Do I need a licence to sell supplements in Canada?

Wellness brands, clinics and creators launching their own product lines often find supplements are regulated more like drugs than like food. In Canada, they’re natural health products.

What counts as a natural health product?

Generally, vitamins and minerals, herbal remedies, homeopathic medicines, traditional medicines, probiotics, amino acids and essential fatty acids, sold for a health purpose such as maintaining or promoting health or reducing a health risk. Some products sit near the line with food, cosmetics or drugs, and classification depends on ingredients, format, dosage and claims. For a borderline product, check Health Canada’s classification guidance, or confirm with the manufacturer how the product is licensed, before you commit to packaging and marketing.

What licences are needed?

Licence	Who needs it	Source
Product licence (NPN, or DIN-HM for homeopathic medicines)	Before anyone sells the product in Canada	NHPR, s. 4
Site licence	Anyone who manufactures, packages, labels or imports a natural health product for sale in Canada	NHPR, s. 27

The product licence holder is responsible for the product’s safety, labelling and adverse reaction reporting. If you sell a private-label product, check whether you or the manufacturer will hold the licence, and put that in your supply agreement.

What can I claim?

What your product licence authorizes. The licence sets the recommended use or purpose, and labels and advertising should stay within it. Beyond that:

• The Food and Drugs Act prohibits advertising products to the general public as a treatment, preventative or cure for the diseases listed in Schedule A.1, which include cancer, depression, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and others. Section 103.2 of the NHPR allows a natural health product to be advertised as a preventative, but not a treatment or cure, for those conditions.
• Section 9 of the Act prohibits false or misleading labelling and advertising of drugs, which includes natural health products.
• The Competition Act requires performance claims to be based on adequate and proper testing.

Influencer posts and customer testimonials are advertising too. See what health claims a wellness business can make and brand deal contracts.

Can I sell imported supplements online?

Only if they’re licensed for sale in Canada. A product licensed in the US isn’t automatically licensed here, and importing for sale needs a site licence. Selling on platforms doesn’t change the rules; platforms may also ask for NPNs.

Are the rules changing?

Yes. New labelling requirements for natural health products, including a product facts table and allergen labelling, came into force on June 21, 2025, but Health Canada has set a compliance date of June 21, 2028 for all products, and it has said it intends to consult on making the requirements more flexible with a new transition timeline. See Health Canada’s labelling compliance bulletin. Health Canada has also proposed cost recovery fees for natural health products, but postponed them; check whether any fees apply when you apply. Check Health Canada’s licensing page for current requirements.

What to do next

We review supply, private-label and distribution agreements as a contract review, and brand deals as a brand deal contract, at fixed fees on our fees page. Health Canada applications themselves are usually prepared by regulatory consultants.

This guide is general information about Ontario and Canadian law, not legal advice for your situation. To talk through a product launch, book a free 15-minute consult.