NMPA is preparing to publish 27 cosmetic standards in a single package, with the Permitted Hair Dye List slated for accelerated expansion at the top of the agenda, according to regulatory consultancy CIRS Group.

For brands shipping colourants, oxidative dyes and tonal deposit products into mainland China, the move points toward an enlarged positive list of HC-numbered hair dye substances and a faster review cadence under the agency's cosmetic standardisation plan. CIRS Group, which tracks NMPA notices, framed the development as an "accelerated expansion" of the permitted hair dye catalogue, aligning it with the regulator's broader push to refresh 27 cosmetic standards in one pipeline.

What changes for formulators

The Permitted Hair Dye List sits alongside China's Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics as the gatekeeper for any colorant used in rinse-off or leave-on hair products sold in China. Today, only ingredients listed in the catalogue—or newly approved through the NMPA new-ingredient pathway—can reach the Chinese consumer.

A 27-standard push, delivered on the timetable CIRS Group is reporting, would compress several years' worth of incremental amendments into one cycle. For R&D leads running parallel dossiers for the EU, the US and China, the practical implications cluster around three operational shifts:

• Earlier visibility on upcoming restrictions. A larger published standard package typically lists both newly permitted dyes and substances facing phase-out, giving compliance teams a longer runway to reformulate.
• Re-opening of borderline ingredients. Hair dye actives excluded in past revisions often return through safety-data submissions; formulators with dossiers already prepared could shorten their review window.
• Harder deadlines on existing formulas. Each new standard carries a transition period after which non-conforming products cannot be manufactured or imported for the Chinese market.

Why the hair dye list leads the package

Hair colour has been one of the slower-evolving annexes of the Chinese cosmetic regime, in part because the safety dossier for oxidative and direct dyes is heavier than for most other ingredient categories. NMPA has historically opened public consultation rounds on dye additions, but final inclusion can lag well behind the comment deadline. CIRS Group's read of the latest pipeline suggests regulators are trying to close that gap in the upcoming batch.

The timing will pressure procurement. Salon-grade brands, professional distributors and contract manufacturers serving the Chinese market typically build rolling forecasts against the published list. A sizeable expansion forces those forecasts to reopen, with knock-on effects on raw material pricing for widely used oxidative bases and direct dyes whose regulatory standing is in flux across multiple jurisdictions.

Compliance workload to expect

NMPA standardisation batches of this size usually follow a sequence: draft release, public comment window, technical review, final publication and a transition period before enforcement. Regulatory affairs teams should expect an unusually heavy documentation cycle—finished-product safety assessments, INCI-list reconciliation against the new Chinese catalogue names, and SDS refreshes will all need to land before the new standards bite.

For brands without an in-house China regulatory lead, the standard advice is to lock in CIRS-, SGS- or Bureau Veritas-style monitoring subscriptions now, so that draft text is captured within 24 hours of release. The cost of missing a consultation window on a dye ingredient is measured in years of reformulation, not quarters.

What to watch next

The next data point is the draft release of the hair dye and adjacently themed standards, which NMPA will post on its public notice portal ahead of consultation. Watch for the notice to specify which HC numbers are added, retained or removed—and whether transition periods mirror recent cosmetics standards practice. CIRS Group is among the consultancies aggregating those notices for English-speaking subscribers.

A 27-standard batch, if delivered as outlined, will mark the largest single-package cosmetic regulatory reset China has attempted in recent years. Brands that pre-position compliance work in the next two quarters will dictate which companies reach Chinese shelves first with newly permitted dye systems.