ESOTERICA UNSCENTED 1.5 %
HYDROQUINONE : 1.5 % · DIN 02238153 · VALEANT CANADA LP / VALEANT CANADA S.E.C.
Health Canada status: CANCELLED POST MARKET
What is ESOTERICA UNSCENTED?
ESOTERICA UNSCENTED 1.5 % contains HYDROQUINONE : 1.5 %. It is listed in the Health Canada Drug Product Database under DIN 02238153, held by VALEANT CANADA LP / VALEANT CANADA S.E.C., supplied as CREAM for TOPICAL administration. Health Canada currently lists it as cancelled post market, status dated 08-Jul-2016. Nexara Health is a licensed Canadian wholesale distributor (DEL 3-002896-A) and can source this product for hospitals, pharmacies and clinics. Availability and lead time are confirmed per order.
What else is ESOTERICA UNSCENTED called?
The same molecule, HYDROQUINONE, is registered under other names elsewhere. Buyers and prescribers searching from outside Canada — or working from a foreign prescription or tender document — often know it by one of these:
| Name | Script | Registered in |
|---|---|---|
| AVOQUIN | Latin | Bahrain, Saudi Arabia |
| HI-QUIN | Latin | Bahrain |
| AVOQUIN cream | Latin | Saudi Arabia |
| HI CARE CREAM | Latin | Saudi Arabia |
| HYDRODERM CREAM PLUS | Latin | Saudi Arabia |
| Hydroquinone Dawaa Health | Latin | Saudi Arabia |
| PIGMANORM | Latin | Saudi Arabia |
| PIGMANORM Creme Widmer | Latin | Iceland |
Names are taken from national medicine registers and published price lists. A product registered abroad is not authorized for sale in Canada unless it holds its own DIN; import is possible only through the routes Health Canada permits.
Product details and regulatory record
| DIN | 02238153 |
|---|---|
| Brand name | ESOTERICA UNSCENTED |
| Generic / active ingredient | HYDROQUINONE : 1.5 % |
| Manufacturer | VALEANT CANADA LP / VALEANT CANADA S.E.C. |
| Strength | 1.5 % |
| Dosage form | CREAM |
| Route of administration | TOPICAL |
| Schedule | NON-PRESCRIPTION DRUGS |
| ATC code | D11AX11 HYDROQUINONE |
| Biosimilar | No |
| Health Canada status | CANCELLED POST MARKET |
| Status date | 08-Jul-2016 |
| Original market date | 2000-05-05 00:00:00 |
How is this product identified?
Purchase orders, customs paperwork and tender documents each ask for a different identifier, and a DIN written without its leading zeros is the single most common reason an order line fails to match. Every form Nexara accepts for this product is listed here.
| DIN (8-digit, as used in Nexara ordering) | 02238153 |
|---|---|
| DIN (unpadded, as printed on some documents) | 2238153 |
| Brand name | ESOTERICA UNSCENTED |
| Active ingredient / INN | HYDROQUINONE : 1.5 % |
| ATC code | D11AX11 |
| ATC anatomical main group | D — Dermatologicals |
| ATC therapeutic subgroup | D11 |
| Health Canada schedule | NON-PRESCRIPTION DRUGS |
| Biosimilar biologic | No |
| Market authorization holder | VALEANT CANADA LP / VALEANT CANADA S.E.C. |
Which pack is which?
| Strength on the label | 1.5 % |
|---|---|
| Dosage form | CREAM |
| Route | TOPICAL |
One DIN can cover more than one pack size, and the pack — not the DIN — is what gets priced, shipped and invoiced. Before an order line is unambiguous Nexara needs the strength, the pack size and the presentation.
What can be used instead?
