Cosmetic products restricted due to Canada Natural Health Products Regulations (NPN/DIN)
Our brand is facing a problem with almost all our products and Amazon doesn’t seem to be willing to go through our case. We receive automated responses to any information we provide seller support.
Amazon has recently removed 3 of our cosmetic products from their platform, citing that they have been identified as Natural Health Products (NHP) or require a Drug Identification Number (DIN) and are thus subject to the provisions of the Food and Drugs Act and its regulations. These products are added to another 14 that were removed in the past for the same reason. At some point we managed to get 3 products reinstated only because we were lucky to have a seller support rep that was willing to go through our case. Our recent appeals have not yielded the any results and we now have almost our entire product catalog restricted. We decided not to waste any more time to convince Amazon that our products aren’t NHP or requiring DIN. However, now they removed our 3 best sellers that don’t even make sense to consider them as NHP.
Our products are cosmetics that can’t be mistaken as NHP or anything drug related. We do not make any health-related claims, and our products are intended solely for cosmetic purposes. Upon contacting Health Canada and following their guidelines set by Health Canada we were assured that our products do not fall under the DIN or NHP categories. We informed Amazon about this in the past but again we received a canned response that our products are identified as NHP and we need a DIN.
A quick recap of the steps we have taken so far:
- We reached out to Health Canada, submitted our products in the cosmetics notification platform and have been provided with a cosmetics number. Health Canada, in all occasions we contacted them, clarified that obtaining a DIN or Natural Product Number (NPN) is not applicable to our case, confirming our products are indeed cosmetics.
- Labeling Compliance: We have ensured that our products moving forward are labeled in both English and French, complying with Canadian market regulations.
- We have provided Amazon with the cosmetics number and confirmation from the regulatory agency to reinforce our position that our products do not fall under the mentioned restricted categories.
Despite anything we did to reinstate our products they remain restricted. I would be grateful for any advice from anyone who has encountered similar issues with Health Canada and Amazon Canada.
Cosmetic products restricted due to Canada Natural Health Products Regulations (NPN/DIN)
Our brand is facing a problem with almost all our products and Amazon doesn’t seem to be willing to go through our case. We receive automated responses to any information we provide seller support.
Amazon has recently removed 3 of our cosmetic products from their platform, citing that they have been identified as Natural Health Products (NHP) or require a Drug Identification Number (DIN) and are thus subject to the provisions of the Food and Drugs Act and its regulations. These products are added to another 14 that were removed in the past for the same reason. At some point we managed to get 3 products reinstated only because we were lucky to have a seller support rep that was willing to go through our case. Our recent appeals have not yielded the any results and we now have almost our entire product catalog restricted. We decided not to waste any more time to convince Amazon that our products aren’t NHP or requiring DIN. However, now they removed our 3 best sellers that don’t even make sense to consider them as NHP.
Our products are cosmetics that can’t be mistaken as NHP or anything drug related. We do not make any health-related claims, and our products are intended solely for cosmetic purposes. Upon contacting Health Canada and following their guidelines set by Health Canada we were assured that our products do not fall under the DIN or NHP categories. We informed Amazon about this in the past but again we received a canned response that our products are identified as NHP and we need a DIN.
A quick recap of the steps we have taken so far:
- We reached out to Health Canada, submitted our products in the cosmetics notification platform and have been provided with a cosmetics number. Health Canada, in all occasions we contacted them, clarified that obtaining a DIN or Natural Product Number (NPN) is not applicable to our case, confirming our products are indeed cosmetics.
- Labeling Compliance: We have ensured that our products moving forward are labeled in both English and French, complying with Canadian market regulations.
- We have provided Amazon with the cosmetics number and confirmation from the regulatory agency to reinforce our position that our products do not fall under the mentioned restricted categories.
Despite anything we did to reinstate our products they remain restricted. I would be grateful for any advice from anyone who has encountered similar issues with Health Canada and Amazon Canada.
