Protecting our Canadian K-Beauty Lovers - Part II

Continued from our last blog - are all of your Canadian K-beauty retailers complying with Health Canada laws and regulations?

Did you know your K-beauty products are required to be labeled correctly when they are sold within Canada?
This requirement is very straight forward considering Canada’s official language is both English and French. It is a standard practice for all the retailers when selling products within Canada (not only cosmetics related). Have a look at the labeling on any well-known skin care products (sold within Canada) and you should find them all labeled in English and French, sometimes even with other languages. Our biggest Canadian cosmetic retailer Sephora is a very good example on following this regulation.

What should be on the label?
There is a general labeling guideline from Health Canada on cosmetic-related products. Below is the information you should look for on your K-beauty products when purchased within Canada.

  • An ingredients list (using the International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) system).
  • The identity (Name) of the product, in English and French.
  • A statement of net quantity in metric units of measurement.
  • The name and address of the manufacturer or distributor.
  • Warnings or cautions, in English and French.
  • Directions for safe use of the product, in English and French according to provincial requirements.
Any requirement on the label itself?
  • The label material should last the lifespan of the product. 
  • It should be clearly visible on the package.
  • If the product is too small to label, a tag/card should be included along with that product.
The ingredients list
The ingredients lists are widely available throughout the internet on each product, but it is not just a simple copy and paste onto the label when sold within Canada. As per Health Canada regulations, each cosmetic product sold by the Canadian retailer will have to submit all ingredients list (including concentration %) to Health Canada within 10 days of the first sale. If the retailer does not order the products directly from each brand, they will not be able to receive these ingredient documents for security reasons.

As a Canadian consumer, we would like to bring up the awareness on these requirements. Many of us who have purchased imported skin care products from online Canadian retailers have probably noticed some of the products did not come with English & French labels at all. You might want to question why the retailer is not complying with Health Canada requirements. This is the last step to protect yourself the next time you plan on purchasing from any questionable online retailers. If your retailer is not following the labeling guidelines, what else are they are not following and how are they importing these products into Canada?

Last but not the least, kudos to the many Canadian online retailers who are currently following Health Canada regulations. We know and understand this step creates an extra cost and is more time consuming during importation, but it is the correct business ethics that sets you apart from those who choose not to comply.

As for our Canadian consumers, protect yourself, because no one else would care as much as you do!

Stay beautiful!

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