Should Five Plant-Based Substances Be Restricted Due to Health Risks?
Official title: Draft Assessment of 14 substances in the Tricylcic Sesquiterpenes and Triterpeniods Group and the Risk Management Scope
Health Canada and Environment Canada assessed 14 plant-derived substances found in cosmetics, fragrances, and natural health products. Five of them—including cedarwood oil, mimosa oil, and licorice extract—may pose health or environmental risks. The government wants to add these to the toxic substances list, which could lead to new restrictions on their use.
Why This Matters
Use natural cosmetics or herbal products? Some ingredients you might recognize—like cedarwood oil or licorice extract—could face new restrictions. If you're a small business making natural products, this could affect what you can sell.
What Could Change
Five substances would be added to Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act as toxic. That triggers mandatory risk management—meaning new rules on how these can be used in products. Manufacturers may need to reformulate cosmetics, fragrances, or natural health products containing these ingredients.
Key Issues
- Should cedarwood oil, Texan cedarwood oil, enoxolone, mimosa oil, and ivy extract be added to the toxic substances list?
- What risk management measures should apply to these five substances?
- Is the scientific assessment accurate and complete?
How to Participate
- Review the draft assessment and the risk management scope document.
- Submit written comments to substances@ec.gc.ca within 60 days of publication.