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Consumer product and cosmetics reports received

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Overview

Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety Program (the Program) is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) and its regulations, as well as the cosmetic-related provisions of the Food and Drugs Act (F&DA) and the Cosmetic Regulations.

Learn more:

The purpose of the CCPSA is to protect the public by addressing or preventing dangers to human health or safety that are posed by consumer products in Canada, including those that circulate within Canada as well as those that are imported. Similarly, the purpose of the Cosmetic Regulations and the associated portions of the F&DA are to protect people in Canada from risks that may be posed by cosmetics.

One way that the Program learns about consumer products and cosmetics that could pose a health or safety risk is through product surveillance, which includes receiving and reviewing reports through the following mechanisms:

These reports contribute to the Program's unique and national perspective on safety across a wide range of consumer products and cosmetics. They also help the Program assess and identify possible or emerging risks with consumer products and cosmetics that may pose a risk to people in Canada.

The Program reviews all reports received on consumer products and cosmetics for possible health or safety risks and to identify trends. In its review, the Program considers many factors such as:

Learn more about how the Consumer Product Safety Program addresses risks to consumers:

Surveillance summaries for consumer products and cosmetic reports received

The surveillance summaries below provide information about mandatory and voluntary reports received by the Consumer Product Safety Program. Statistics in these summaries include:

  • the total number of reports received
  • the proportion of industry and consumer reports
  • the breakdown of the percentage of reports received across product categories
  • the top product types for which reports were received
  • information on reports involving an injury

Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding. The reports received by the Program could have described events that have occurred both in and outside of Canada for products available in Canada.

Interactive surveillance summaries (since 2015)

For older data, consult the Five-year summary, 2013 to 2017

Terminology and methodology of the summaries

Key terms and definitions

Refer to sections 2 and 14 of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act for the definitions for consumer product and incident, respectively. Refer to section 2 of the Food and Drugs Act for the definition of cosmetic.

Product categories

The Consumer Product Safety Program classifies all consumer products and cosmetics for which reports are received under the following 9 product categories. These categories group together product types that are typically sold alongside each other in the Canadian marketplace.

Table 1: Product categories and examples
Category Examples
Appliances
  • Kitchen appliances
  • Heating and cooling appliances
  • Laundry and cleaning appliances
Children's products
  • Toys
  • Baby gear
  • Nursery products
Clothing, textiles and accessories
  • Clothing
  • Footwear
  • Household textiles
Electronics
  • Vaping devices
  • Computers and peripherals
  • Telephones and accessories
  • Audio and radio equipment
  • Cables, batteries and chargers
  • Television and home theatre equipment
Home and automobile maintenance
  • Tools
  • Paints
  • Construction materials
Housewares
  • Lighting
  • Furniture
  • Home decor
  • Kitchenware
  • Household cleaning items
Outdoor living
  • Pools and accessories
  • Lawn and garden equipment
  • Outdoor furniture and decorations
Grooming products and accessories
  • Oral care items
  • Beauty accessories
  • Beauty and body care items
Sports, recreation and hobby
  • Play structures
  • Hobby or craft materials
  • Sports and outdoor activities equipment

Consumer product types

Product categories are further sub-divided into product types. These product types are based on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) coding. This is because the Canadian and American markets have similar products making it easier to compare incident data. Each product type presented in these summaries is based on an individual NEISS code, but the code name may have been modified in these summaries for simplicity.

For the full descriptions of each NEISS code, please refer to the latest NEISS Coding Manual linked at the bottom of this CPSC webpage:

Some NEISS codes include one of the phrases "not elsewhere classified", "other", or "not specified". For example, there are more than 30 NEISS codes for toys, including "Toys, not elsewhere classified" and "Toys, not specified", which are general codes that are used when very little information is available.

Grouped consumer product types

For the annual and quarterly summaries, a few product types are grouped together.

Toys

In order to accurately and easily communicate the large variety of toys available in the Canadian market (including more than 30 different NEISS product types), all toys were grouped together. There may be occasional reports where the NEISS product type coded falls under a toy product type, but the specific product is not intended for children.

Garden tractors, riding powered lawn mowers and tractors

The following NEISS codes are grouped together:

Vaping products

Since vaping products are outside the mandate of the CPSC, there is no NEISS code associated with these products. However, they are partly regulated by Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety Program so it was necessary to create a "Vaping products" grouped product type for reports about vaping devices and vaping substances (for example, e-liquids).

Cosmetic product type

All cosmetics as defined by the Food and Drugs Act, including soaps, are coded using a single NEISS product type, Cosmetics - 1913. This NEISS product type includes:

Cosmetic product subtype descriptions
Adhesive
Product that binds opposite surfaces to each other, such as an artificial nail with a natural nail
Adhesive remover
Product which is intended to remove adhesive from body parts, for example, from the nails or hair
Antiperspirant/deodorant
Product which masks, reduces or prevents the development of body odours
Bath product
Product added to bath water, for example, bath oils, tablets, salts or bubble bath
Bleach
Product which removes natural pigment from the hair, excluding hair lighteners with colour which lighten hair in one step
Breath freshener
Product that is used in the oral cavity to mask or reduce mouth odours, including breath freshening drops, sprays and strips, but not lozenges and gum
Cleanser
Product which cleanses the skin, including soap and astringents
Conditioner
Non-shampoo product which increases the suppleness or body of the hair or facilitates combing
Depilator
Product which facilitates the removal of hair by chemical means
Douche
Product used for vaginal irrigation
Epilator
Product which facilitates the removal of hair by mechanical means, such as hair removal wax
Exfoliant (chemical)
Product that chemically removes dead cells from the surface of the skin, such as a facial peel
Exfoliant (mechanical)
Product that mechanically removes dead cells from the surface of the skin, such as a body scrub
Fragrance product
Product for imparting a scent, including perfume, cologne, "eau de toilette" and talcum powder
Hair colour (permanent)
Product which changes the colour of the hair
Hair colour (temporary)
Product which applies colour to the hair and washes or wears off
Hair removal after-care
Product applied to the skin after hair removal to soften or maintain skin suppleness
Lubricant (personal, non-spermicidal)
Product used to lubricate the genital area
Makeup (non-permanent)
Product applied to colour and/or beautify the skin, including eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, blush, face powder, foundation, rouge and makeup fixatives
Makeup (permanent/tattoo ink)
Product injected in the upper layers of the dermis for the purpose of decoration, including semi-permanent inks
Makeup remover
Product applied to the skin to remove makeup
Massage product
Product used for massaging purposes
Moisturizer
Product applied to the skin to soften or maintain skin suppleness by reducing water loss or increasing the water content of the skin, including emollients and humectants
Mouthwash
Product to freshen or deodorize the mouth and breath, usually a liquid that is swished in the mouth and spat out (not swallowed)
Nail polish
Product applied to the nails to add color, shine, or to enhance appearance
Nail polish remover
Product used to remove nail polish
Nail product
Product applied to the nails, including nail polish, nail cream, nail lotion, cuticle softener and nail hardener
Shampoo
Product which cleanses the hair
Shaving product
Product used to care for the hair or skin during and after shaving, including shaving cream, pre-shave lotion, after shave lotion, beard softener and shaving soap
Straightening, waving and curling products (permanent/semi-permanent)
Product which chemically softens the hair to facilitate straightening or curling, generally followed by a neutralization step
Styling product
Product which is used to shape or style the hair, including mousse, gel, pomade and spray
Sunless tanning product (non-SPF)
Product which is used to give the appearance of a tan, excluding products which protect the skin from sun damage or enhance or accelerate the tanning process
Toothpaste (non-fluoridated)
Product which cleans and/or polishes the teeth and does not provide cavity protection
Tooth whitener
Product used to lighten the color of teeth by removing stains and discoloration

Injury types

The following injury types identify how these summaries classify injuries. The following are all the names of injury types in use, the range of injuries included in that injury type, as well as the injuries excluded from that injury type.

Injury type descriptions
Amputation

Includes the complete loss of a body part due to the interaction with the product itself or as a result of a product-related injury

Does not include:

  • partial amputations, including mangled limbs where it is connected by bone, skin, muscle or tendon (refer to Fracture)
  • complete cuts of skin where the skin or nail bed area affected and the joint or bone is intact and not affected (refer to Cut)
Asphyxia

Includes:

  • asphyxia: Lack of oxygen and positional asphyxia caused by obstructing the passage of air through posture or chest compression
    • drowning: Asphyxia by immersion in water
    • near-drowning: Immediate survival after asphyxia due to submersion
  • anoxia: A condition in which there is an absence of oxygen to an organ's tissues although there is adequate blood flow to the tissue
    • suffocation: Anoxia caused by obstructing the passage of air by sealing the mouth and nose with an external object (for example, bag over the head, blanket over the mouth and nose)
    • strangulation: Anoxia caused by external pressure obstructing the passage of air through the airway or by preventing the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain (for example, blind cord wrapped around the neck)
  • choking: Object lodged in the mouth or oral airway
  • aspiration: Inhalation of a small object or liquid into the airway/lungs

Does not include anoxia specific to the exposure to chemicals, inhalation of vapours, powders, smoke inhalation (refer to Poisoning).

Brain injury

Includes:

  • minor closed head injury
  • intracranial injury, including hematoma
  • any stated brain injury or concussion by the victim, whether or not it was verified by a medical professional

Does not include:

Bruising

Includes:

  • bruising causing tissue damage
  • bruising to internal organs except the brain
  • pinching that does not cause a break in the skin
  • friction burn that does not cause a break in the skin
  • contusions, ecchymosis (for example, bruises, or skin discoloration due to localized bleeding under the skin caused by trauma)

Does not include bruising accompanying the following injuries:

  • fractures (refer to Fracture)
  • concussion or internal head injury (refer to Brain injury)
  • sprains, strains and dislocations (refer to Sprains or strains)
  • cuts, including abrasions and pinching causing a break in the skin (refer to Cut)
Burn

Includes:

  • thermal burns due to skin contact with:
    • open fire, flames, coals
    • hot liquid or steam (such as scalds)
    • electrical burns (for example, caused by an electric arc)
    • hot objects (for example, contact with hot surfaces of appliances, overheated electric conductors or equipment, or clothing or textiles catching on fire due to electrical malfunction or flammability hazard)
  • burns associated with non-ionising radiation, including:
    • welding flash
    • laser pointers causing burns to eyes

Does not include:

Cut

Includes:

  • cut (also known as an incision): penetration of the skin caused by sharp edge or object
  • laceration: Irregular or jagged or blunt breaking or tearing of the skin often caused by tools and machinery
  • abrasion (also known as a scrape or graze): Topmost layer of the skin is scraped off by rubbing/sliding/falling against a rough or hard surface
  • avulsion: Partial or complete tearing away of skin and tissue (a type of amputation where the extremity is pulled off rather than cut off, typically caused by body-crushing events or explosions)
  • puncture or pierce: Wound that consists of a small hole in surface of the skin, that may extend to deeper tissue layers (includes penetration), caused by a pointed object (such as a splinter, nail, needle or dart)

Does not include:

  • amputation (refer to Amputation)
  • fractures that break through the skin (refer to Fracture)
Electric shock

Includes:

  • electrical burns (the result of the electric current flowing through tissues and bone)

Does not include:

  • shock (the reaction of the body to a trauma where organs or tissues are not receiving enough blood flow)
  • thermal contact burns when the skin comes into contact with overheated electric equipment, or when clothing is ignited in an electrical event (refer to Burn)
Foreign body

Includes:

  • swallowed objects
  • objects that enter the body via the ear, nose, eye, genitals or rectum

Does not include:

  • liquids entering the body (refer to Poisoning)
  • objects that cause a partial or total airway blockage or choking (refer to Asphyxia)
  • products where the concern is more about the leaching of chemical substances in the gastro-intestinal tract instead of a physical concern about obstructing or other mechanical injury involving the internal organs (refer to Poisoning)
Fracture

Includes:

  • chipped or broken tooth
  • injuries referred to as broken bones
  • fractures with the bone breaking skin
  • fractures that accompany dislocations
  • crushing injuries including one or more broken bones

Does not include:

  • cuts or other open wounds (refer to Cut)
  • crushing injuries where no bone is broken (refer to Bruising)
  • dislocation without a broken bone (refer to Sprains or strains)
Irritation or allergic reaction

Includes:

  • irritation
  • sensitizations
  • chemical burns
  • allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis
  • adverse reactions to the skin, eyes or lungs

Does not include:

  • ingestion of chemicals (refer to Poisoning)
  • ingestion of a physical foreign object (refer to Foreign body)
  • local effects from bites and stings, outside of the mandate of the Consumer Product Safety Program (for example, from bed bugs)
Poisoning

Includes:

  • smoke inhalation
  • off-gassing from textiles
  • carbon monoxide poisoning
  • inhalation or ingestion of a chemical substance

Does not include:

Sprain or strain

Includes:

  • injuries associated with the muscles, tendons, tough connective tissues or joints, including:
    • sprains
    • bursitis
    • tendinitis
    • separations
    • tennis elbow
    • rotator cuff tears
    • shoulder impingement
    • muscle tears and ruptures
    • inflammation of tendons, muscles
  • joint dislocations and partial joint dislocations (such as, luxation and subluxation)

Does not include:

  • bruising (refer to Bruising)
  • dislocations that accompany a broken bone (refer to Fracture)

Injury severity

All injuries reported are grouped into different levels of severity. These levels correspond to the overall risk that was reported and relies on factors such as:

Table 2: Injury severity classifications
Injury severity Injury severity description
No injury Default when there is an incident, inquiry or complaint, but no injury has occurred.
Unknown injury severity When an injury has occurred but there is insufficient information to determine the severity of the injury.
Minor No medical treatment is necessary. First aid may be necessary.
Moderate Minimal, local or non-invasive intervention may be required. A visit to an emergency room with acute care provided or a visit to a medical professional with prescribed treatment.
Severe Hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization indicated. Treatment can return the victim to pre-exposure state of health, but there may be some persistent or residual disability/ incapacity.
Life threatening or disabling Urgent intervention is required. Persistent or significant residual disability/ incapacity to perform at the level prior to the exposure; irreversible.
Fatal When the injury resulted in a death.

Hazard types

Health Canada applies hazard coding to all consumer product and cosmetics reports received. Hazard types are grouped into hazard categories:

How to report an incident involving a consumer product or cosmetic

Manufacturers, importers and sellers of consumer products, as defined by the CCPSA, are required to report all incidents involving their products to Health Canada. Manufacturers, importers and sellers of cosmetics, as defined under the Food and Drugs Act, are also encouraged to voluntarily report to Health Canada health or safety issues involving their products.

Consumers are encouraged to report to Health Canada any incident or event where someone is, or could have been, injured by a consumer product or cosmetic. Consumers may also send a report to the manufacturer, importer or retailer of the consumer product or cosmetic.

Report an incident involving a consumer product or cosmetic

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2025-11-20