Maintaining ultimate transparency with our community is always at the forefront of our minds, because this is something we will never compromise on. Here are a few things we want you to know as we welcome our friends down south to the Saje family, including the process we’ve gone through to bring our 100% natural products to our U.S. community members.
How our products are classified by Health Canada
In early 2004, Health Canada introduced the Natural Health Product Regulations to address the safety, efficacy and quality of natural health products being sold to Canadians. For nine years, Saje worked with Health Canada to pioneer a modality within the Natural Health Product Regulations that encompasses essential oil based medicinal products.
Through this process, Saje provided concrete, in depth and scientific evidence to the Canadian government to prove that our products are safe, of high quality and deliver on their promise. As a result of these efforts, our remedial products (such as Peppermint Halo, Immune and Eater’s Digest) are licensed with Health Canada as natural health products. These licenses validate the medicinal claims we make about these products.
As we continue our journey to connect more people with the healing power of plants beyond Canada, we need to honour the regulations set forth by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) – the governing body for Americans as Health Canada is for Canadians.
How our products are classified by the U.S. FDA
Regardless of whether a product is 100% natural or not, the FDA classifies all products into categories like Dietary Supplements, Cosmetics, Drugs and Over-the-Counter.
OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS (OTC’S)
OTC is an over-the-counter drug that is deemed to be safe when used without a doctor’s prescription. The FDA describes this category as products intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease.Both natural and non-natural products can be classified in this category. This includes any product that may be used where the condition is capable of self-diagnosis or self-treatment. Saje’s external analgesics, like Pain Release, as well as products that aid with ailments like cold and flu, are examples of OTC products. Sunscreens are also considered an OTC by the FDA.
Some of our products that are licensed as natural health products in Canada fit within the narrow definition provided by the FDA regarding OTC drugs, and as such, are classified as an OTC in the U.S. market.
DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
Other Saje products that Health Canada considers natural health products (like our Echinacea Throat Spray and RemeTeas) fall into the Supplement category, because they are ingested and are also used to promote health and well being.COSMETICS
The FDA classifies products in this category as those that will be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying or promoting attractiveness. All of our products defined as Cosmetics by Health Canada are also defined as Cosmetics by the FDA. In addition, many of our Canadian natural health products are considered Cosmetics in the U.S. Market because the FDA does not have a category for natural medicinal products like Canada does.CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS
Products like candles, accessories and some of our accessory-related products are considered consumer packaged goods.
Differences in product names
In order to ensure our American community has access to all of our incredible blends while honouring the FDA guidelines, we have chosen to rename some of our products. These new names will only be effective in the U.S.. For example, Eater’s Digest will become Gutzy for our U.S. community, but will continue to have the original name in Canada. The only reason the name of these products has been changed is so they can be classified in the category that services our U.S. community in the best possible way.
One social media presence
While all brands doing business in the U.S. must categorize their products and follow FDA regulations, not all brands choose to maintain one community across social media networks. At Saje, we believe that we are one #SajeNation. We truly believe that the best way to unite us all in the journey of connecting the world to the healing power of plants is to share one consistent message and forum for both North American communities.
Because of this, you may see some of the new, U.S. only product names on our social channels (primarily Instagram) or if you visit our U.S. website at saje.com. Canadian community members will continue to see our original product names in virtually all Saje communications, and also in our stores. We hope this brings clarity around the different product names you might see in Canada and the U.S.
As always, if you have any questions please reach out to our Customer Experience team. With the support of our community members on both sides of the border, we look forward to continuing to heal the world, one Pocket Farmacy at a time.
Love,
Your Saje Family
