Wellness library / UNDERSTANDING YOUR LABEL
UNDERSTANDING YOUR LABEL
What an NPN Means on a Canadian Natural Health Product
A practical guide to Natural Product Numbers, licensed uses and label information.
By Ideal Health Inc. · Updated October 23, 2026
Look for eight digits.
A Natural Product Number, or NPN, identifies a natural health product licensed by Health Canada. The eight-digit number appears on the label. Health Canada’s assessment relates to the product’s recommended conditions of use.
Use the public database.
The Licensed Natural Health Products Database can help you check a product’s name, licence holder, medicinal and non-medicinal ingredients, recommended uses and risk information. Search by the NPN printed on the bottle to distinguish products with similar names.
Read beyond the number.
An NPN does not mean that every product is suitable for every person or that all claims made elsewhere about an ingredient apply to that formula. Read the intended use, age group, directions, duration of use and cautions. Traditional-use wording and other types of claims should be understood in their stated context.
On our product pages, the NPN appears near the product name. Keep the current bottle label available when asking a pharmacist or healthcare practitioner about suitability.
Sources and further reading.
These independent sources provide background information and do not endorse Ideal Health products.
General educational information, not individual medical advice. Always follow the current product label and consult a qualified healthcare practitioner about suitability.