Ever since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic there has been an unprecedented demand for hand sanitizers. This has resulted in a shortage of supply and empty store shelves. The good news for consumers is that the shortage should be short-lived.
The cosmetics and personal care products industry association, Cosmetics Alliance Canada, has been working with Health Canada to alleviate regulatory constraints to help expedite products to market. Manufacturers are now able to get products onto Canadian store-shelves faster and easier. Cosmetics Alliance has also been collaborating with the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association and Spirits Canada to create the “Hand-Sanitizer Manufacturing Exchange”. The Exchange enables businesses that are interested in making hand sanitizer, or supplying the necessary ingredients or packaging, by providing a single platform to connect with each other and access available resources. This will increase the manufacturing capacity for hand sanitizers in Canada.
With these efforts underway, rest assured that the domestic supply of hand sanitizers will ramp up and more products will soon become available to Canadians. In the meantime, consumers need to be diligent about the products they do purchase and, with the plethora of do-it-yourself recipes online, refrain from making their own product. Products need to comply with Health Canada’s regulations to ensure they are safe and effective – which is critical in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.
