Cosmetics are not allowed to make therapeutic claims. The Guidelines is developed to help marketers differentiate non-therapeutic claims from therapeutic claims and is used by Advertising Standards Canada to provide cosmetic broadcast advertising copy preclearance services.

Note: The industry guideline is not a legally binding act or regulation in Canada. Rather, it serves as an interpretive document that consolidates the requirements outlined in relevant acts and regulations. Nonetheless, it is recommended that enterprises adhere to the guidelines to ensure compliance.

Content

The Guidelines is organized by product area and are presented in a column format.

• Column I provides a non-exhaustive list of claims that can be characterized as non-therapeutic.

• Column II provides a non-exhaustive list of therapeutic/health claims used to represent drug or natural health products.