Report an incident involving a consumer product or cosmetic: Overview

Reporting injuries, near misses and safety concerns about consumer products and cosmetics is easy and could save lives. Learn what to report and how to report. 

On this page

Why it's important to report

Many injuries can be prevented. By sharing your story about consumer products and cosmetics that may cause harm, you can help us stop similar incidents or injuries from happening to other children and families.

Sharing your story helps us monitor the safety of products and how they're used. We use your reports to help us look into possible dangers. If there are dangers, we take action to help keep you and those you care about safe. 

Who can report

Anyone can report an incident related to a consumer product or cosmetic. Reporting by the public is voluntary.

Parents and caregivers can report on behalf of their child or someone they care for. Health care professionals can encourage their patients to report or they can submit a report on behalf of their patients. 

Provincial, territorial and municipal fire officials and electrical safety regulators can also report a problem with a consumer product. In this case, they would report products for situations involving fire, smoke or overheating. 

Industry (manufacturers, importers, sellers) must report health or safety incidents involving a consumer product. This requirement is outlined in Section 14 of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. However, reporting is voluntary for health or safety issues involving a cosmetic. 

When to report

You should report a product if:

What to report

You should share:

Types of products to report

You may report an incident involving any consumer product or cosmetic, such as:

What might happen

Reporting might result in:

The more people who report, with more complete information, the more it informs actions that can be taken.

Find information on recalls, advisories and safety alerts.

Page details

Date modified: