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COSMETIC SERVICES
What are Cosmetics?What are the Regulations for Cosmetics?
Did You Know?
How Can I.C.S. Help You?
What are Cosmetics?
Section 2 of the Food and Drugs Act states that cosmetics:
"...include any substance or mixture of substances that is manufactured, sold, or represented for use in cleansing, improving, or altering the complexion of the skin, hair, or teeth."
This category also addresses products such as: deodorants, colognes, perfumes, soaps, hair sprays, moisturizers, toners, contour creams, anti-wrinkle preparations, nail polish, mouthwash, shampoo and the like. Products for the grooming of animals are also considered to be cosmetics.
What are the Regulations for Cosmetics?
These fall under Health Canada's Cosmetics Regulations of the Food and Drugs Act and the Consumer Packaging and Labeling Act.
Did You Know?
Anyone who sells cosmetics in Canada must submit a Cosmetic Notification to Health Canada, outlining the purpose of the product(s). This has to be done within the first 30 days of sale.
How Can I.C.S. Help You?
We can assist you with:
- ensuring that all of the ingredients are allowed in Canada
- labeling requirements are met, such as: languages, net quantities, area and size of inner and outer labels, etc.
- safety issues of the ingredients
- submitting Cosmetics Notification forms to Health Canada on your behalf
- proper naming of ingredients
- proper advertising and labeling claims (i.e.: acceptable versus unacceptable claims, so they don't make claims reserved for Drugs), and
- avoidable Hazards and Cautions (toxicology);
- locating & evaluating potential contract manufacturers (including identifying quality control specifications, such as lipstick melt point range);
- packaging design suggestions;
- sourcing suppliers of cosmetic packaging;
- identifying ingredients which are known to "not be tested on animals", "biodegradable", "not of animal origin";
- market research to find out what are the top selling cosmetic products (i.e.: lipsticks versus night creams, most popular shades, market trends, which age groups purchase the most cosmetics, and what factors influence their purchase decisions);
- scientific literature research on key ingredients;
- creating marketing materials (brochures, web site info, etc.);
- creating product formulations from scratch; and
- suggesting various marketing strategies, and the pros & cons of each strategy.