Notification of Canada Cosmetics: Overview

What is a cosmetic

Food and Drugs Act defines a “cosmetic” as:

“Any substance or mixture of substances manufactured, sold or represented for use in cleansing, improving or altering the complexion, skin, hair or teeth, and includes deodorants and perfumes.”

Notification requirements

Timely notification lets Health Canada track every cosmetic on the market and act fast if safety issues emerge. According to section 30 of the Cosmetic Regulations, all manufacturers and all importers must notify Health Canada within 10 days after they first sell a cosmetic in Canada.; late or missing filings can see the product refused entry or pulled from shelves, while compliance doubles as proof that your brand meets the Food and Drugs Act and its Cosmetic Regulations.

Notification process

What information must be provided in the Cosmetic Notification

The completed Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) provides specific product information to Health Canada, including:

product brand and name
the name and address of the person who submits the cosmetic notification
manufacturing and importing information
label contact information
type of product (leave-on or rinse-off) *New*
area of application
function of the cosmetic
form of the cosmetic (for example: cream, gel or powder.)
ingredients of the cosmetic
concentration of each ingredient

Information: There is no fee associated with the cosmetic notification process.

Any personal information provided to Health Canada in a cosmetic notification is protected under the provisions of the Privacy Act.

Submit a cosmetic notification

To notify a new cosmetic, amend an existing notification, or discontinue the sale of a cosmetic, you must fill out and submit a Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) to Health Canada.

Notify, amend or discontinue a cosmetic

Updating information

Cosmetic Regulations requires manufactures and importers to update and resubmit a Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) when there are changes. Some examples of changes include:

modification of the cosmetic formulation
update to product name
new company name, address or contact information
discontinuation of sale

Submit additional documents

Need to add labels or other docs post-notification? Use the Transport Form. Check the Guide first, see Help on Forms for tech issues, or email cosmetics@hc-sc.gc.ca.

Reminder: filing the CNF is not approval; you alone must ensure full compliance with the Food and Drugs Act and Cosmetic Regulations. If Health Canada flags problems (missing data, safety, wrong class) and you don’t respond, the product may be pulled.

What products are subject to Cosmetic Notification

All cosmetics sold in Canada must be notified to Health Canada.

In instances where the classification of a product is not clear, Health Canada will classify the product on a case by case-by-case basis, considering factors such as:

Representation: The product is represented for sale to serve a cosmetic function, such as cleansing, moisturizing, lubricating, perfuming or altering the hair, skin or teeth of humans.
Composition of the product: Although the composition of a product alone does not necessarily determine its classification, the presence of an ingredient, or its concentration, may make the product unsuitable for classification as a cosmetic.
Level of action: Cosmetics are normally applied to an external part of the body and not absorbed below the skin to achieve their cosmetic effect.

In addition, the following elements are considered to determine the classification of a product:

Cosmetics can be applied to the skin around the eyes but products applied directly into the eyes are not cosmetics.
With the sole exception of tattoo ink, products that are administered through ingestion, inhalation or injection (such as, intramuscular, subcutaneous or intravenous) are not classified as cosmetics.

Further information regarding classification may be found in the Guidance on the Classification of Products at the Cosmetic-Drug Interface

Information: Test-marketed cosmetics must meet all relevant regulatory requirements, including notification.

The above is the basic information about the Canadian Cosmetics Bulletin, if there is anything else you want to know, you can also visit the official website directly.