How FormulaNorth handles ingredient and supplier data

What data we surface

FormulaNorth combines ingredient identity fields (INCI name, common name, CAS number when available, cosmetic function notes), Health Canada Hotlist status references, fragrance allergen flags per the April 12, 2026 disclosure rule, Canadian supplier listings, and reference pricing. The data is curated for the ingredients indie cosmetic makers actually use — it is not a full mirror of every cosmetic ingredient ever published.

Canonical sources we link to

When you see a regulatory claim on FormulaNorth, the canonical authority is one of these:

• Health Canada — Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist for prohibited and restricted ingredients (with concentration limits and conditions of use)
• Health Canada — Cosmetic advertising, labelling and ingredients for the fragrance allergen disclosure rule
• Cosmetic Regulations C.R.C., c. 869 (legal text, including SOR/2024-63 amendment)
• EU Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009 Annex III — the Restricted Substances List that Section 21.4 of the Canadian Cosmetic Regulations explicitly defers to for fragrance allergens
• PubChem (NIH National Library of Medicine) for CAS numbers and chemical identity cross-reference

Every ingredient page on FormulaNorth links back to the canada.ca Hotlist for live verification of regulatory status.

What we can and can't auto-sync

The Health Canada website does not allow automated fetching of its content (returns HTTP 403 to programmatic requests). This is a Health Canada policy decision, not a limitation on our side. Industry tools that claim “auto-synced from canada.ca” either use manually-maintained mirrors or violate the canada.ca terms of use.

Our practical approach:

• We manually verify ingredient and Hotlist data against the official canada.ca page on a quarterly cadence
• For fragrance allergens, we use the EU Annex III list directly (which Canadian Section 21.4 defers to) — that source allows programmatic access
• For Cosmetic Regulations text, we use laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, Canada's official law database, which does allow programmatic access
• CAS numbers are verified against PubChem

Because we can't auto-sync canada.ca, our database is a curated reference, not a real-time mirror. Always verify the live canada.ca Hotlist before notification or sale.

Supplier information

Supplier listings and pricing snapshots are provided for research convenience. Availability, pricing, shipping, and catalog details can change without notice and must be confirmed directly with the supplier. The directory is grown from real maker recommendations submitted via the feedback form.

Found a discrepancy?

If you find an ingredient flagged differently from canada.ca, an INCI naming inconsistency, or a missing fragrance allergen, tell us — include the canada.ca link so we can verify quickly.

Send a data correction →

Review cadence

Last full data review: April 27, 2026. We re-verify fragrance allergens against the EU source every quarter. Hotlist entries are re-verified manually as Health Canada publishes updates and as user reports come in via the feedback form.