China, officially known as the People's Republic of China, is a vast East Asian country. It shares land borders with 14 countries, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, North Korea, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, and Vietnam. It is the most populous country in the world after India, with over 1.4 billion people, representing 17.4% of the world's population. China is the world's largest manufacturing hub, with numerous manufacturing industries such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and more.
In the manufacturing of any product, many small and large components play vital roles. Some assist in the manufacturing process, while others enhance the appearance of the products, one of these components is colour. It plays a crucial role in the manufacturing of products by providing them with a final appealing look that aids in product recognition, attracts consumers, and boosts sales.
China is a large country with a substantial population, but it does not manufacture enough colour to meet its domestic demand. To fulfill this demand, China imports colours from other countries. Some of the countries that export colours to China include India, South Africa, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Chinese Industries Where Colours Play a Vital Role
Colours play an important role in various manufacturing industries in China, here we talk about some of the industries where colours play a vital role:
Food and Beverage Industry
In the food and beverage industry of China, manufacturers face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. These challenges include the safety of colours, their appearance on the product, and costs. Manufacturers can overcome these challenges by using synthetic food colours in their products. Synthetic food colours come in lots of vibrant and bright colour shades that provide an appealing look to the products and do not fade or change over time, which helps in product recognition and increases sales. These colours are more affordable compared to their alternatives. In China, colours merchants, distributors, and traders import colours from other countries and sell them in China, making a profit on each deal. Some of them sell the colours under the same brand name as they bought colours, while others create their own labels and sell under their brand names. Most of the food and beverage manufacturing industry of China is situated near major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Tianjin, and Qingdao. According to Statista, the revenue of the food market of China amounts to US$1,607.00bn in 2024, and the market is expected to grow annually by 7.38% (CAGR 2024-2029).
Cosmetics Industry
In the cosmetics industry of China, colours play a very important role, but manufacturers often face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their cosmetic products. These challenges include the quality of colours, the appearance of products, and stability. Chinese cosmetic manufacturers overcome these problems by using synthetic food-grade colours in their products. Synthetic food-grade colours provide a vibrant and appealing look to the products and do not fade or change their colours over time. These colours come in many shades, making them a suitable option for cosmetic and personal care products such as lipsticks, eyelashes, blushers, foundations, concealers, mascara, moisturizers, conditioners, and more. By using unique and different colour shades in their products manufacturers increase brand recognition and sales of their cosmetics products. Most of the cosmetics industry of China is located in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Suzhou. According to Statista, the revenue of the cosmetic market of China is projected to reach US$ 16.51 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 6.69% (CAGR 2024-2028).
Pharmaceuticals Industry
In China's pharmaceutical industry, colours play an important role in the identification and branding of products. Manufacturers often face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. These challenges are with the quality and safety of the colours and affect the efficacy of medications. Chinese manufacturers can overcome these challenges by using synthetic food-grade colours in their products. These colours provide a vibrant and bright look to the medicines like capsules, tablets, syrups, drops, and more. These colours need approval from governmental bodies for safety before they are used in pharmaceutical products, ensuring their safety. Synthetic food-grade colours do not affect the efficacy of the medicines, making them a better option for pharma manufacturers. Synthetic food-grade colours do not affect the efficacy of the medicines which makes it a better option for pharma manufacturers. Most of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industries of China are located near Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Suzhou cities. According to Statista, the revenue of the pharmaceutical industry of China in the year 2024 is expected to reach US$117.50 billion, and it grows with an annual growth rate of 5.82% (CAGR 2024-2029), resulting in a market volume of US$155.90 billion by 2029.
