Selling Consumer Products Online: Retail Chemical Label Review & E-Commerce Product Compliance
By: Kirsten Alcock, Manager of Product Safety, email
Did you know that consumer products sold online through an e-commerce website need to have a compliant label? Are you selling or distributing a consumer product through an e-commerce website such as Amazon, Canadian Tire, Walmart or Well.ca? In order to sell a product online, your product must be in compliance with the Canadian CCCR regulations in Canada and the CPSC within the US. Each country has their own specific classification criteria and label requirements.
Consumer/Retail products must be accurately labeled in order to be sold within North America, including those sold online. Any product that is manufactured for non-commercial purposes, such as household and personal use, must adhere to the specific consumer regulations and hazardous material classifications. Conducting a consumer/retail chemical label review is recommended to ensure your product is meeting the regulations.
Chemical consumer products include, but are not limited to, dishwashing detergents, general surface cleaners, air fresheners and reed diffusers, adhesives, car care and maintenance and paints. These are common items you may find on the shelf of a retail store. As many of us are currently at home at the moment, we are purchasing more and more of these products through online portals from our favourite stores. These stores must adhere to the proper regulations for the countries they are selling to. Should you be selling your products via this route, you do need to ensure your product is labelled in accordance with the appropriate criteria.
It is important to note that the consumer products I am referring to do not include products that require specific registrations, such as drugs, cosmetics, disinfectants, hand sanitizers, pesticides, and natural health products. These come under different regulations and have their own specific requirements. If you require registration or regulatory assistance for any of these products, please contact us.
As consumer products are sold and used in different environments than workplace products, separate regulations are required to address the hazards that may be unique to each scenario. For example, toxic consumer products may require child-resistant packaging, which would not be necessary within a workplace. Dell Tech would be able to look over your formulation and advise when a Child-Resistant Container (CRC) is required.
Consumer regulations are meant to protect the average consumer by informing them of the potential hazards that a product may have, and they use specific hazardous material classification systems, test methods, and labeling criteria. For example, a corrosive consumer product does not require a symbol in the US, but does in Canada.
In addition to the unique label requirements, some larger box stores will request an SDS for the product although one is not necessarily required. Consumer products in Canada are exempt from the requirement to provide a SDS but they are still indeed being requested by larger corporations before they will stock your products on the shelves. This is happening more often than not these days. Not only can we help you with your label compliance, but we can help create a SDS that will meet the needs of the larger distributors that are requesting them for their workers.
The Dell Tech team of Scientific Regulatory Consultants has successfully reviewed thousands of consumer products for hundreds of clients over the last 40 years. Take the guesswork out of complicated Canadian Consumer Chemicals & Containers Regulations (CCCR) or US Consumer Product Safety Commission Regulations (CPSC) by using Dell Tech’s team of expert Regulatory Consultants.
HOW DELL TECH CAN HELP:
- Prepare CCCR report for products intended for sale within Canada
- Prepare CPSC report for products intended for sale within the United States
- Prepare Health Canada Checklist for Classification and Record-Keeping
- Provide Amazon Vendor Compliance Reports
- Provide SDS in English/French and Spanish for Consumer Products
Contact:
Dell Tech
Kirsten Alcock, B.Sc. (Hons)
Manager, Product Safety Group
519-858-5074
kirsten@delltech.com
English 
