Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) Canada: 2025–2026 Complete Filing Guide

Last updated: March 2026

If you sell cosmetics in Canada — or plan to — filing the Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) with Health Canada is not optional. It is a legal requirement under the Food and Drugs Act and the Cosmetic Regulations, and failure to comply can result in your products being barred from sale.

This guide covers everything you need to know in 2025 and 2026: what the CNF is, who must file, what information is required, the major changes introduced in 2025, and how the upcoming April 2026 fragrance allergen requirement affects your CNF filings.

What Is the Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF)?

The Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) is the official document through which manufacturers and importers notify Health Canada about cosmetic products being sold in Canada. The CNF captures key information about the product — its name, category, formulation, and the identity of the company responsible for it.

Health Canada uses CNF data to:

• Monitor the safety and composition of cosmetics on the Canadian market
• Cross-reference ingredient lists against the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist (the list of prohibited and restricted substances)
• Identify and respond to adverse reactions and safety incidents
• Enforce compliance with Canada’s Cosmetic Regulations

The CNF is free to file and is submitted online through Health Canada’s Cosmetic Notification System (CNS), available at the Health Canada portal.

Who Must File the CNF?

The CNF must be filed by the manufacturer or importer of a cosmetic product — or by a Canada-based Responsible Person acting on their behalf.

Specifically, you must file if you are:

• A Canadian company manufacturing cosmetics sold in Canada
• A foreign company importing cosmetics into Canada for sale
• A brand owner or distributor who is the first to sell a cosmetic product in Canada
• A retailer who imports cosmetics directly (even for your own store)

The obligation falls on whoever is first responsible for the product being offered for sale in Canada. If your company is based outside Canada, you must either file directly or appoint a Canadian Responsible Person — such as Cosmereg — to file and maintain compliance on your behalf.

When Must the CNF Be Filed?

The CNF must be submitted to Health Canada within 10 days of the first sale of a cosmetic product in Canada.

“First sale” means the first time the product is made available for purchase by Canadian consumers or businesses — whether online, through a retailer, or directly. It does not mean when the product arrives at port or clears customs.

Key timing rules:

• File within 10 days of first sale — not before, not weeks after
• Each distinct product requires its own CNF (different scents, sizes, or formulations of the same brand are separate products)
• If you reformulate a notified product significantly, an amended CNF should be submitted
• If you stop selling a product in Canada, Health Canada should be notified

What Information Is Required on the CNF?

The CNF captures the following information about your product:

Section 1 — Product Identification

• Product name (as it appears on the label, in English and French where applicable)
• Product category (skin care, hair care, oral hygiene, fragrance, etc.)
• Whether the product is leave-on or rinse-off (new field added in 2025 — see below)

Section 2 — Ingredient List

• Complete list of all cosmetic ingredients in descending order of predominance
• INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) names must be used
• Fragrance allergens must now be individually listed where applicable (new from April 2026 — see below)

Section 3 — Product Purpose and Use

• Intended use of the product
• Target consumer population (adults, children under 3, etc.)

Section 4 — Manufacturer/Importer Information (updated March 2025)

• Company name and contact information
• Canadian address for the manufacturer or importer (mandatory from March 5, 2025)

2025 Updates to the CNF and CNS: What Changed

Health Canada updated both the Cosmetic Notification Form and the Guide for Cosmetic Notifications in March 2025. These are the most significant changes to the CNF in years. Here is what changed and what it means for your filings.

Change 1: Canadian Address Now Mandatory (March 5, 2025)

From March 5, 2025, Section 4 of the CNF requires a Canadian address for either the manufacturer or the importer. A foreign address alone is no longer sufficient.

For foreign brands, this means you must either:

• Have a registered Canadian office or address
• Or appoint a Canadian Responsible Person (an agent based in Canada) whose address is listed on the CNF

This change is directly tied to Health Canada’s ability to contact and enforce compliance with Canadian businesses. If your existing CNF filings do not include a Canadian address, they should be reviewed and updated.

