Built for Canadian indie cosmetic makers

What FormulaNorth is for

FormulaNorth is built for independent cosmetic makers in Canada — people who make soap, lotion, body butter, scrubs, bath bombs, and other handmade skincare products and sell them at markets, online, or through retail. The platform focuses on the practical, unglamorous work that happens between formulating a product and putting it on a shelf: ingredient research, batch scaling, cost calculation, label drafting, and CNF preparation.

Most small makers manage this work across a mix of spreadsheets, handwritten notes, browser tabs, and memory. FormulaNorth replaces that with a single organized workspace — one that understands Canadian regulatory context and surfaces the right information at the right step.

The Canadian regulatory context

In Canada, cosmetic products are regulated under the Food and Drugs Act and the Cosmetics Regulations, administered by Health Canada. Any cosmetic sold in Canada must use correct INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) names on the label, list ingredients in descending order of predominance, and comply with Health Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist — a list of ingredients that are prohibited or restricted in Canadian cosmetic products.

Makers who manufacture or import cosmetics for sale in Canada are also required to file a Cosmetic Notification Form (CNF) with Health Canada within 10 days of first sale. The CNF requires detailed ingredient information, concentration data, product function claims, and company details. Preparing this information accurately — especially for makers with multiple products — takes significant time and organization.

Additionally, as of April 2026, Canadian cosmetics must individually disclose specific fragrance allergens above defined thresholds — a significant change affecting any product containing essential oils or fragrance blends.

What each part of FormulaNorth does

Ingredient database

The ingredient database covers 250+ cosmetic ingredients with INCI names, CAS numbers, common names, function categories, and Health Canada Hotlist references. Each entry indicates whether an ingredient is prohibited, restricted (with concentration caps), or flagged for fragrance allergen disclosure. Canadian supplier availability and reference pricing are included where available.

Supplier directory

The supplier directory lists Canadian cosmetic ingredient suppliers organized by province. Each entry includes direct links to ingredient catalogs and available INCI-mapped products. The directory helps makers find domestic sources, compare options, and reduce reliance on cross-border shipping for compliance-sensitive ingredients.

Formula management

The formula builder lets makers create and version product formulas with INCI lookups, phase grouping, and batch scaling. Each formula connects to the ingredient database so hotlist flags, allergen disclosures, and INCI name suggestions surface automatically. Version history means you can track changes over time and compare batch iterations without losing earlier data.

Costing

The costing tools calculate cost per batch and cost per unit from ingredient quantities and supplier prices. Labor, packaging, and overhead can be factored in. Suggested wholesale and retail price targets are calculated based on standard markup conventions, giving makers a clearer view of whether a formula is commercially viable before investing in packaging or stock.

Bilingual label drafting

Canadian cosmetic labels must be bilingual in English and French. FormulaNorth's label generator drafts label content in both languages from the formula data — including the INCI ingredient list in correct descending order, net quantity, business identity requirements, and applicable warning statements. Fragrance allergen disclosure is surfaced where thresholds are exceeded.

CNF preparation

The CNF preparation tools structure the information Health Canada requires for a Cosmetic Notification Form submission — product function, ingredients with concentrations, company details, and labeling content — into an organized, reviewable format. The CNF Preparation Package PDF export gives makers a print-ready document they can use alongside or before the Health Canada portal submission.

Free tools

Several standalone tools are available free without an account: the Soap Calculator for lye and SAP calculations with live quality scores, the Fragrance Allergen Calculator for checking disclosure thresholds, the CNF Readiness Checker, the Cosmetic Cost Calculator, and the Label Checklist.

Who FormulaNorth is for

FormulaNorth is designed for indie makers at any stage — from someone making their first batch of cold-process soap for a farmers market to an established maker with 20+ SKUs preparing CNF filings for a retail expansion. The free plan covers research and tool use with no time limit. The Maker plan is for active makers who need to save and manage real product formulas and generate compliance documentation.

FormulaNorth is not a substitute for professional regulatory advice, laboratory testing, or a qualified cosmetic chemist. It is a workspace tool — one that organizes information and surfaces relevant data to make the preparation work faster and less error-prone.

How we position compliance support

FormulaNorth provides readiness guidance and structured preparation tools. It does not promise guaranteed compliance, guaranteed acceptance, or official Health Canada approval.

Makers are still responsible for verifying ingredients, calculations, labeling, and notification details against official guidance and any professional advice they rely on.

Next steps

Start with the ingredient database, try the free tools, or read the guides for practical walkthroughs of Canadian cosmetic compliance topics. Review our data sources page for more detail on how public ingredient information is framed in the app.