Health Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for national public health. Their programs protect the health of Canadian residents, citizens, and visitors. These exist to ensure basic standards are achieved: to prevent death, serious injury, and acute or chronic illness. This is not a health enhancement policy that aims to improve your state of health. These exist to avoid disaster and to prevent bad things from happening.
The Misuse of "Health Canada Approved"
Consumers everywhere are being falsely influenced as it relates to the "Health Canada" approved designation. Some manufacturers compete against one another, positioning their product as Health Canada approved as a way to qualify themselves as being superior and more safe, even though a competing product is made of exactly the same components or ingredients.
In some instances, service providers and resellers may even use this language even though their product or equipment has not been registered with Health Canada. The Health Canada Approval designation is being used incorrectly, and it is important to clear up this message and how it is being used to raise doubt, instill fear, and influence you, the consumer, in your decisions.
The Misleading Headlines
Take, for example, this article by the CBC on "Tattoo Pigments"...
The article raises questions and alarm in the language used to talk about what happens to traditional tattoo pigments in the body.
"Tattoo pigments transported to lymph nodes, corpses show."
At first glance, this is a headline clicker. Anything involving the lymph nodes raises concern, and the fact that "corpses" are involved means death has occurred. The messaging in this headline is a high-quality sales tactic aimed at getting you to click on that headline and interact with advertisers.
More important misleading messages appear later in the article:
"Cosmetic pigments [or ingredients] are not approved by Health Canada," the regulator said in an email to CBC News.
"It is the responsibility of the manufacturer or importer to meet the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act and Cosmetic Regulations and ensure that the product they are selling is safe."
Why Cosmetic Pigments Are Not "Approved"
There is a good reason why cosmetic pigments or ingredients are not approved by Health Canada. It is simply not within its mandate. Health Canada does not have a formalized process for the submission of cosmetic tattoo pigments with a review and approval path.
What Health Canada Does
- Sets rules and guidelines for product ingredients
- Enforces guidelines when products are non-compliant
- Runs formalized approval programs for pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Gets involved when prohibited substances are found
What Health Canada Does Not Do
- Approve cosmetic pigments or ingredients
- Ongoing review of every product entering the Canadian marketplace
- Provide an automatic shield of safety via approval
- Prevent malpractice or injury from approved devices
How the Designation Is Misused
Some businesses will posture against each other and make claims that: "They are not using Health Canada approved equipment or products." When in fact, Health Canada is not in the practice of approving these specific products or devices in the practices in which they are being used. It is a question of relevance, and it is a question of principles. It misleads consumers into a false set of standards and distracts them from other important qualities.
For more information on the safety of cosmetic ingredients, visit Health Canada.
Practical Complications
In this article by MacLeans, it has been raised that Health Canada is directly funded by the industry that it serves, and now has a client service relationship directly with its applicants. This is an important highlight to the Health Canada designation that should be fully considered by consumers.
Our Position
The next time you see a medical or aesthetic professional announce that their service is "Health Canada approved," do have them fully elaborate on what they mean. If this language is being used to sell you on a service or product, then it is important to consider that this may be the wrong service provider.
Using "Health Canada" approved terms to promote services is a basic standard of care language. It would be our hope that we will all pursue services and products that aim for a much higher standard, not just those that keep us from injury and death. Our clients expect and deserve much better.
