Get CNF-Ready: A Plain-Language Guide to Canada’s Cosmetic Notification Form

If you want to sell a lotion, scrub, or serum in Canada, filing a Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) with Health Canada is not optional—it is the very first compliance gate. Yet many indie brands still confuse the CNF with a voluntary “registration.” Below you’ll find an up-to-date, step-by-step roadmap plus pro tips to avoid the most common rejections.

1 | What exactly is the CNF?

Under section 30 of the Cosmetic Regulations, every manufacturer or importer must notify Health Canada within 10 days of first sale. Skipping this step can trigger import refusals or shelf-pull orders. canada.ca .

The Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) collects:

• your product’s full INCI ingredient list

• concentration ranges or exact percentages

• contact details for the notifier, manufacturer, and importer

• first sale date and product classification (leave-on / rinse-off, area of use, etc.) canada.ca

2 | Nine sections you’ll complete online

Heads-up: the web form is account-free and cannot save a draft—prep your data first.

1. Notification Type (New / Amendment / Discontinue)

2. Product Name & Variants

3. Notifier Info

4. Manufacturer / Importer / Labeller

5. Ingredients (INCI + % or range)

6. Attachments

7. Save Copy

8. Submit & Certify

9. Amend / Discontinue Later

(The full field-by-field guide lives on Canada.ca.) canada.ca

3 | The Hotlist: your ingredient gatekeeper

Health Canada maintains a living Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist of substances that are prohibited or restricted. Using a restricted ingredient above the limit—or forgetting a mandatory warning—will stop your CNF in its tracks. canada.ca

Example:

• Ingredient - Salicylic Acid

• Status - Restricted

• Key Restrictions - ≤ 0.5 % leave-on, sun-sensitivity warning required.

4 | Five Common Mistakes

1. Wrong INCI order – ingredients ≤ 1 % placed out of descending order.

2. Therapeutic claims (“heals eczema”) that reclassify the product as a drug.

3. Out-of-date Hotlist limits. The list was revised in March 2025. canada.ca

4. No Canadian address on imported goods.

5. Missing first-sale date—the form won’t submit without it.

5 | How Curated & Regulated can help

• Unsure if your INCI list passes? We Review INCI & Label Checklist

• Claims sound a bit “medical” ? We Provide Marketing Claims Tune-Up

• Need a full sweep before launch? We Offer Full CNF Prep bundle – all checks, single report

• Prefer a self-paced option? We created the Indie Guide to Cosmetic Compliance in Canada.

6 | Next steps

1. Choose the service tier that matches your stage.

2. Submit your CNF-ready form