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 (including home-based makers)or importer must notify Health Canada within 10 days of first sale. Skipping this step can trigger import refusals or shelf-pull orders.

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.)

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

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.

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 Out-of-date Hotlist limits.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 & Updated in April 2025.

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