15 replies
Seller_7LrAV0m5llaI7
Seller support is useless to these violations, as they have no common sense.
I have only had luck getting the Executive Seller Relations Team to fix these issues. And then Amazon's bot will do the same thing a few months later and repeat.
Seller_T2N9qK9aX55sg
as Jpart2 mention, the bots take these down, support is not familiar with Canadian Marketplaces rules and or health Canada, so speaking to them, will not fix anything, as they follow strict rules, assume Amazon Canada as Police, it is either Yes or No. until you can prove it in court you are not "guilty"
We get these notification non stop for products that have been sold for many years in the beauty category, and all of sudden a single word will trigger bot and it will get removed. We get it fixed, couple weeks or month, same thing.
Example. Hair Mousse was flagged as FOOD product. Had to go through hoops with seller support explaining that MOUSSE is not food. Why does amazon Canada hire support who has 0 experience with products?
Don't get me started on shipping with Canada Post, and Community Mailboxes PO boxes etc.
Seller_7LrAV0m5llaI7
I email jeff@amazon.com and cite the failed case numbers
Seller_AD3bUD1zoYpLn
We had two of our products removed and took us two months to reinstate them. Now we have another product thats been removed. We have a cosmetics number too. (I dont think its the bots because I see other brands making all kinds of claims and still not flagged?)
Our experience with the appeal team has been deeply frustrating and unproductive. What is particularly disheartening is the persistent feeling that, they do not genuinely read our emails but instead provide repetitive, copy-pasted responses.
Here's something that might Help you:
1- Temporarily delete or modify almost all content related to your product, including A+, Hero images and descriptions.
2- Upload clear images of the front and back panels of your original packaging.
3- Close any existing open cases for the affected ASINs.
4- Open a new case specifically addressing the issue. Clearly state the problem, provide evidence, and request an internal investigation. (Attach original packaging images)
Good luck!
JiAlex_Amazon
Hello!
My name is JiAlex I am from Amazon forums. I wanted to follow up on your post.
After reviewed your case history I did not find any case related to this topic, Seller support department should be able to help you and let you know the next steps. Also, as peer Seller peer mentioned (Thank you, @Seller_AD3bUD1zoYpLn, and the others peer sellers for the tips) you may need to provide pictures showing evidence in regard to this matter.
If you already create a case, and this still not been resolved, please provide us the case number, so I can follow up with the proper team.
Any assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out our support channel: https://sellercentral.amazon.ca/help/center
Happy Selling!
JiAlex_Amazon
Seller_7LrAV0m5llaI7
Rogue untrained AI bots
Seller_vE7q3EIZ1Zjax
We just had our best-selling item that we have been selling for months now removed because it's not Health Canada approved. I have appealed this this morning but I'm not holding my breath. It's not cosmetics, it's a medical device - a CPR Pocket mask for first aid kits. It IS Health Canada approved, I attached a PDF of the complete listings of all the versions the manufacturer has current Health Canada approval for (which we sell actively but according to Amazon aren't Health Canada approved, and at one point yesterday I was told it was discontinued - we actively order and sell it and it's NOT discontinued), and provided my companies active Health Canada license number as a medical supply retailer.
It's ridiculous. They also tried to tell me that it doesn't meet Health Canada requirements for packaging which it HAS to meet to be licensed.
Don't get me started on the fact that we can't sell our first aid kits with benzalkonium wipes in them because "benzalkonium can only be sold in a pharmacy" - yet they sell Soapopular hand sanitizer that has a main ingredient of...wait for it...BENZALKONIUM CHLORIDE.
It's like Amazon goes out of it's way to actively stop people from selling. Don't they, you know, MAKE MONEY from us?
Seller_RBv4mPFm7TIqv
Reach out to Quality Smart Solutions. They helped fix label issues. They are part of the Amazon SPN too. They can also write a letter on your behalf on their letterhead to explain why your product is a cosmetic or advise if here is a claim that is not allowed with cosmetics.
