NICE Class 3 covers non-medicated cosmetics and toiletry preparations, non-medicated dentifrices, perfumes, bleaching and laundry preparations, and cleaning, polishing and abrasive preparations. It is a goods class for beauty, personal-care and cleaning products. In Nepal you register a Class 3 trademark with the Department of Industry, and protection covers only the class you file in — so a medicated version of the same product may fall in Class 5 instead.
Key Takeaways
- Class 3 is the cosmetics and cleaning class — non-medicated skincare, make-up, soap, perfume, and household cleaning preparations.
- The word "non-medicated" is key: a medicated shampoo, soap or lotion moves to Class 5.
- It includes deodorants for people and animals, room fragrances, nail products, polishing wax and sandpaper.
- It excludes cosmetic ingredients (Class 1), medicated personal care (Class 5) and make-up brushes and applicators (Class 21).
- Nepal's growing beauty, soap and FMCG sectors file heavily in Class 3.
- Register with the Department of Industry for a renewable 7-year term.
What does Trademark Class 3 cover?
Class 3 covers non-medicated cosmetics and toiletry preparations, non-medicated dentifrices (toothpaste), perfumes and fragrances, bleaching preparations and other laundry substances, and cleaning, polishing, scouring and abrasive preparations. The unifying idea is products applied to the body for grooming or used to clean and polish — as long as they are not medicated. The moment a product makes a medical claim or contains an active medicinal ingredient, it usually shifts to Class 5.
Full list of goods in Class 3
Below is the complete alphabetical list of Class 3 goods indications from the WIPO NICE Classification (13-2026 edition) — 242 entries in total. Use it to find the exact wording for your specification when you file in Nepal:
- Abrasive paper
- Abrasives*
- Adhesive tapes for affixing false hair
- Adhesives for affixing false eyelashes
- Adhesives for affixing false hair
- Adhesives for cosmetic purposes
- After-shave lotions
- Agarwood [incense]
- Air fragrance reed diffusers
- Air fragrancing preparations
- Almond milk for cosmetic purposes
- Almond oil for cosmetic purposes
- Almond soap
- Aloe vera preparations for cosmetic purposes
- Alum stones [astringents]
- Ammonia [volatile alkali] [detergent] / volatile alkali [ammonia] [detergent]
- Antiperspirant soap
- Antiperspirants [toiletries]
- Antistatic dryer sheets / antistatic drier sheets
- Antistatic preparations for household purposes
- Astringents for cosmetic purposes
- Baby wipes impregnated with cleaning preparations
- Balms, other than for medical purposes
- Basma [cosmetic dye]
- Bath bombs
- Bath preparations, not for medical purposes
- Bath salts, not for medical purposes
- Bath tea for cosmetic purposes
- Beard dyes
- Beauty masks
- Bleaching preparations [decolorants] for cosmetic purposes
- Bleaching preparations [decolorants] for household purposes
- Bleaching salts
- Bleaching soda
- Body glitter
- Body paint for cosmetic purposes
- Breath freshening preparations for personal hygiene
- Breath freshening sprays
- Breath freshening strips
- Cakes of toilet soap / cakes of soap
- Canned pressurized air for cleaning and dusting purposes
- Carbides of metal [abrasives]
- Chemical cleaning preparations for household purposes
- Cleaning chalk
- Cleaning preparations
- Cleansers for intimate personal hygiene purposes, non-medicated
- Cleansing milk for toilet purposes
- Cloths impregnated with a detergent for cleaning
- Cobblers' wax
- Collagen preparations for cosmetic purposes
- Colorants for toilet purposes
- Colour run prevention laundry sheets / color run prevention laundry sheets
- Colour-brightening chemicals for household purposes [laundry] / color-brightening chemicals for household purposes [laundry]
- Colour-removing preparations / color-removing preparations
- Cooling sprays for cosmetic purposes
- Corundum [abrasive]
- Cosmetic creams
- Cosmetic dyes
- Cosmetic pencils
- Cosmetic preparations for baths
- Cosmetic preparations for eyelashes
- Cosmetic preparations for skin care
- Cosmetic preparations for slimming purposes
- Cosmetic stamps, filled
- Cosmetics
- Cosmetics for animals
- Cosmetics for children
- Cotton swabs for cosmetic purposes / cotton sticks for cosmetic purposes
- Cotton wool for cosmetic purposes
- Cotton wool impregnated with make-up removing preparations
- Creams for leather / waxes for leather
- Decorative transfers for cosmetic purposes
- Degreasing preparations, other than for use in manufacturing processes
- Dental bleaching gels
- Dentifrices*
- Denture polishes
- Deodorant soap
- Deodorants for human beings or for animals
- Deodorants for pets
- Depilatory preparations / depilatories
- Depilatory sugar paste
- Depilatory wax
- Descaling preparations for household purposes
- Detergent tablets for coffee machines
- Detergents for dishwashing machines / dishwasher detergents
- Detergents, other than for use in manufacturing operations and for medical purposes
- Diamantine [abrasive]
- Disposable steam-heated masks, not for medical purposes
- Double eyelid tapes
- Douching preparations for personal sanitary or deodorant purposes [toiletries]
- Dressings for nail reconstruction
- Dry shampoos*
