Working Behind the Scenes to Keep Your Business Safe

We support cosmetic safety regulations—and we make sure they work for the salon professionals who depend on them.

Advocacy doesn’t always look like what you’d expect. There are no rallies or press conferences. Instead, it’s a 5-page submission to Health Canada’s Cosmetics Program about ingredient restrictions. It’s the kind of work that happens quietly but shapes whether you can stock your shelves and serve your clients the way you want to.

Here’s why this matters: We believe in cosmetic safety regulations. Full stop. Your clients deserve products that are safe. You deserve to feel confident in what you’re using and recommending. But good regulations need to work in the real world, where small business owners operate on tight margins and need clear guidance. Thanks to conversations and member input, we can reply to government requests with what matters to all of us in the industry.

What We Advocated For

When Health Canada proposed updates to the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist in November, we saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between safety science and salon operations. Here’s what we recommended:

• On spray product safety. We fully supported the prohibition of PHMB (polyaminopropyl biguanide) in spray and aerosol products. Why? Because stylists who apply hairspray, finishing spray, and dry shampoo multiple times daily face real respiratory risks over a career. This regulation directly protects your health. We encouraged Health Canada to highlight this occupational health angle so the industry understands the “why” behind the change.
  
• On hair dyes and vivid colours. Health Canada proposed restrictions on Basic Violet 4 and Basic Blue 7—ingredients used in semi-permanent and fashion colour products. We support the safety intent, but we asked for practical implementation that doesn’t create hardship. Specifically, we requested a 12-month transition period so salons aren’t forced to discard expensive inventory overnight. We also asked for clear definitions of what counts as a “leave-on” product versus a “hair dye” product, so you know exactly what’s compliant. And we pushed for guidance on alternative colorants that meet safety standards.
  
• On botanical and essential oil products. New restrictions on furocoumarins (naturally occurring compounds in citrus oils) could affect spa and wellness services. We support the safety science, but we asked Health Canada to publish a reference list of which botanical extracts might be affected so product makers and spa operators can plan ahead. We also requested guidance on testing methods and confirmation that furocoumarin-free oil variants automatically comply—because small operators outside major cities can’t always access expensive lab testing.
  
• On transition and compliance. We recommended standardized 12-month transition periods between final publication and enforcement for all Hotlist changes (18 months for widely-used ingredients like the hair dyes). This gives manufacturers time to reformulate, distributors time to adjust supply chains, and you time to work through existing inventory responsibly.
  
• On clear communication. We asked Health Canada to create plain-language summaries of these changes and share them through industry channels like trade publications and licensing bodies. Regulations written for scientists need translation for salon owners.

How This Protects You

We also made sure Health Canada understands the professional beauty context. Salon professionals apply products differently than home users—with trained technique, protective equipment, and in different environments. This distinction matters for safety assessment and shouldn’t be overlooked.

This is how industry advocacy works: supporting the regulations that protect safety, while making sure they’re implementable for the professionals they affect. And making sure regulators hear directly from the people working on the salon or spa floor.