Manufacturing, importing or selling toiletries

Factsheet [PDF - 426 KB]

Canada has banned microbeads in toiletries

On June 14, 2017, the Government of Canada published the Microbeads in Toiletries Regulations. The regulations ban the manufacture, import, and sale of toiletries that contain plastic microbeads. The prohibition timelines are presented in the table below. These regulations are designed to prevent the release of plastic microbeads from toiletries that rinse off and wash down household drains, contributing to plastic pollution in our oceans, rivers and lakes.

Prohibition timelines
	Prohibition timelines for toiletries containing microbeads	Prohibition date
Manufacture / Import	Toiletries excluding natural health products* and non-prescription drugs	January 1st, 2018
Manufacture / Import	All toiletries	July 1st, 2018
Sale	Toiletries excluding natural health products* and non-prescription drugs	July 1st, 2018
Sale	All toiletries	July 1st, 2019

* Natural health products are defined in the Natural Health Products Regulations.

Toileteries covered by the regulations

For these regulations, toiletries are any personal hair, skin, teeth or mouth care products for cleansing or hygiene, including exfoliants.

Examples of toiletries are exfoliants, bath and body products, skin cleansers and toothpaste.

Definition

The Government of Canada has added plastic microbeads that are equal to or less than 5 millimetres in size to its list of toxic substances. For the purposes of the regulations, microbeads include any solid plastic particles that correspond to that size.

Exclusions

The regulations do not apply to toiletries that are transiting through Canada, or that are prescription drugs as defined by the Food and Drug Regulations.

Identifying toiletries that contain plastic microbeads

“Microbeads” might not be clearly identified on a product’s label, however, plastic ingredients from which microbeads are made may be listed.

Some common ingredients and words to look for to identify microbeads used in exfoliating and cleansing toiletries include:

polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephtalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), nylon

The prohibition applies to microbeads made from other plastics as well, including bioplastics such as:

polylactic acid (PLA), poly-hydroxy-alkanoate (PHA) or poly-hydroxy-butyrate (PHB)

If it is not clear whether a product contains microbeads, importers and retailers should verify with the manufacturer.

What you can do

As a manufacturer, an importer or a retailer, it is your responsibility to know what is in the toiletries you are making or supplying. Here are suggestions to help you comply with the regulations.

Manufacturers

Ensure you do not add plastic microbeads to the toiletries you are making after the prohibition dates

Retailers and importers

Contact your suppliers and manufacturers
Look at your products on the shelves or in your shipments for clues on whether they contain plastic microbeads
Ensure you do not import or sell toiletries containing plastic microbeads after the prohibition starts