The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for household cleaning products, hand soaps and body soaps. These products are regulated under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) and the Food and Drugs Act (FDA). In order to facilitate the access and sales of certain consumer and cosmetic products, Health Canada has developed an interim policy.

Household cleaning products

The following household cleaning products regulated under the CCPSA is covered under the interim policy:

  • Cleaning and furnishing care products used mainly to clean, bleach or scour surfaces
  • Products used to polish, protect or improve the appearance of surfaces are excluded

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  • Laundry and dishwashing products used mainly to clean
  • Fabric softeners or other products are excluded

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Under the policy, these household cleaning products will not need to fully meet the requirements under the CCPSA. This includes:

  • The label may be in one official language
  • The hazard symbol may be missing on the label
  • Safety and cautionary content on the label do not need to confirm to the relevant regulations

The interim policy does not change the priority for other regulatory requirements such as packaging requirements (child-resistant, leak-proof) and additional labelling information (instructions for safe use).

Hand and body soaps

The interim policy covers hand and body soaps, regulated as cosmetics under the FDA, used to clean the skin. The following are not covered:

  • Products that have a Drug Identification Number (DIN) or Natural Product Number (NPN)
  • Products where skin cleaning is not the main purpose

Under the policy, these cosmetics will not need to fully meet the requirements under the FDA. This includes:

  • The label may be in one official language
  • Ingredients listed on the label are not listed as outlined in the regulations

The interim policy does not change the priority for the other regulatory requirements under the applicable Regulations that apply to cosmetics. This includes labelling for avoidable hazards and prohibiting products that contain an ingredient that may cause injury. Requirements under the FDA, particularly sections 16-18, are still applicable to hand and body soaps.

Importing under the interim policy

Importers need to complete and email a form to Health Canada prior to import. This is available on the Health Canada website.

Importers will also be expected to:

  • Provide Health Canada (in addition to listing on their website) the label text with required safety information and hazard symbols, as per the CCPSA or FDA, in both official languages.
  • Distribute products with bilingual or French-only labels to regions of Canada where the population mainly speaks and understands French.

Unless otherwise stated by Heath Canada, this interim policy will not be effective 3 months after all provinces and territories have concluded their state of emergency related to COVID-19.