Health Canada's cosmetic ingredient hotlist for Alpha-Hydroxy Acids update

Health Canada is going to update the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist concerning Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) after extensive stakeholder engagement for over six years. The update is scheduled for release in Spring 2024 and it retains much from the 2023 proposal but includes minor adjustments, after public consultations. Since their initial restriction in 2003 due to skin irritation and increased UV risk concerns, AHAs underwent further scrutiny. Clinical data analysis from this period highlighted concerns about skin irritation at AHA concentrations over 18%. Reviews and consultations in 2018, 2020, and 2023 considered expanding the hotlist to include related AHA compounds like PHAs, but lacked sufficient safety data to implement changes. Health Canada decided to maintain a broad product scope for AHAs without restricting them to specific skincare categories, due to a lack of evidence.