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General Information on the Sale of Cosmetics in Canada

March 2007

Cosmetic preparations are subject to the provisions of the  Food and Drugs Act and its  Cosmetic Regulations regarding composition, safety, labelling and advertising. Additionally they are subject to the provisions of the  Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and Regulations regarding bilingual labelling, deceptive packaging and net quantity declaration in metric units.

Sections 10 and 30 of the Cosmetic Regulations of the Food and Drugs Act require that a Cosmetic Notification Form be submitted to Health Canada within 10 days of first sale of a cosmetic product sold in Canada. There is no fee associated with the notification process.

The information obtained by the Cosmetics Program is considered to be confidential, and will be discussed only with the company (manufacturer or distributor) that submitted it. A product with an incomplete CNF will not be processed. It is possible that a notifying company may need information from a third party. If requested by the third party, this information can be kept from the notifier.

Cosmetic Notification is not a product evaluation or approval procedure and acceptance of the completed form by Health Canada does not constitute, in any way, agreement that the product is in compliance with all regulatory requirements. The manufacturer has the responsibility of ensuring that a cosmetic meets the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act and its Cosmetic Regulations.

The claims or ingredients of a product determine whether it is regarded as a cosmetic versus another type of consumer good (e.g. drug, food, natural health product, etc.). Statements considered to be inappropriate for cosmetics are discussed in the document: Guidelines for Cosmetic Advertising and Labelling Claims.

Please see the following documents regarding the notification and compliance of cosmetics:

• The Guide for Completing Cosmetic Notification Forms
• The Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist (a list of prohibited and restricted ingredients)
• Health Canada Guidelines: Labelling of Cosmetics
• Mandatory Ingredient Labelling for Cosmetics in Canada

Note that special labelling may be required under the Quebec Official Languages Act for products sold in Quebec. Details concerning these requirements can be obtained by contacting: l'Office québécois de la langue française, 125 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 1X4. Telephone: (514) 873-6565 or 1-888-873-6202 (toll free, Quebec only).

For further clarification concerning the preceding information, please contact the Cosmetics Program at (613) 957-7926 or cosmetics@hc-sc.gc.ca.