Consumers will be able to select their lipsticks and shampoos more carefully as a result of new Health Canada regulations requiring manufacturers to list ingredients on packaging.

The regulations, effective Thursday, were designed to help shoppers make informed choices about products such as makeup, perfume, skin cream, nail polish, toothpaste, soap, shampoo and shaving cream.  

New Health Canada regulations require manufacturers to declare ingredients of cosmetic products on their packaging.
(CBC)

Madeleine Bird of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Canada, a coalition of health, consumer and environmental groups, said she suspects many consumers will be surprised to find out what chemicals are in cosmetic products.

"There are many ingredients in cosmetics that are actually quite harmful to our health over long-term use," she said. "We're looking at health risks like carcinogens, mutagens and reproductive toxins.

"We use so many cosmetics in so many different ways on our bodies every single day for many, many years, so that's where the concern comes in," Bird said. "I would say we would avoid using in general … perfumes, nail polishes and dark hair dyes – those are the products of most concern."

Health Canada estimates that roughly 10,000 cosmetic products are in the marketplace, with Canadians making about $5.3 billion a year in purchases.

The United States, the European Union and Japan have similar legislation requiring manufacturers to declare product ingredients.

The Canadian government estimates the new ingredient rules will cost multinational corporations about $350,000.

Stores will have a one-year deadline to sell off old stock, but manufacturers must provide lists of ingredients to customers upon request.

Bird suspects the new regulations may result in some manufacturers modifying their products, removing potentially damaging ingredients.

"I've spoken to some manufacturers that have said they shut down for two years to reformulate, so it is possible," she said. "We see a lot of changes happening in the European Union where companies are required to remove toxic chemicals from their cosmetics and replace them with safer substances."

Most cosmetics don't pose serious health dangers, but some ingredients can cause adverse effects such as severe allergic reactions and mild irritations.

Between two and five per cent of adults suffer mild reactions to chemicals, while an even smaller percentage experience acute reactions such as swelling, hair loss and breathing problems.

Health Canada receives more than 50 adverse reaction reports a year, and suspects more cases go unreported.

The Canadian Cancer Society supports the labelling change, but urges the federal government to introduce even stricter regulations, including adding a warning label on cosmetics containing substances that may cause cancer.