The NPN number Canada requires on every licensed natural health product is the first thing a retailer, distributor or marketplace will ask you for. Without it, most buyers won't list your product at all. Yet many new brand owners don't know what the number actually represents, where it has to appear, or how a buyer checks it in seconds. Here's what that means in practice for your brand.
Key Takeaways
- An NPN is the eight-digit Natural Product Number Health Canada issues when it grants a product licence.
- Homeopathic medicines carry a DIN-HM instead, and old exemption numbers were only a temporary measure.
- The product number belongs on the principal display panel of your label.
- Anyone can verify an NPN in Health Canada's Licensed Natural Health Products Database (LNHPD).
- The NPN belongs to the product licence holder, which is usually the brand owner, not the manufacturer.
What an NPN Number Means in Canada
An NPN, or Natural Product Number, is an eight-digit number Health Canada assigns when it issues a product licence for a natural health product. In other words, the number is proof that the product went through a pre-market review. Under the Natural Health Products Regulations, you can't legally sell an NHP in Canada without that licence.
The licence itself covers a specific set of conditions. It lists the medicinal ingredients and their amounts, the dosage form, the recommended use, and the risk information. As a result, the NPN number Canada assigns only covers the product as licensed. Change the formula, the claim or the dose, and the licence may no longer match what's in the bottle.
The short version: an NPN is not a company registration or a general approval. It is tied to one product and its licensed conditions of use. If you're new to the process, our step-by-step guide to the NHP product licence application covers how a licence is obtained.
NPN vs DIN-HM vs Exemption Number
Not every licensed natural health product carries an NPN. Homeopathic medicines receive a DIN-HM, or Homeopathic Medicine Number, instead. It is also eight digits long, and it appears in the same database as NPNs.
You may also come across older labels showing an exemption number, usually printed as "EN" followed by digits. Health Canada issued these during a transition period, so products could stay on the market while their licence applications were still under review. That measure has since ended. Consequently, if a supplier or a product you're evaluating still relies on an EN, treat it as a reason to ask more questions.
Worth understanding before you proceed: a DIN (Drug Identification Number) without the "HM" is a different thing entirely. It belongs to products regulated as drugs, not natural health products. For a herbal brand, the number you want on the label is an NPN.
Where the NPN Goes on Your Label
The product number belongs on the principal display panel, the part of the label a shopper sees first. Typically, it is printed as "NPN" followed by the eight digits. Placing it on a side panel only is a common labelling mistake.
The NPN also has to line up with everything else on the label. For example, the medicinal ingredients, quantities, recommended use and cautions should all match the licence. A mismatch between the label and the licence is exactly what a retailer's compliance team looks for.
Here's what that means in practice: finalize your licence before you print labels, not after. For the full list of what must appear on an NHP label, see our guide to NHP label requirements in Canada.
How to Verify an NPN Number in Canada's LNHPD
Health Canada publishes every licensed product in the Licensed Natural Health Products Database (LNHPD). Anyone can search it for free. You can look a product up by its NPN number, Canada product name, licence holder or ingredient.
Each listing shows the product name, the licence holder, the NPN or DIN-HM, the medicinal and non-medicinal ingredients, the dosage form, the recommended use and the risk information. So a quick check tells you whether a product is licensed and whether its label matches the licence.
When you verify an NPN, check a few points:
Health Canada also offers a data extract of the database. As a result, retailers and marketplaces can run these checks at scale, not just one product at a time.
Why Retailers and Marketplaces Ask for Your NPN
Retailers carry part of the risk when they stock your product. For this reason, health food stores, pharmacies and distributors almost always ask for your NPN before they set up a new listing. Many will check it against the LNHPD themselves.
Online marketplaces work the same way. Amazon, for example, asks sellers of natural health products in Canada to provide the product number. We cover that channel in more detail in selling herbal supplements on Amazon.
The practical implication: your NPN is a sales document as much as a regulatory one. Keep the licence, the LNHPD listing and your label in sync, because any gap between them slows down every new account you open.
Who Holds the NPN: Brand Owner or Manufacturer?
The NPN belongs to the product licence holder. In most private label arrangements, that is the brand owner, not the contract manufacturer. The manufacturer, by contrast, needs its own site licence for the activities it performs. Our post on who needs an NHP site licence explains that split.
This distinction matters when things change. Because the licence holder owns the NPN, switching manufacturers doesn't automatically mean a new number. However, a new manufacturing site, supplier or formula change may still require an amendment or a notification. Our guide to NHP licence amendments sets out which change triggers which step.
Many brand owners file the application themselves, while others hire a regulatory consultant. Either way, your manufacturer's role is to supply accurate site and product information. If you're weighing that choice, read NHP licence application services: DIY or hire a consultant.
Getting Your NPN Number Right From Day One
An NPN number in Canada is small on the label but central to how your product sells. It proves the product is licensed, it tells buyers exactly what was approved, and it gives every retailer a fast way to check you. So treat it as part of your launch plan, not an afterthought.
If you're planning a herbal product and want to talk through formats and production, explore our contract manufacturing services or get in touch to start the conversation.
Published: October 15, 2026