Canada regulations: BC

[isis]

Hello,

I am new to the soap business. I plan on making and selling soap, massage oils, etc., but before I get too involved in the processing process, I need to make sure that all of my bases are covered and that I am not doing something that is not legal. Does anyone know where I might be able tofind information regarding the legal ins and outs that I need to be aware of to have my product sold in local shops not just at school bazzars and farmers markets? I would appreciate any help that is given!

~Isis

 

[Lindy]

As another BC soaper may I welcome you aboard.

It is going to be awhile before you are ready to sell, you need to perfect your product first. Give yourself at least 6 months of intensive making because there are some things that require time to see what will happen.

Once you have that down then you are going to require the following:

• Insurance (you can get this through the Handmade Soap & Cosmetics Makers Guild www.soapguild.org and it is the cheapest you are going to find, trust me on that);
• Business License - depending on your location will determine the cost of this;
• Registration of company and recipes with Health Canada. Everyone making these products in Canada must be registered and all recipes submitted prior to selling. This is not a huge deal but it is a requirement.
• It is also a good idea to register your business name and get a business account. It will allow you to see how much money you are making once you are ready to start selling.

Where do you live if I may ask? I'm on the Sunshine Coast.


Cheers

 

[Petclerk]

Hi Lindy, I'm new to soaping and am working at getting my recipes perfected before selling. I have my company set up already, business number, etc... but they didn't mention that I had to do this step of registering with Health Canada and submitting my recipes. Are you sure we have to do this? I'm in Cloverdale, BC and hoping to start handing out samples in May/June to get some feedback from friends and co-workers. I have quite a number of different soap mixtures curing at the moment and am always busy making more soaps. My website won't be up and running until I get the soaps perfected and get pictures up. I'm also a member of the HSMG and am going to the conference in May... really looking forward to learning a lot... Do you have a list of Canadian regulations for Soap sellers such as the labeling requirements and restrictions? I'd very much appreciate your help on this, thanks so very much.

Edna

 

[Lindy]

Hi Edna, yes it is absolutely a requirement as we are governed by Health Canada. Even if you are making MP you must register all recipes with Health Canada. HERE is the information I put up in the Labeling & Packaging Forum on labeling regs here in Canada. Please take the time to review THIS page as it will walk you through what is required to make and sell soap here in Canada. Our regulations are significantly different from the US so you can't go by what you read in most of the posts on this forum as they are being made by US soapers. In Canada Soap is a cosmetic.

If you need help, please let me know. By the way, I'm in BC too on the Sunshine Coast.

Cheers

 

[isis]

Hi Lindy,

Thank you for the information! Have recipes ever been denied? I currently do have a business name registered with a business number and business account. I practice Reiki, so do you know if I would need to set it all up again, or would I be able to do a DBA?

~NJ

 

[Lindy]

You should be able to do a DBA, but you will probably want to register the name you are doing business under to your business number. You'll need to check with your bank about the chequing account as they want a separate one for the soap company. The only recipe I know of getting punted was one of mine and that was because it was for a pet insect repellant and that was totally obvious by the ingredients. So I got referred instead to Pest Control in order to get a Pest Control Number for my product. I didn't proceed with it due to cost.... If I had chosen to be a little less honest I could probably have gotten it put through.... :???:

 

[Petclerk]

Thanks for the information Lindy. Still looking into the legal stuff, but still busy getting my recipes perfected before even considering selling them, so I think I'm still a few months off before I get business going. Do you have any photographs of your white vinyl stickers for the car windows? I'm definitely going to be advertising on my car when I get things going. Thanks again.

 

[Lindy]

I don't, I'm sorry. Have you seen cars driving around with white logos plus phone numbers in the side window? Well that's them. I haven't done my own yet and the others were mailed out, so no pictures there.

There are colours available as well but I prefer white because it shows up so much better.

 

[Petclerk]

Ok, seems like I might be finding ground as to what all I need to do to sell soaps.... My understanding is to send in the Cosmetic Notification form filled out properly (to where? I'm not sure yet) and then I can sell them without waiting for a reply regarding each individual recipe! It is my duty to make sure they are safe and labelled correctly. They don't ask on the form for a Business License so I'm assuming that just having a Sole Proprietorship registered and the Business number is good enough, a license would be required if people were coming to my business location to make purchases.... am I correct? Well, almost ready for business, just have to get stock and figure out why I'm having the caustic lye issue that I'm dealing with... frustrating!! Many of my soaps are soooo nice, love them.... but too many batches are turning out caustic after 6 weeks of curing... the lye calculator was my buddy in figuring out the amounts so I don't understand.... Arghhhh!

PS: Lindy are you going to the conference next week?

 

[Petclerk]

Woo hoo! Figured out my lye problem.... now time to get stock together & sell :razz:

 

[Lindy]

Hi Petclerk - no can't afford to although I would love to attend one of these years.

 

[Petclerk]

Sorry to hear that Lindy, I would have loved to meet you. Maybe next year, flights are pretty cheap to Tucson. I really appreciate all your help, thanks so much.

 

[Petclerk]

Ok, just came across another question while at the Fantastic conference in Raleigh, NC. Are we allowed to use PO Box's for our product address here in Canada? I can't seem to find the answer on the gov't site. Thanks so much.

 

[Lindy]

Hi there,

I just checked with Health Canada and they accept a box number if you prefer to not use your home address....

 

[Petclerk]

Oh Wonderful news Lindy!! Thank you so MUCH !!

 

[Petclerk]

Lindy, I'd like to take your labeling course on June 20th. Do I have to register on your website before I have access to sign up? Thanks.

 

[Lindy]

Hi Petclerk - nope you can just go to the page http://www.malaspinasoapfactory.ca/for_soap-makers.html and sign up there....

Thank you very much!