Chocolate Industry
Chocolate manufacturers in China often face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. They want high-quality colours that do not fade and lose their appearance on products. Chinese manufacturers can overcome these challenges by using synthetic food colours in their products. As these colours are considered safe for human consumption by government bodies, which is especially important for chocolate products consumed primarily by children. Plus, synthetic food colours provide an appealing and attractive look to chocolate products which attracts customers and boosts the products' sales. Most of the chocolate manufacturing industry in China is situated in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Suzhou, and Shenzhen. According to Statista, China's chocolate confectionery market's revenue is expected to be US$ 5.39 billion in 2024, with an expected annual growth rate of 3.91% (CAGR 2024-2029).
Animal Feed Industry
Colours play an important role in the animal feed manufacturing industry of China. It provides an appealing and bright look to feed that encourages the animals to feed properly and stay healthy. These colours also help in the differentiation between animal feeds like poultry, swine, or cattle. In China animal feed manufacturers often face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. They want colours that provide an appealing and vibrant look to the products and do not face or change their colours over time. Synthetic food colours are the best option to overcome these problems, as they come in many different vibrant and bright colours that help manufacturers to make their product different from their competitors and aid in brand recognition which ultimately boosts product sales. Most of the animal feed manufacturing industries of China are located in Nanjing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu, and Guangzhou cities. According to Statista, the revenue of the pet food market of China amounts to US$8.20 billion in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 9.02% in the year of CAGR 2024-2029.
Cultural Preferences of Colours in China
In China, people often have some cultural preferences for colours and manufacturers strategically use colours in their products to increase their sales. Red holds paramount significance, symbolizing luck and prosperity, commonly used in festive foods, cosmetics like lipsticks, and pharmaceutical branding to attract positive associations. Yellow signifies royalty and wealth, appealing in food products and as a symbol of prestige in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. White conveys purity and cleanliness, essential in foods like dairy and tofu, skincare for its brightening effects, and pharmaceuticals to denote safety and neutrality.
Regulatory Guidelines on Colours in the Chinese Market
Colours, whether they are synthetic or natural, must be approved by the governmental body of the country before being used in products. In China, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) oversees and approves the colours to be used in food products while the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) oversees cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. These governmental bodies ensure that the colours are safe for human consumption, and check the quality from time to time by conducting inspections, sampling, testing, and enforcement actions.
Starting a business in China is also a challenging task. Startups have to compete with the businesses that are already in the market and sell their products. The cost of the products is also a hurdle for startup businesses, they have to sell their product at as competitive prices as possible in the starting. For this, making their products stand out from competitors is the best strategy. By using high-quality synthetic food colours that come in lots of different colour shades manufacturers do this and create a brand identity for their product. These colours are also affordable which helps them to introduce the product in the market at competitive prices.
If you are a manufacturer or a startup business and find the reliable and best synthetic food colour manufacturer that can provide you the high-quality colours that help you grow your business, you can go with Ajanta Food Colours. The company has manufactured high-quality synthetic food colours for the last 75+ years and exports them around the world including China. Ajanta provides Supra range of colours that are highly demanded in various manufacturing industries across the globe, including food, beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, animal feed, personal and home care products, and more.
At Ajanta Food Colours, we use the latest and most advanced machinery to provide top-notch colours for your products. Our machinery includes ICP OES to detect heavy metals in raw materials and finished goods, high-performance liquid chromatography for organic impurities, UV spectrometry to analyze pigment content and strength, absorbance curves of colours, thin-layer chromatography, vacuum ovens for LOD tests, humidity detection in products, and colour matching machines, along with other instruments for comprehensive testing of raw materials and colours.
Ajanta Food Colours has received various awards and certificates from Indian governmental bodies as well as from the countries where Ajanta Colours exports its colourants. It shows the company’s expertise in the synthetic food colours manufacturing industry. Some of the awards and certificates received by Ajanta Food Colours include The Arch of Europe Award, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Award, certifications from The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), as well as Halal, Alcumus ISOQAR, Star-K Kosher, Food Safety System 22000 (FSSC 22000), and ISOQAR certifications, among others.
To know more about Ajanta Food Colours and its Supra range of colours, or for any other information, please contact us.