- Dry-cleaning preparations
- Drying agents for dishwashing machines / drying agents for dishwashers
- Eau de Cologne
- Emery
- Emery cloth
- Emery paper
- Essences for cosmetic purposes
- Essences for fragrancing
- Essential oils for cosmetic purposes / ethereal oils for cosmetic purposes
- Essential oils for fragrancing / ethereal oils for fragrancing
- Eye-washes, not for medical purposes
- Eyebrow cosmetics
- Eyebrow pencils
- Eyebrow styling wax
- Fabric softeners for laundry use
- False eyelashes
- False nails
- Floor wax
- Floor wax removers [scouring preparations]
- Floral water for cosmetic purposes
- Gel eye patches for cosmetic purposes
- Glass cloth [abrasive cloth]
- Greases for cosmetic purposes
- Grinding preparations / sharpening preparations
- Hair conditioners
- Hair dyes / hair colorants
- Hair lotions*
- Hair spray
- Hair straightening preparations
- Hair waving preparations / waving preparations for the hair
- Henna [cosmetic dye]
- Herbal extracts for cosmetic purposes
- Hydrogen peroxide for cosmetic purposes
- Incense*
- Javelle water / potassium hypochloride
- Joss sticks
- Lacquer-removing preparations
- Laundry balls filled with laundry detergents / washing balls filled with laundry detergents
- Laundry bleach / laundry bleaching preparations
- Laundry blueing
- Laundry glaze
- Laundry preparations
- Laundry soaking preparations / preparations for soaking laundry
- Leather bleaching preparations
- Leather preservatives [polishes] / preservatives for leather [polishes]
- Lip glosses
- Lipstick cases
- Lipsticks
- Liquid latex body paint for cosmetic purposes
- Lotions for cosmetic purposes
- Make-up
- Make-up palettes containing cosmetics
- Make-up powder
- Make-up preparations
- Make-up removing preparations
- Mascara
- Massage candles for cosmetic purposes
- Massage gels, other than for medical purposes
- Micellar water
- Moustache wax / mustache wax
- Mouthwashes, not for medical purposes
- Nail art stickers
- Nail care preparations
- Nail glitter
- Nail varnish / nail polish
- Nail varnish removers / nail polish removers
- Neutralizers for permanent waving
- Non-slipping liquids for floors
- Non-slipping wax for floors
- Oil of turpentine for degreasing
- Oils for cleaning purposes
- Oils for cosmetic purposes
- Oils for fragrancing
- Oils for toilet purposes
- Paint stripping preparations
- Pastes for razor strops
- Perfumes
- Petroleum jelly for cosmetic purposes
- Phytocosmetic preparations
- Polish for furniture and flooring
- Polishing creams
- Polishing paper
- Polishing preparations
- Polishing rouge / jewellers' rouge
- Polishing stones
- Polishing wax
- Pomades for cosmetic purposes
- Potpourris [fragrances]
- Preparations for cleaning dentures
- Preparations for unblocking drain pipes
- Preparations to make the leaves of plants shiny
- Pumice stone
- Quillaia bark for washing
- Rust removing preparations
- Sachets for perfuming linen
- Sandcloth / abrasive cloth
- Sandpaper / glass paper
- Scented water for fragrancing
- Scented wood
- Scouring solutions
- Serums for cosmetic purposes
- Shampoos for animals [non-medicated grooming preparations]
- Shampoos for pets [non-medicated grooming preparations]
- Shampoos*
- Shaving preparations
- Shaving soap
- Shaving stones [astringents]
- Sheet masks for cosmetic purposes
- Shining preparations [polish]
- Shoe cream
- Shoe polish
- Shoe wax
- Shoemakers' wax
- Silicon carbide [abrasive]
- Skin hydrators for cosmetic purposes
- Skin whitening creams / cream for whitening the skin
- Smoothing preparations [starching]
- Smoothing stones
- Soap for brightening textile
- Soap for foot perspiration
- Soap*
- Soda lye
- Special effects wax for make-up
- Stain removers
- Starch for laundry purposes / laundry starch
- Starch glaze for laundry purposes
- Sun-tanning preparations [cosmetics]
- Sunscreen preparations
- Tailors' wax
- Talcum powder, for toilet use
- Teeth whitening pens
- Teeth whitening strips
- Tissues impregnated with cosmetic lotions
- Tissues impregnated with make-up removing preparations
- Toilet water
- Toiletry preparations*
- Toners for cosmetic purposes
- Toothpaste*
- Tripoli stone for polishing
- Turpentine for degreasing
- Vaginal washes for personal sanitary or deodorant purposes
- Varnish-removing preparations
- Volcanic ash for cleaning
- Wallpaper cleaning preparations
- Washing soda, for cleaning
- Washing-up liquids / dish soaps
- Wax for parquet floors
- Wax melts [fragrancing preparations]
- Whiting
- Windscreen cleaning liquids / windshield cleaning liquids
What Class 3 does not include
The most frequent Class 3 error is filing a medicated product here instead of Class 5. Note these exclusions:
| Product | Correct class |
|---|---|
| Cosmetic ingredients (vitamins, preservatives, oils for manufacturing) | Class 1 |
| Chemical chimney cleaners; degreasing preparations for manufacturing | Class 1 |
| Medicated shampoos, soaps, lotions and dentifrices | Class 5 |
| Deodorants for medical use | Class 5 |
| Abrasives on a hand-tool base (e.g. sharpening stones) | Class 8 |
| Make-up brushes and cleaning instruments | Class 21 |
The rule of thumb: a non-medicated grooming or cleaning product is Class 3, but the same product with a medical claim or active drug is Class 5, and the tools used to apply it are Class 21.
