surface, a ritual of purification masking the unhealed wounds of modernity. In this sense, the “itching skin” of the consumer and the “itching palms” of the corporation are symptoms of the same pathology: a civilization that has mistaken marketing for medicine and commodification for cure.

9. Data Gaps and Research Recommendations

9.1 Current Limitations

• No SKU-specific MSDS/SDS available publicly.
• Missing quantitative formulation data (% composition).
• Limited chronic exposure studies.
• Absent clinical efficacy trials.

9.2 Recommended Actions

1. Regulatory transparency: Require detailed MSDS for all SKUs.
2. Clinical validation: Conduct dermatologist-supervised trials.
3. Ethical advertising: Eliminate celebrity-based medical claims.
4. Consumer protection: Implement risk-disclosure requirements.

The contradictions between dermatological comfort and ecological discomfort encapsulate the moral paradox of contemporary capitalism. As Žižek (2008) notes, consumer ethics now operate through “fetishistic disavowal”—we know our creams, cars, or corporations are destructive, yet we continue to consume them as gestures of moral reassurance.

To strengthen consumer protection, regulatory authorities should require explicit delineation between cosmetic and quasi-drug claims and mandate:

• Transparent labelling of all SKUs with complete ingredient concentrations.
• Submission of clinical data or pre-registration of quasi-therapeutic claims demonstrating efficacy.
• Mandatory pharmacovigilance reporting for adverse skin reactions from cosmetic–medical hybrids.
• Clear, enforceable guidelines distinguishing cosmetic claims from dermatological drug claims to prevent consumer misinterpretation.

These steps would enhance accountability and reduce misleading quasi-therapeutic advertising.

Advertising standards should mandate clear disclosures about the evidentiary basis (or lack thereof) for medical-sounding claims in cosmetics. Specific recommendations include:

(a) prohibition of disease-like outcomes unless validated by clinical trials;

(b) prohibition of medical claims in cosmetic products absent regulatory clearance;

(c) transparency about any financial relationships between endorsers and the sponsor; and

(d) requirement for independent peer or regulatory review of marketing claims when celebrities are used to convey therapeutic expectations. This framework would strengthen consumer trust and align advertising with evidence-based practice.

10. Conclusion

Lacto Calamine represents a paradigmatic case of cosmetic-pharma hybridization in neoliberal India. While toxicologically safe for general use, its marketing strategies exploit regulatory ambiguities, consumer anxieties, and environmental concerns. The product functions less as a pharmacologically commensurable therapeutic agent and more as a symbolic artefact of cosmetic capitalism.

The analysis reveals broader systemic issues—regulatory capture, ethical marketing failures, and the commodification of environmental and dermatological anxieties. Stricter oversight, evidence-based marketing standards, and consumer-protection mechanisms are essential to address these concerns.

The critique of Lactocalamine, therefore, is not only dermatological or environmental—it is political and ethical. To name Ajay Piramal’s product as an “ecocidal cosmetic” is to reveal the deep hypocrisies of our era, where the very agents of planetary harm monopolize the language of care and cure.
Against this, the lived bodies of DHFL victims stand as counter-memorials: unhealed, uncamouflaged, and unmarketable. They remind us that genuine recovery—whether financial, ecological, or dermatological—cannot be applied as lotion; it must be fought for, with conscience rather than cream.

These contradictions between environmental destruction and marketed wellness reach their most intimate scale when traced onto the human body. It is in this context that the following self-reflexive prelude should be read—not merely as personal testimony, but as a counter-archive of harm, where financial dispossession, toxic exposure, and the search for healing converge.

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 Disclaimer

This document is an independent academic and critical inquiry conducted for educational, research, and public-interest purposes. It draws on publicly available data, product labels, advertisements, and regulatory information pertaining to Piramal Pharma Limited and its associated products. The analysis, interpretations, and opinions expressed herein represent the author’s scholarly perspective and are not intended to defame, malign, or cause reputational harm to any individual, organization, or entity. All product names, trademarks, and corporate identifiers mentioned are the property of their respective owners and are used strictly for the purpose of critical review under the principles of fair comment, academic freedom, and freedom of expression as recognized in Indian and international law. This work does not make or imply any medical, legal, or commercial claims. Readers are advised not to construe any part of this document as medical advice or product guidance. The toxicological and pharmacological discussions are based on secondary research, ingredient analysis, and publicly disclosed information; they do not substitute for clinical evaluation or regulatory adjudication. The author and publisher disclaim all liability for any loss, injury, or damage arising directly or indirectly from reliance on the information herein. The text seeks only to foster informed discussion on matters of public health ethics, corporate accountability, and environmental sustainabili