Canada Cosmetic Notification Form: Importer's Guide

Canada does not approve cosmetics before sale; instead, the manufacturer or importer files a Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) with Health Canada within 10 days of first selling the product in Canada.

Filing the CNF is not an approval. Before that, check every ingredient against the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist, prepare bilingual English and French labels, and apply the fragrance allergen disclosure rules that took effect in 2026.

Products that Canada treats as drugs or natural health products, sunscreens being the main example for Korean ranges, need a separate licence rather than a CNF. If you import Korean skincare into Canada, these are the steps.

Step 1: Confirm the product is a cosmetic

Health Canada’s sunscreen page classifies sunscreens as non-prescription drugs (DIN) or natural health products (NPN) depending on their active ingredients. Korean sunscreens, and some brightening or acne products sold in Korea as functional cosmetics, may therefore fall outside the cosmetic notification route. See sunscreen regulation by country.

Step 2: Check ingredients against the Hotlist

Health Canada’s Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist has one table of prohibited ingredients and one of restricted ingredients, with the product types and concentration limits that apply to each restricted entry.

Health Canada describes it as an administrative tool for signalling substances that may breach the general prohibition in the Food and Drugs Act, and it consults on changes regularly. A product that meets EU rules still needs a separate Hotlist check; see Korea vs EU ingredient restrictions.

Step 3: Prepare bilingual labels and the ingredient list

Canadian cosmetic labels must generally be in both English and French, with ingredients listed by INCI name. Health Canada’s labelling guide sets out the format and exceptions. For Hangul ingredient lists, see INCI names for Korean ingredients.

Step 4: Disclose fragrance allergens

Canada introduced fragrance allergen disclosure through a 2024 amendment on cosmetic ingredient disclosure. According to the labelling guide, since 12 April 2026 new and existing cosmetics must name 24 fragrance allergens in the ingredient list when present above 0.01% in rinse-off products or 0.001% in leave-on products.

An expanded second list applies to new products from August 2026 and to existing products from August 2028; the Gazette and the guide differ by a day on the first date, so check the text.

These thresholds match the EU’s, so products already labelled for the EU are easier to adapt.

Step 5: File the CNF within 10 days of first sale

Health Canada’s notification guide says manufacturers and importers must submit a CNF within 10 days of first sale in Canada. The same form is used to amend a notification or report that a product has been discontinued. Because the CNF is not an approval, responsibility for safety and labelling stays with the company that filed it.

The form covers company details, product name, product form, and ingredients with concentration ranges, including fragrance allergens at the same thresholds. Ask the Korean supplier for accurate concentration data before the first shipment.

What to ask your Korean supplier

Most delays in Canada come from missing data rather than from Health Canada. Before you confirm an order, ask the supplier for:

• The full ingredient list with INCI names and concentration ranges for every ingredient.
• A fragrance breakdown, or at least a statement of which of the 24 listed allergens are present and at what level.
• Confirmation of whether any product is sold in Korea as a functional cosmetic, which flags possible drug or natural health product status in Canada.
• Artwork files that leave room for French text, since Korean packs rarely have space for a second language.

Summary

• Check whether sunscreens or other products are drugs in Canada.
• Screen ingredients against the Hotlist.
• Label in English and French with INCI names.
• Disclose the 24 fragrance allergens (since 12 April 2026).
• File the CNF within 10 days of first sale.

SEONGWOO GLOBAL supplies Korean skincare to overseas buyers from Seoul. Canadian importers can contact us through the pages below.

Related articles: Sunscreen regulation by country · MoCRA registration · Australia AICIS vs TGA

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