Other Canadian products sharing ATC code D11AX11 HYDROQUINONE. 1 of 67 DINs in this group are currently marketed — marketed products are listed first, because that is what can actually be bought. These tables describe supply, not clinical equivalence: substitution rests with the prescriber or pharmacist, and interchangeability is determined provincially.
| Product | Strength | Form | Manufacturer | Health Canada status | DIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERFA HYDROQUINONE | 4 % | GEL | SEARCHLIGHT PHARMA INC | MARKETED | DIN 02491702 |
| ACTIVE 4 | 4 % | CREAM | VIVIER CANADA INCORPORATED | CANCELLED POST MARKET | DIN 02248851 |
| AFRICAN GOLD SKIN DISCOLORATION FADE CRM 2% | 2 % | CREAM | J. STRICKLAND & CO. | CANCELLED POST MARKET | DIN 02029227 |
| AMBI EXTRA SKIN DISCOLORATION FADE CREAM | 2 % | CREAM | KIWI BRANDS INC. | CANCELLED POST MARKET | DIN 02083337 |
| BANISHING CREAM | 2 % | CREAM | THE AVON COMPANY CANADA LIMITED | CANCELLED POST MARKET | DIN 00602736 |
| BLACK OPAL ADVANCE DUAL COMPLEX FADE GEL | 2 % | GEL | BIOCOSMETIC RESEARCH LABS DIVISION OF MANA PRODUCTS INC. | CANCELLED (UNRETURNED ANNUAL) | DIN 02240657 |
| BLACK OPAL ADVANCED DUAL PHASE FADE CREME | 2 % | CREAM | BIOCOSMETIC RESEARCH LABS DIVISION OF MANA PRODUCTS INC. | CANCELLED (UNRETURNED ANNUAL) | DIN 02240656 |
| CLAIRISSIME CLEAR COMPLEXION LOTION | 2 % | LOTION | AYOTAI CANADA INC. | CANCELLED POST MARKET | DIN 02251590 |
| CLEAR ESSENCE MEDICATED FADE CREAM | 2.5 % | CREAM | BLUEFIELD ASSOCIATES, INC. | CANCELLED (UNRETURNED ANNUAL) | DIN 02239114 |
| CLEAR-N-SMOOTH | 2 % | CREAM | HAWKNAD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, INC. | CANCELLED (UNRETURNED ANNUAL) | DIN 02237828 |
Who else supplies HYDROQUINONE worldwide?
Nexara tracks national medicine registries and published price lists across multiple markets. HYDROQUINONE appears in 23 registered pack listings across 4 markets, published on 3 different national price bases. Where a Canadian route is closed, that is where an alternative route of supply starts — subject to the import rules in both countries.
Registered listings are not stock. Ask us to confirm what can actually be sourced for your order.
How much does HYDROQUINONE cost around the world?
HYDROQUINONE is listed on 5 national price registers Nexara tracks, across 28 pack listings published on 4 different price bases. What each country publishes is set out below.
| Market | What that country publishes | Brands listed | Pack listings | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | public | 13 | 18 | 01 Sep 2026 |
| United Arab Emirates | public | 3 | 3 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Bahrain | retail (max) | 2 | 3 | 01 Sep 2026 |
| United States | acquisition | 1 | 3 | 03 Sep 2026 |
| Iceland | max wholesale | 1 | 1 | 02 Sep 2026 |
Why there are no figures here. These bases are not comparable. A Brazilian ex-factory ceiling, a Belgian pharmacy public price and a Japanese reimbursement rate answer three different questions, and none of them is what a product lands in Canada for. Putting them side by side would mislead in both directions, so Nexara publishes where a molecule is listed and on what basis, and quotes the delivered Canadian price per order.
Can this still be bought in Canada?
No. This Drug Identification Number is cancelled post market in Health Canada's Drug Product Database, so the product is no longer authorized for sale in Canada and Nexara does not supply it. This page is kept as a regulatory record.
If you are looking for a current equivalent, the alternatives above list every product sharing this therapeutic class, with the marketed ones first. Ask us to source an alternative
Ordering questions
Who can buy this from Nexara?
Licensed entities only. Nexara holds Health Canada establishment licence DEL 3-002896-A and ships only to a licensed address.
Is there a minimum order?
Yes, set per product line and per pack multiple rather than on the order total, so you are never asked to buy a part-pack. The minimum for this line is confirmed with your quote.
What is the lead time?
Confirmed per order at quotation, and it depends on current stock position and whether the product is in shortage.
Can Nexara supply this for a clinical trial?
Yes — comparator and background-therapy supply, including sourcing from other markets where a Canadian pack will not satisfy the protocol. Clinical trial supply.