Cosmetics Compliance in Canada

Canada has a well-defined regulatory framework for cosmetic products. Companies that manufacture, import, or sell cosmetics in Canada must comply with the Food and Drugs Act, the Cosmetic Regulations, and Health Canada guidance documents.

Before a cosmetic product can be marketed in Canada, companies must ensure ingredient compliance, maintain appropriate safety documentation, and submit a Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) to Health Canada.The Regulatory Company supports cosmetics brands, manufacturers, and regulatory teams with practical services that help ensure compliance with Canadian requirements while maintaining efficient product portfolio management.

The Regulatory Company supports cosmetics brands, manufacturers, and regulatory teams with practical services that help ensure compliance with Canadian requirements while maintaining efficient product portfolio management.

Ingredient Compliance

Cosmetic ingredients must comply with the Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist, which identifies substances that are:

Prohibited in cosmetics
Restricted with specific conditions of use
Products must also meet requirements regarding concentration limits, warnings, and permitted applications.

In addition to MoCRA at the federal level, several key states have set their own state level requirements for cosmetic products, such as Proposition 65 in California. When conflicting, MoCRA prevails over state level regulations.

However, when not specified in or regulated through MoCRA, states have the freedom to set specific requirements, for example related to restrictions or bans of ingredients, and the labelling and reporting of specific ingredients.

Safety Substantiation

Companies placing cosmetic products on the Canadian market must ensure that products are safe for human use under normal conditions of use.Manufacturers or importers must maintain safety documentation supporting this conclusion. These records should be available for inspection by Health Canada upon request.

Safety documentation typically includes:

Ingredient safety data
Toxicological assessments
Exposure evaluations
Stability and microbiological data
Manufacturing quality information

Labeling requirements

Cosmetic products sold in Canada must comply with labeling rules defined in the Cosmetic Regulations and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act.

Mandatory label elements include:
‍
Product identity
Net quantityIngredient list using INCI nomenclature
Name and address of the manufacturer or importer
Bilingual labeling in English and French
‍Any required warnings or directions for safe use