Modern oxidative hair dyes first appeared in the late Meiji period, but their ingredients became difficult to import due to the First and Second World Wars. In the early Showa period, it became necessary for the industry as a whole to act in unison.
Under the State General Mobilization Law enacted in April 1938, manufacturer and distributor of hair dyes faced a string of difficult policies, including (1) a 10% excise tax on hair dyes, (2) regulations on the distribution of ingredients, and (3) formation of and compulsory participation in trade associations.
In 1941, preparations were made to establish an industry association to comply with the State General Mobilization Law, and in February 1942, permission was granted for the establishment of the Japan Hair Dye Industry Association. Trade associations and controlled associations, whose organization was compulsory under the State General Mobilization Law and the Commerce and Industry Controlling Union Act, lost their raison d’être after the war in 1945. Starting in April 1946, they were renamed, dissolved, and restarted.
In 1947, the Controlling Association for Quasi-Pharmaceutical Products was dissolved and immediately reorganized into the Japan Hair Dye Industry Association. This organization distributed ingredients for hair dyes, which were still difficult to obtain at the time, to members of the association. However, as doing so could violate the newly enacted Trade Organization Law, the organization was dissolved only two years later in 1949, when it was reorganized as the Hair Dye Forum.
In 1953, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued a Notification of the Director General of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Bureau (Pharmaceutical Notification No. 76, February 28, 1953), making hair dyes treated as pharmaceuticals.
The Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (Law No. 145 of 1960, the current Pharmaceutical Affairs Act) was promulgated on August 10, 1960, and was enforced together with relevant government and ministerial ordinances on February 1, 1961. Petitions from the industry, such as the Hair Dye Forum held around the enactment of the new Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, bore fruit. Hair dyes were designated as quasi-drugs under the new Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (Ministry of Health and Welfare Notification No. 378, November 1, 1961).

Under Chair Arimi Tao (Arimino Chemical, now Arimino)

When the details of the current Pharmaceutical Affairs Act were being debated in 1959 and 1960, Arimi Tao strongly felt the need to bring together hair color manufacturers in the form of a beauty industry group. Tao called on former colleagues from before the establishment of the Japan Hair Dye Industry Association, and on October 3, 1960, he held a general meeting for the establishment of the association at Ginza Safety Shokai. The Japan Hair Dye Industry Association worked on the promotion of hair coloring products by the industry as a whole. This included conducting activities such as sponsorship and joint campaigns for activities by beauty industry organizations, holding hair coloring contests, and selecting and proposing color trends.

Under Chair Kiyoo Yamamoto (Yamahatsu Sangyo, now Henkel Japan)

In 1970, a newspaper featured an article on the the safety of hair dyes, which attracted public interest. In response to this, the Japan Hair Dye Industry Association began considering safety-related matters such as ingredient standards and patch tests for hair dyes, as well as began preparing Warnings When Using for consumers. The results of these efforts bore results with the Ministry of Health and Welfare Pharmaceutical and Medical Safety Bureau Notification No. 376, April 21, 1970 (Warnings When Using Hair Dyes).
In 1975, Ames’ paper revealed safety concerns that could undermine the foundation of the industry. Information began to be exchanged on safety, not only in Japan but also with hair dye manufacturers in Europe and the United States.

Under Chair Kimpei Mizuno (Hoyu)

With the enforcement of the Product Liability Act in Japan, our organization published a brochure and launched a website on hair coloring for the purpose of educating consumers. And we have set various standards of our own to strengthen consumer awareness. We continued to conduct research and discussions on safety with hair dye manufacturers from Europe and the United States. and in 2003, we held an international conference in Yokohama.
In 2002, the secretariat within the chair’s company was relocated to Tokyo and opened as an independent office. In addition, a new supporting membership system was introduced to broaden the base of our association.

Under Chair Shimpei Mizuno (Hoyu)

For 27 years, JHCIA conducted a joint epidemiological study with Aichi Medical University and published the results, entitled Cancer Deaths in a Cohort of Japanese Barbers in Aichi Prefecture. The epidemiological study examined the relationship between hair dyes and cancer, but no association with various cancers was found.
As part of our efforts to raise awareness about how to prevent rashes caused by hair dyes, we promoted the introduction of a “patch test awareness mark” that can be included on individual product packaging and revised the “Hair Coloring ABCs”. In addition, we have begun to revise our website to make information on hair coloring easier to understand.
In June 2011, a 50th anniversary ceremony was held at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa.

Since around the appointment of Chair Makio Mizuno (Hoyu), JHCIA has been working to further revitalize its safety initiatives. In October 2015, the Consumer Safety Investigation Commission released a report on “skin disorders due to hair dyes”, further accelerating these activities. We have restructured the organization within the association and are cooperating with external organizations in order to implement numerous measures.