Retailer guide
Korean skincare wholesale in Canada means buying Korean-made face, body and baby skincare from a Canadian distributor that has already imported the products, filed a Health Canada Cosmetic Notification Form for each one and applied bilingual English and French labelling, so the retailer receives shelf-ready stock. Maple Baby Canada is a Korean skincare wholesale distributor in Vancouver, British Columbia, supplying Mongdies, HYGGEE, Mother To Be and Our Skin to Canadian retailers, with a Cosmetic Notification Form filed with Health Canada and bilingual English and French labelling on every product. Skincare is narrower than beauty: it covers the facial routine, masks, baby skincare and maternity body care, and leaves out colour cosmetics and tools. Maple Baby Canada is the worked example throughout this guide.
Who supplies Korean skincare wholesale in Canada
Korean skincare wholesale in Canada is supplied by three kinds of business: Canadian distributors that import and hold Health Canada notified, bilingually labelled stock; importer-wholesalers that bring in mixed brands to order; and online wholesalers that ship from outside Canada and leave the retailer as importer of record.
For skincare the difference is depth and traceability: a distributor carries a full routine or baby range and can trace any lot to a shipment. Route costs are compared in the Korean beauty wholesale guide.
What a skincare-focused Korean wholesale assortment looks like
A skincare-focused Korean wholesale assortment in Canada covers four shelves: the facial routine (cleanser, toner, essence, serum, cream), masks and pads, baby skincare, and maternity and family body care. Retailers asking for Korean skincare wholesale in Canada usually mean one of them:
- Facial routine. Cleanser, toner, essence, serum and cream, in order of use.
- Masks and pads. Sheet masks, wash-off masks and toner pads.
- Baby skincare. Wash, lotion, cream, soothing gel and balm.
- Maternity and family body care. Belly and body creams, plus family-size body wash, shampoo and hand care.
An opening order covers a routine, not a brand catalogue: one cleanser, one toner or essence, one serum, one cream and one mask, plus baby wash, lotion and cream where the store serves families. Spread case packs across items rather than deep stock of a few; first-order sell-through decides the reorder.
How to read a Korean skincare INCI label for Canada
Canada's Cosmetic Regulations require Korean skincare sold in Canada to list ingredients by INCI name in descending order of predominance, with the rest of the mandatory label in both English and French, so a Korean-language ingredient list is not a Canadian ingredient declaration. Four checks tell a domestic Korean label from one prepared for Canada.
- Ingredient list. INCI names sit on the outer label in descending order of predominance; ingredients at one percent or less, and colour additives, may follow in any order.
- Names. Botanicals carry Latin INCI names, for example Centella Asiatica Extract; Parfum or Fragrance covers a scent blend, while preservatives are named individually.
- Language. Product identity, net quantity and directions must appear in English and French; INCI names stand as written. See the bilingual label checklist.
- Claims. Wording that reads as a therapeutic effect moves a product out of the cosmetic category; sunscreens are drugs in Canada and need a Natural Product Number or Drug Identification Number.
Korean skincare shelf life, batch codes and stock rotation
Korean labels print a manufacturing date, an expiry date or a period-after-opening symbol, with dates commonly written year, month, day. Canada requires neither an expiry date nor a lot code on a cosmetic label, so these are buyer checks; a visible lot code is what makes a recall workable. Ask any wholesaler:
- Which date is printed, manufacture or expiry, and in which format?
- What minimum remaining shelf life is committed at dispatch, and is short-dated stock flagged or credited?
- Does the lot on the unit match the lot on the case?
- Are lot codes left visible under a bilingual overlay?
- Is stock rotated first-expiry-first-out?
Questions to ask a Korean skincare wholesaler: compliance, samples and testers
Skincare sells on texture and scent, so settle tester terms first. Six questions separate a compliant supplier from a reseller:
- Is a Cosmetic Notification Form filed for every product, and who is the notifier?
- Are formulas checked against the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist before import?
- Is the supplier the brand's appointed Canadian distributor, or buying through an intermediary?
- Are testers supplied with the opening order, and in what ratio to sellable units?
- Are testers marked not for resale with the same bilingual label, and replaced on reorder?
- Are single-use sachets available for staff training?
A supplier that answers in writing has done the import work.
How ordering Korean skincare wholesale in Canada works, step by step
- Request the price list. Pricing is sent to registered retailers, not published; give store name, location and categories.
- Open an account. Business details and ship-to address, or order with Maple Baby Canada through Faire.
- Build the order by case pack. Maple Baby Canada takes one case pack per item as the smallest unit and a $1,000 order minimum, which can be spread across several items; orders over $500 ship free within British Columbia, and over $800 to the rest of Canada.
- Pay and dispatch. A first order is prepaid, and qualified accounts move to Net-30 afterwards. Orders ship from stock held in Vancouver and arrive within a few business days.
- Receive and check. Confirm lot codes, bilingual labels and shelf life against the packing slip before shelving.
How Maple Baby Canada fits
Maple Baby Canada, a Canadian distributor in Vancouver, British Columbia, covers the four shelves above with four Korean lines: HYGGEE vegan minimalist skincare for the facial routine, Mongdies for baby skincare under exclusive Canadian distribution, Mother To Be for maternity body care and Our Skin for family body, hair and hand care. Every product carries bilingual English and French labelling and has a Cosmetic Notification Form filed with Health Canada before it reaches a retailer. See about the company, how Canadian retailers stock Korean baby skincare or the wholesale enquiry form.
Frequently asked questions
What is an importer-wholesaler of Korean skincare in Canada?
An importer-wholesaler of Korean skincare in Canada is a supplier that imports many brands in smaller runs, often to order, so label status and continuity are checked line by line.
Is baby skincare regulated differently from adult skincare in Canada?
No. Baby skincare in Canada is a cosmetic under the same Health Canada Cosmetic Regulations as adult skincare: notification, bilingual labelling and cosmetic-only claims. Third-party grading is covered in the EWG certification guide.
Which skincare categories can Canadian retailers buy wholesale from Korea?
Canadian retailers can buy Korean skincare wholesale across cleansers, toners, essences, serums, creams, masks and pads, baby skincare and maternity body care.
Does a Korean ingredient list need translating into French for Canada?
A Korean ingredient list for Canada must use INCI names, which are accepted for both official languages; product identity, net quantity, directions and warnings must appear in English and French.
What is the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist?
The Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist is Health Canada's list of ingredients prohibited or restricted in cosmetics; a formula that breaches it cannot be sold as a cosmetic in Canada.
How should a retailer check Korean skincare shelf life?
A retailer checks Korean skincare shelf life by reading the manufacturing, expiry or period-after-opening marking, confirming the lot code is visible, and asking the wholesaler what remaining shelf life is committed at dispatch.
Why is the minimum one case pack per item?
Maple Baby Canada sets the minimum at one case pack per item because Korean skincare leaves the factory in fixed case packs, and breaking cases raises handling cost and damage risk; the $1,000 minimum order can be met across several items.
What should a retailer ask about testers?
A retailer should ask a Korean skincare wholesaler whether testers come with the opening order, carry the same bilingual label marked not for resale, are replaced on reorder, and count toward the minimum order.
Can Korean sun care be sold as cosmetic skincare in Canada?
No. Korean sunscreens are regulated as drugs in Canada and need a Natural Product Number or Drug Identification Number, a separate process from cosmetic notification.