Who files in Class 3 in Nepal?
Class 3 is one of the most active consumer classes in Nepal. It is filed by cosmetics and skincare brands, soap and detergent makers, perfume and fragrance houses, and fast-moving consumer-goods (FMCG) companies. Nepal's homegrown beauty and herbal-cosmetic scene is growing fast — but remember, a herbal product that claims to treat a condition may be Class 5, not Class 3. For sector-specific guidance see protecting a cosmetics and skincare brand and protecting an FMCG brand.
How to register a trademark in Class 3
Search the register for earlier beauty and cleaning marks, confirm Class 3 fits (and check whether a medicated variant needs Class 5), prepare your mark and specification, and file with the Department of Industry. It examines, publishes for the 90-day opposition window, and registers for a renewable 7-year term. Full detail is in how to register a trademark in Nepal; search first with how to search before filing.
Do you need more than one class?
Frequently, yes. A personal-care brand that sells both a non-medicated face wash (Class 3) and a medicated acne treatment (Class 5) needs both classes, and may add retail-services classes. Because Nepal files one class per application with per-class fees, map your range first. See choosing the right class, and the neighbouring Class 2 (Paints) and Class 4 (Fuels & Oils).
Why precise Class 3 filing matters
Class 3 is one of Nepal's most contested classes, so precision protects you. A specification that simply claims "cosmetics" invites conflict with the many similar marks already on the register, while one that names your real goods — "non-medicated face creams", "hair shampoos", "perfumes" — is both easier to register and easier to enforce. Precision also keeps the medicated–non-medicated boundary clean, so you know exactly which products need a separate Class 5 filing. Because Nepal is first-to-file and beauty brands attract copycats quickly, the date you lodge your Class 3 application secures your priority. Filing early, in the right class, with a specification that reflects what you actually sell, is what turns a name into a defensible brand.
Class 3 filing checklist
- Confirm your product is non-medicated — a medical claim pushes it to Class 5.
- Check the exclusions — ingredients (Class 1), tools (Class 21).
- Search the register for similar cosmetics and cleaning marks.
- Draft a precise goods specification.
- Add Class 5 if you also sell medicated versions.
- File with the Department of Industry and track to registration.
A Nepal example
Picture a Nepali herbal skincare brand. Its plain moisturisers, face washes and soaps are non-medicated cosmetics, so they sit in Class 3 and that is where the brand files first. But its medicated acne treatment — sold to clear a skin condition — is Class 5, and the make-up brushes and applicators it retails are Class 21. The same recognisable brand name therefore needs three separate filings to be fully protected: Class 3 for the cosmetics, Class 5 for the medicated line, and Class 21 for the tools. Skipping the Class 5 filing is the mistake that most often leaves a herbal brand's flagship "treatment" product unprotected.
Getting Class 3 right: common mistakes
The single biggest Class 3 error is the medicated–non-medicated line. A product that merely cleans or beautifies is Class 3; the moment it claims to treat, cure or prevent a condition, it becomes a Class 5 good. Nepal's booming herbal and ayurvedic-cosmetic market makes this especially important, because many products blur the two — and the marketing claim, not the ingredients, usually decides the class.
A second mistake is filing cosmetic tools in Class 3. Brushes, sponges and applicators are Class 21, even though the cosmetics they apply are Class 3. A third is placing cosmetic ingredients — essential oils or vitamins sold for manufacturing — in Class 3, when raw ingredients for making cosmetics are Class 1. Specify your actual finished goods, and add Class 5 or Class 21 where your range genuinely extends into medicated products or tools.
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Register your Class 3 trademark
Beauty and cleaning is a crowded, name-driven market — register early. Find your class with the NICE Class Finder, screen with the Conflict Checker, then register your trademark with our team. Talk to an IP expert if your range includes medicated products that may need Class 5.
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