What is splendor?
"Cosmetic" is any substance used to cleanse, improve, or change the color of the face, skin, hair, nails, or teeth. Cosmetics include cosmetic products (makeup, perfume, skin cream, nail polish) and personal care products (soap, shampoo, shaving cream, deodorant).
Some products that appear to be cosmetic maybe classified in different ways and used by different Health Canada programs:
Products that claim to have a therapeutic effect (for
example, to prevent or treat disease) or that contain certain active
ingredients not permitted in cosmetics are considered drugs, such as topical
antibiotic creams.
Products containing natural active ingredients that claim
to have a therapeutic effect (such as a topical herbal remedy to promote
healing) are considered natural health products.
Items that are intended for consumption and do not have a
therapeutic effect or are claimed are food products such as chewing gum.
Insect lotions and sprays are pesticides.
Products that have a therapeutic effect on animals, such
as creams to reduce dandruff, are considered veterinary drugs.
Cosmetic or drug?
A personal care product can be defined as a substance or mixture
of substances that is generally recognized for use in daily cleaning or
grooming purposes. Depending on the ingredients and claims of the product, the
personal care product may be regulated as a cosmetic or medicine.
A cosmetic or personal care product is usually a cosmetic
product, but is legally classified as a medicine if it is intended to alter
bodily functions or prevent or treat disease. A product approved as a medicinal
product is labeled with a DIN (drug identification number) or NPN (natural
product number). If you are unsure whether the product you are using is
cosmetic or medicinal, you can refer to the pharmaceutical product database or
the licensed natural health product database to determine if your product is
currently approved as a medicinal or natural product for health.
What safety rules do cosmetics have to meet?
Health Canada sets out safety regulations through the Food
and Drug Administration and the Cosmetics Regulations. All cosmetics sold in
Canada must:
be free of contaminants and substances that may harm you
during normal use of cosmetics and according to the instructions on the label.
Health Canada maintains a list of ingredients prohibited or restricted in
cosmetics called the Cosmetic Ingredient List.
produced, prepared, canned, packaged, and stored in a clean
environment. All cosmetics manufacturers are advised to adhere to Good
Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
declare its composition to the government by notification
(in other words, manufacturers must tell the government what is in their
cosmetics so that their ingredients can be tracked and compared to a list of
cosmetic ingredients). If a safety issue arises, the cosmetic product is
prohibited from selling.
