Health Canada Interim Policy on Household Cleaning Products, Hand Soaps and Body Soaps

April 23, 2020 – Health Canada has issued an interim policy on certain household consumer products on the labelling requirements.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented demand for household cleaning products regulated under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) and hand soaps and body soaps regulated as cosmetics under the Food and Drugs Act (FDA).

As an interim policy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re facilitating the access and sale of certain consumer products and cosmetics in Canada where:

  • the label may only be in one official language
  • the label may be different from what is required for sale in Canada

How to import under this interim policy

To import under this interim policy, importers are required to fill out a form and email it prior to import to hc.ccpsa-lcspc.sc@canada.ca.

Importers will also be expected to:

  • provide to Health Canada and make available on their website the label text, with required safety information, as per the CCPSA or FDA, as appropriate, in both official languages, and any required hazard symbols
    • mock-up labels are not necessary
  • distribute any products with bilingual or French-only labels to regions of Canada where the population mainly speaks and understands French

Note: Unless otherwise communicated by Health Canada, this interim policy will no longer be in effect 3 months after all provinces and territories have ended their states of emergency related to COVID-19.

For assistance on Health Canada requirements and to view the frequently asked question visit our contact webpage.