Cosmetics Alliance Canada partners to launch Hand-Sanitizer Manufacturing Exchange
The Hand-Sanitizer Manufacturing Exchange officially launched last Friday, March 27. And “it is intended to only be a temporary measure to assist in connecting manufacturers with suppliers during the course of the current COVID-19 public health emergency,” according to a statement on cosmeticsalliance.ca.
A cross-industry effort to maintain regulatory compliance during the COVID-19 crisis
The Hand-Sanitizer Manufacturing Exchange is a partnership among three trade associations: Cosmetics Alliance Canada, Cosmetics and Consumer Specialty Products, and Spirits Canada.
Health Canada (the federal government’s health policy department) and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters are also involved in the initiative.
“People are coming together to do what they can in this crisis; but Canadians need access to safe products,” says Shannon Coombs, President of CCSPA, in a recent media release announcing the Exchange.
“DIY hand-sanitizers, the latest trend on social media, [are] at best ineffective against COVID-19 and at worst potentially dangerous,” she says, adding that “We pledge to do our best to ensure that Canadians have an adequate supply of safe and effective hand-sanitizer for you and your family.”
Darren Praznik, CEO of the Cosmetics Alliance Canada also foregrounds the importance of safety in this new initiative, saying, “Our three organizations have come together to aid in faster, safer and effective scale-up of hand-sanitizer production across Canada.”
Giving hand-sanitizer manufacturers access to regulatory guidelines and supply chain resources
The Hand-Sanitizer Manufacturing Exchange is helping manufacturers in and beyond the personal care industry identify and connect with the necessary inputs and materials for producing and packaging sanitizer.
The Exchange is also encouraging manufacturers to follow the current Health Canada guidelines and, of course, to apply for approvals. (Links to those guidelines and approval procedures can be found here on the Cosmetics Alliance Canada site.)
“As governments all across Canada are mobilizing to ensure the supply of critical medical equipment and health products, we and our Cosmetics and Consumer Specialty Products partners are pleased to be able to do our part in helping with the disinfectant component of the fight,” says Jan Westcott, CEO of Spirits Canada.
Find more information on the Hand-Sanitizer Manufacturing Exchange here.
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Deanna Utroske regularly writes about beauty industry news out of Canada, which is part of why she's a leading voice in the cosmetics and personal care industry as well as in the indie beauty movement. As Editor of CosmeticsDesign.com, she writes daily news about the business of beauty in the Americas region and regularly produces video interviews with cosmetics, fragrance, personal care, and packaging experts as well as with indie brand founders. Find out more on the industry’s latest responses and resilience in the face of COVID-19 in this recent #duviews video.
