Australia (AICIS)4 min read
The Five-Year Protection Period on New AICIS Listings
When a new industrial chemical goes onto Australia's Inventory, the introducer can get a period where others can't rely on that same listing.
March 6, 2026Read
Canada & the CNF4 min read
Why Filing a CNF Does Not Mean Health Canada Approved You
A Cosmetic Notification Form gets you a tracking number, not a government stamp of approval. Here is what Health Canada actually checks, and when.
March 6, 2026Read
Soap & Handmade4 min read
Bilingual French and English Labels for Your Soap
Canadian cosmetic labels need English and French, but INCI ingredient names stay in Latin either way. Here is what actually needs translating.
March 5, 2026Read
Canada & the CNF4 min read
Changed Your Address or Company Name? Update Your CNF
Moved studios, rebranded, or switched your legal entity? Your Cosmetic Notification needs an amendment too, not just your website.
March 5, 2026Read
Labeling & Claims4 min read
Labeling for Fragrance Allergen List 1 by April 12 2026
April 12, 2026 is when List 1 fragrance allergens become mandatory on Canadian labels. Here is which allergens count and at what threshold.
March 5, 2026Read
Selling Channels4 min read
Selling Soap vs Cosmetics Online: Which Rules Apply?
Your Etsy listing copy can quietly turn a true soap into a regulated cosmetic. Here is exactly where that line sits and why it matters online.
March 5, 2026Read
European Union (CPNP)4 min read
The Six Common Criteria Your EU Cosmetic Claims Must Meet
EU cosmetic claims are judged against six common criteria under Regulation 655/2013. Natural and free-from need real substantiation, not just nice copy.
March 5, 2026Read
Concentration Limits4 min read
Benzyl Alcohol as a Preservative Versus a Fragrance Note
Benzyl alcohol does two different jobs in a formula, and which one it's doing changes how you justify its percentage on a filing.
March 4, 2026Read
Canada & the CNF3 min read
Gift Sets and Kits: Do You File a CNF for the Whole Box
A holiday gift set with four products inside needs four Cosmetic Notifications, not one filing for the box. Here is how to think about kits correctly.
March 4, 2026Read
Suppliers & SDS4 min read
IFRA Category Use Levels and Your Leave-On Products
IFRA product categories set maximum fragrance use levels by exposure type. Get your leave-on lotion mapped to the wrong category and the math is meaningless.
March 4, 2026Read
Ingredient Guides4 min read
Salicylic Acid: Where the Cosmetic and Drug Line Sits in Canada
Salicylic acid can sit in a cosmetic exfoliant or push a product into drug territory depending on concentration and claim. Here is the CAS, INCI, and the line.
March 4, 2026Read
Canada & the CNF3 min read
Transferring a CNF When the Responsible Person Changes
Acquiring a brand or switching distributors means the CNF's responsible person needs updating too, not just the storefront and the invoices.
March 4, 2026Read
Australia (AICIS)4 min read
Essential Oils Under AICIS: What Makers Should Know
AICIS treats a lavender or tea tree oil as an industrial chemical to be introduced, and that framing changes how makers should think about it entirely.
March 3, 2026Read
Soap & Handmade4 min read
Filling In Ingredient Concentration Ranges for Soap
Soap batches vary batch to batch, so the CNF wants a percentage range for your oils and lye, not a single decimal that isn't really true.
March 3, 2026Read
INCI Names & CAS Numbers4 min read
Lake Pigments: Why One Colorant Becomes Two INCI Entries
A lake pigment is a dye bonded to a substrate, and a compliant filing has to name both halves separately, not the trade name.
March 3, 2026Read
Soap & Handmade4 min read
List 1 Fragrance Allergens Your Soap Must Declare by April 2026
April 12, 2026 is when List 1 fragrance allergens become mandatory on Canadian soap filings and labels, and scented soap is squarely affected.
March 3, 2026Read
United States (MoCRA)4 min read
US Fragrance Allergen Labeling vs the EU Allergen List
The EU has required 26 fragrance allergens on labels for years while the US has no equivalent MoCRA rule yet, a gap that matters for dual-market brands.
March 3, 2026Read
Global Markets3 min read
When Gulf Buyers Expect Halal Cosmetic Certification
Halal certification for cosmetics is a commercial expectation more often than a legal one in Gulf markets, and the ingredients that draw scrutiny are specific.
March 3, 2026Read
United States (MoCRA)4 min read
Checklist Before Your First US Cosmetic Shipment
The registration, listing, labeling, and substantiation steps a Canadian brand should tick off before shipping into the US.
March 2, 2026Read
Australia (AICIS)4 min read
Do Etsy Sellers Shipping Into Australia Need AICIS
Posting a bar of soap to a customer in Sydney can make you an introducer under AICIS, and the volume-based categories decide how much that actually requires.
March 2, 2026Read
Business & Operations4 min read
Scaling CNF Filings as Your Product Catalog Grows
Filing five Cosmetic Notification Forms by hand is manageable, but the process that got you to five will break somewhere around thirty.
March 2, 2026Read
Selling Channels4 min read
Selling Cosmetics at a Convention or Trade Show Booth
Buyers at a trade show booth ask sharper compliance questions than retail customers do, and having answers ready is what turns a booth chat into an order.
March 2, 2026Read
Selling Channels4 min read
Selling Your Cosmetics Through a Spa or Salon
What a maker and a salon each need to document when a spa resells your line, from labels to notification numbers.
March 2, 2026Read
Product Categories4 min read
Are Bath Bombs Cosmetics and What Do You Notify
When a fizzing bath product counts as a cosmetic in Canada, and how to list its colours and fragrance correctly.
March 1, 2026Read