Reading labels
DIN and NPN numbers, cosmetic vs drug vs natural health product, and how to read an ingredient list.
“May contain”: the colour lists at the end of an ingredient list
Why makeup labels end with “±” or “may contain” and a string of CI numbers: what those numbers mean, why every shade shares one list, and what the list can’t tell you.
INCI names decoded: why “aqua” and “butyrospermum parkii” are on your label
Why Canadian ingredient lists say “aqua” instead of water and use Latin plant names: how INCI names are built, what the brackets and slashes mean, and how to use them.
Who checks cosmetics after they reach the shelf in Canada?
What Health Canada does once a cosmetic is on sale: notifications, targeted inspections, lab testing, border checks and enforcement, plus the honest limits of that oversight.
Expiry dates and the open-jar symbol: how long products last
Why your moisturizer may have no expiry date while your medicated cream does, what the open-jar symbol with “12M” means, and the signs that a product has gone off.
Skin care recalls in Canada: how they happen and how to check
How recalls of sanitizers, sunscreens and cosmetics work in Canada, the usual reasons (contamination, benzene, wrong ingredients), how to search the alerts and what to do with a recalled product.
How to read an ingredient list on a Canadian cosmetic
INCI names, descending order, the 1% line, “parfum”, “may contain” and the new fragrance-allergen rules: how to decode the ingredient list on any cosmetic sold in Canada.
“Made in Canada” vs “Product of Canada”: what the labels really mean
How the Competition Bureau reads “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” on non-food products, what the 98% and 51% thresholds cover, and what these labels say about quality.
Why sunscreen is a drug (or a natural health product) in Canada
Why Canadian sunscreens carry a DIN or an NPN, what the Health Canada monograph requires for SPF, broad spectrum and water resistance claims, and which words aren’t allowed on the label.
Cosmetic, drug or natural health product? How Canada sorts skin products
How Health Canada decides whether a product is a cosmetic, a drug or a natural health product, why a moisturizer, a sunscreen and a probiotic differ, and what it means.
Canada’s Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist: what’s banned, what’s limited
What Health Canada’s Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist is, how prohibited and restricted entries differ, real examples, how the list gets updated, and what it can’t tell you about a product.
DIN and NPN: the eight-digit numbers that show Health Canada reviewed a product
What a Drug Identification Number and a Natural Product Number mean on a Canadian label, what review each involves, how to look one up, and what the number doesn’t guarantee.
Had a reaction to a skin product? How to report it in Canada
Which Health Canada form to use for a reaction to a cosmetic, a drug or a natural health product, what details to give, what happens to your report and why it matters.