What's in a Label ... Mabel?

Canadians now have full visibility as to what ingredients are in some of the everyday products they use. Health Canada instituted mandatory outer labeling on cosmetic and personal care products sold in Canada as of November 2006.¹
 

Why do you care?

• Canada's cosmetic labelling has been brought in line with international standards.
• Ingredient lists must use recognized names from the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) labelling system, which is already in use in many other countries.
• Although the INCI system standardizes the names for ingredients, unless you're a toxicologist with knowledge of technical chemical names based on the Latin language, you may not readily understand the ingredients listed in your everyday products. (We'll vouch for that!)
   

The Know How

• Familiarize yourself with the list of ingredients to avoid. Stay tuned - we'll have a pocket sized list you can order soon.
• Reference books detail specifics on each ingredient - look at A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth Winter or the International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook, published by the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association.
• If you have allergies to specific ingredients - such as peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, soy, wheat, fish, crustaceans/shellfish, sesame and/or sulphites, you can ask your doctor to identify the INCI names and avoid products with these ingredients listed.
• Health Canada does not have a list of INCI names available on-line to the public, but we have found an outdated on-line list from the European Commission.
• Contact the Company - the manufacturer's name and location must be listed on all personal care products. Most have a toll free number that link you to their customer service departments, where inquiries about ingredient lists can be made.
   

Know and Tell

• It's hard to read the itty bitty writing on the side of a bottle or tube - women of a certain age (of which some of us, who shall be nameless, are part of) may even have to use a pair of magnifying glasses. Well then - use them!
• We decided to check out how responsive companies were at providing details on the product ingredients. Our "investigative research" is still ongoing- we'll let you know how this works out.
• Patti and Tamey are searching for a phonetic list to learn how to pronounce the most common ingredients to avoid. Any suggestions where to find one?

1. Mandatory Ingredient Labelling for Cosmetics in Canada, November 2006