Health Canada proposes restrictions on six essential oils used in personal care products

On February 3, 2024, the Canadian government published a draft assessment to restrict the use of six essential oils in personal care products.

A notice summarizing the scientific considerations of the draft assessment for 12 substances was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I (Canada 2024).

The consultation period for the proposed draft assessment and risk assessment is from February 3, 2024, to April 3, 2024.

The Government of Canada is considering the following options to address the health concerns

• Health Canada is implementing measures to reduce exposure to certain cosmetic ingredients, such as tarragon oil, jasmine oil, and fragrances, as prohibited or restricted ingredients.

• It is also identifying jasmine oil and fragrances in certain Natural Health Products (NHPs) as restricted ingredients in the NHP Database to protect human health.

• Regulatory and non-regulatory measures are also being taken to reduce exposure to essential oils in consumer products and promote public awareness.

A risk assessment has been published for the substances in the group of phenylpropanoids and aldehydes listed in the table below.

Conclusion of assessment

The draft assessment suggests that bay oil, tarragon oil, jasmine oil, perfumes, violet oil, and lilial are toxic under CEPA's 64(c) criteria due to potential hazards to human life or health. Other substances such as verdantiol, myrac-aldehyde, myrmac-aldehyde, myrmac-carboxaldehyde, cetonal, and vernaldehyde do not meet these criteria. The 12 substances in the phenylpropanoids and aldehydes group are not harmful to the environment or biological diversity.