In order help cosmetics makers to meet Canadian safety and quality requirements regarding cosmetics, Health Canada has just endorsed the use of the ISO standard 22716 on good manufacturing practices for cosmetics.
Heath Canada reminds that the Food and Drugs Act prohibits the sale of cosmetics that are manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored under unsanitary conditions, that may cause injury to the health of the user, or that consist of any filthy or decomposed substance or any foreign matter. Under the Act, "unsanitary" means: “such conditions or circumstances as might contaminate with dirt or filth, or render injurious to health, a food, drug or cosmetic.”
The Canadian health administration encourages all cosmetic manufacturers to adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). These guidelines are used to ensure product quality control and an effective approach to risk management. They set out standards for product manufacturing, testing, storage, handling and distribution, to ensure that each step of manufacturing is acceptable for quality and safety of the product.
“GMPs do not provide specifics on how products are to be manufactured. Instead they outline the expected outcome of the processes. Each manufacturer, large or small, may have a unique means of achieving these outcomes,” says Health Canada.
