Report an incident involving a consumer product or cosmetic: Consumers

On this page

• What to report
• How to use the consumer report form

What to report

Health Canada encourages you to report a problem with a consumer product or cosmetic if:

• property has been damaged
• safety instructions or labels are missing, confusing or wrong
• the product may harm someone because it doesn't work like it's supposed to
• someone has been injured or nearly injured, has a bad reaction or dies from using it

When you submit a report, you will be asked for:

• a description of what happened
• the date and nature of the incident
• the product's brand, name and description
• the type of injury that occurred and any treatment that was needed
• the web address (URL) and/or other identifying numbers, such as the Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) and product number, if the product was purchased online
• any photos you have of the product, product labels and damage caused

You will also be asked:

• where you got the product
• if you wish to remain anonymous or are willing to be contacted if we have any questions

Note: Health Canada publishes recalls and safety alerts. You do not need to submit a report to notify us about a recall that's already published.

If the problem involves an adverse reaction to a drug or medical device, a food safety or labelling issue, pesticides or unfair trade practices visit Reporting other issues.

What happens after you submit your report

How to use the consumer report form

Saving your form:

You should save your form as an .hcxs file on your computer after you have completed and submitted it. Include the case and submission numbers in the file name to help you easily find your form again. These numbers are created once you click the "Submit" button in the form. You may save your incomplete form at any time and upload it later to complete and submit it.

Updating your form:

If you saved a copy of the form, you can update it using these instructions:

1. Select “Update a report”.
2. Click “Choose File” to select previously saved .hcxs file.
3. Select the file you wish to upload.
4. Click “Upload Information”.
5. A pop-up box will appear confirming that the information was uploaded. Click “Ok”.
6. Click on “Next” to proceed to the form.

If you only have your case number, you can still update your previous submission. However, you will need to complete all the required fields again.

Update your form using these instructions:

1. Locate the case number and enter it into the field labelled “Case Number”.
2. Click on “Next” to proceed to the form.
3. Complete all required fields in the form and “Submit”.

Viewing your form:

To view a read-only version of a form saved in the .hcxs format, follow these instructions.

1. Click on the following link: Submit a consumer report.
2. A new page called “Consumer incident reporting form” will appear.
3. Scroll down the page to section titled “I am here to…”. Choose the button titled “View a read-only version of the report”.
4. In the box that appears below, use the “Choose File/Browse” button to select the .hcxs file you saved on your computer before.
5. Click on the “Upload Information” button. A new box will appear.
   • The box will confirm that the consumer's report was uploaded to the online form.
6. In the box, click on the “Okay” button.
7. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Click on the “Next” button.
8. The first page of the form titled “What happened?” will appear.
9. To view the next or previous page of the form, scroll to the bottom of the page. Click on the “Next” or “Previous” button.

Maximum file size

If your completed form including attached digital files is larger than 70MB you will see an error message and be unable to submit. If this happens to you, follow these steps:

1. Submit attached digital files up to 70MB on your first form.
2. Note the case number you receive when you submit that form.
3. Go to the "Additional Documents" web form and attach the additional digital files and enter the case number.