Change 2: Leave-On vs. Rinse-Off Classification (March 2025)

The 2025 updated CNF now includes a mandatory field requiring you to classify your product as either leave-on or rinse-off.

This distinction matters because:

• It affects how Health Canada assesses the safety profile of ingredients
• It determines the concentration thresholds for fragrance allergen disclosure (see below)
• It aligns Canada’s notification system with EU and international regulatory norms

Leave-on products remain on the skin or hair after application — moisturizers, serums, foundations, hair conditioners, deodorants, perfumes.

Rinse-off products are washed off shortly after application — shampoos, body wash, face cleansers, conditioners used as treatments, toothpaste.

If you have existing CNF filings that predate this update, verify they include the correct classification.

Change 3: New CNS Portal and Filing Interface

Health Canada migrated its notification infrastructure to an updated Cosmetic Notification System (CNS) portal. The CNF is now filed through this updated platform, which includes:

• Improved data validation at the time of submission
• Better error-checking for INCI names and mandatory fields
• Updated guidance documents integrated directly into the filing workflow

If your team has not filed a CNF recently, be aware that the interface looks different from the pre-2025 system.

2026 Update: Fragrance Allergens Must Now Be Disclosed on the CNF

Starting April 12, 2026, the CNF ingredient list must individually disclose qualifying fragrance allergens — they can no longer be grouped under “fragrance” or “parfum” in the notification.

This mirrors the requirement on product labels. If a fragrance allergen is present above the threshold concentration, it must appear as a named ingredient on both the label and the CNF:

• Rinse-off products: disclose allergen if present at ≥ 0.01%
• Leave-on products: disclose allergen if present at ≥ 0.001%

The 24 allergens that must be individually disclosed from April 12, 2026 include Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Eugenol, Coumarin, Benzyl alcohol, and 17 others. From August 1, 2026, this expands to 81 allergens for new products.

What this means for your CNF portfolio:
If you have active CNF filings for products containing any of the 24 qualifying allergens above the threshold, those notifications need to be updated before or by April 12, 2026. You cannot simply leave the allergens listed under “fragrance” in your existing notifications.

For full details on the fragrance allergen requirements, see our dedicated guide: Canada Fragrance Allergen Labeling 2026: Requirements, Deadlines & Compliance

Step-by-Step: How to File the CNF

Step 1 — Gather Your Product Information

Before logging into the CNS portal, prepare:

• The product’s full name (in English and French if bilingual)
• Complete INCI ingredient list in descending order of predominance
• Product category and subcategory
• Leave-on or rinse-off classification
• Your Canadian business address or your Canadian Responsible Person’s address
• Fragrance allergen disclosure (if applicable from April 2026)

Step 2 — Access the CNS Portal

Go to Health Canada’s Cosmetic Notification System via the Canada.ca portal. You will need a My GCKEY or Sign-In Canada account. If filing on behalf of a foreign company, your Canadian Responsible Person will have portal access.

Step 3 — Complete the CNF

Fill in all mandatory fields in Sections 1–4. Pay particular attention to:

• Using correct INCI names (not common names or trade names) for all ingredients
• Selecting the correct product category
• Including the Canadian address in Section 4
• Classifying the product as leave-on or rinse-off

Step 4 — Review and Submit

Review all information carefully before submission. Errors in INCI names or missing fields will trigger validation errors. Once submitted, Health Canada generates a confirmation reference number — keep this on file.

Step 5 — File Within 10 Days

Confirm that your submission date falls within 10 days of the product’s first sale date in Canada. If you are launching a product, coordinate your filing schedule around your planned sale date.

Common CNF Filing Mistakes to Avoid

Using trade names instead of INCI names
Health Canada requires INCI nomenclature for all ingredients. Using supplier trade names (e.g., “AquaFlow 300” instead of “Hydroxyethylcellulose”) will result in validation errors or requests for correction.

Filing too late
The 10-day window runs from first sale, not from when you discover the requirement. Late filings can result in compliance notices.

Missing the Canadian address
Since March 2025, a foreign address in Section 4 is no longer accepted. If your company has no Canadian office, you need a Canadian Responsible Person on file.

Not updating notifications when reformulating
Significantly changing a product’s formulation — adding, removing, or substantially changing ingredient concentrations — requires an updated CNF. Many brands overlook this.

Listing allergens under “fragrance” after April 2026
From April 12, 2026, allergens cannot be hidden under the collective “fragrance” entry in the CNF. Failing to update existing notifications exposes you to Health Canada enforcement.

Treating each variant as the same product
Different scents, formulations, or significant size variations of the same product line each require their own CNF filing.

CNF vs. Other Canadian Compliance Requirements

The CNF is just one part of staying compliant in Canada. It works alongside:

Requirement	What It Covers	Who It Applies To
CNF filing	Notification of product to Health Canada	All cosmetics sold in Canada
Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist	Prohibited and restricted ingredients	All formulations
Bilingual labeling	English and French on all labels	All cosmetics sold nationally
Canada Responsible Person	Canadian contact for compliance purposes	Foreign manufacturers/importers
Bill 96 (Quebec)	French-language requirements for QC market	Brands selling in Quebec
Fragrance allergen labeling	Individual allergen disclosure on labels	Products with qualifying allergens

For brands new to the Canadian market, all of these requirements apply simultaneously. Managing them requires a coordinated compliance program, not just a single form submission.

How Cosmereg Handles Your CNF Filings

Cosmereg manages the full CNF compliance process for cosmetic brands entering or operating in the Canadian market:

New product notifications: We prepare and submit your CNF within the required 10-day window, using correct INCI names and the latest 2025–2026 field requirements.

Portfolio audits: We review your existing CNF filings for completeness, Canadian address compliance, leave-on/rinse-off classification, and fragrance allergen readiness.

CNF updates for reformulations: When you change a formula, we assess whether an amended notification is required and handle the update.

Canada Responsible Person service: For foreign brands, we act as your Canadian Responsible Person, providing the mandatory Canadian address and managing ongoing compliance obligations.

Fragrance allergen CNF updates: We update your existing notifications before the April 2026 deadline to individually disclose qualifying allergens.

Contact Cosmereg for CNF filing support →

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the CNF free to file?
A: Yes. Health Canada does not charge a fee for submitting the Cosmetic Notification Form.

Q: How long does Health Canada take to process a CNF?
A: The CNF is a notification, not an approval. There is no waiting period — once submitted, the product can be sold (provided it was already being sold, since the CNF is filed after first sale). Health Canada uses the data for monitoring and enforcement rather than pre-market approval.

Q: Do I need a separate CNF for each product size?
A: Generally, the same formulation in different sizes does not require separate CNFs. However, different formulations — even under the same brand name — do require separate notifications.

Q: What happens if I miss the 10-day deadline?
A: A late CNF filing is a compliance violation. Health Canada may issue a compliance notice or take enforcement action. File as soon as you discover the gap, and consider consulting a regulatory expert if your portfolio has significant historical gaps.

Q: Can I file the CNF myself or do I need an agent?
A: You can file it yourself if your company has a Canadian address and can access the CNS portal. If your company is based outside Canada, you need a Canadian Responsible Person to act as your filing agent and provide a Canadian address.

Q: Do I need to update old CNFs for the 2025 changes?
A: Yes, where the changes apply to your products. Specifically: if your existing CNFs lack a Canadian address, they should be updated. If they contain fragrance allergens above the 2026 thresholds, they must be updated before April 12, 2026.

Related Resources

• Cosmetic Regulations Canada & CNF Services — Cosmereg
• Canada Fragrance Allergen Labeling 2026: Requirements & Deadlines
• How to Import Cosmetics into Canada: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Cosmetic Labelling Canada Regulations: A Complete Guide
• Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist Update 2025