According to third-party data, in the first half of 2026, sales of hair styling (mousse/hair spray/styling spray) on the four major platforms of Taobao, Tmall, Douyin and Jingdong reached 1.93 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 21%. Moving forward, sales of this category on mainstream e-commerce platforms in 2025 will reach 3.33 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.8%.

This is a racing track. But the other side of the rush is the repeated failure of the bottom line of quality and safety.

Recently, the Shanghai City Food and Drug Administration issued the second quality notice for cosmetics supervision and sampling inspection in 2026, and 6 batches of cosmetics were found to not meet the requirements. Among them, 4 batches of hair and styling products were listed on the "black list" because the methanol content exceeded the standard by 238 times. The seriousness of the problem is shocking.

This is not the first time that stereotyped spray has become the focus of public opinion, nor is it the first time that a company involved has been named. From 2023 to 2026, the same company, the same type of product, and the same problem-excessive methanol has repeatedly appeared in notifications from regulatory authorities. Behind this, what kind of industry stubborn diseases have been exposed?

Methanol exceeded the standard by 238 times

Shape spray into a "poison gas bomb"

According to the notice from the Shanghai City Food and Drug Administration, 4 of the 6 batches of unqualified cosmetics sampled in this random inspection were hair type products, all involving excessive methanol:

Four batches of standardized products for use exceeded the standard of methanol (the picture is taken from the "Notice of Shanghai City Drug Administration on the Quality of Supervision and Sampling Inspection of Cosmetics in the Second Issue of 2026")

After testing by Shanghai City Institute for Drug Control,"methanol" was detected at 312,000 mg/kg in Quanba Ouya styling spray (batch number 2025/04/24), 351,000 mg/kg in Xingmei dynamic styling vinyl (batch number 2025/07/02), and 447,000 mg/kg (batch number 2024/12/20) and 476,000 mg/kg (batch number 2025/07/14) respectively.

According to the "Technical Specifications for Cosmetics Safety (2015 Edition)", the methanol content in cosmetics shall not exceed 2000mg/kg. This means that the methanol content of the above products exceeds the standard by 156 times to 238 times.

What does it mean for excessive methanol content?

According to public information, methanol is only one word different from ethanol commonly used in cosmetics, but its safety is vastly different. Methanol can cause serious damage to the human nervous system and visual system. After absorbed through the skin or inhaled into the respiratory tract, it can damage the optic nerve. Long-term use poses a risk of blindness and poisoning.

It is particularly noteworthy that styling sprays are aerosol products and will form a large amount of aerosols when used. When consumers spray styling sprays in barbershops, they inevitably inhale methanol-containing mist-every puff may be drug abuse.

Why does methanol appear in styling sprays? Industry analysis points to two reasons:

First, raw materials are not strictly controlled. Aerosol-like products such as styling sprays require the use of highly volatile solvents, and ethanol is widely used in the industry. However, if the ethanol purchased by the company is not pure enough and contains methanol impurities, the finished methanol will exceed the standard.

Second, artificial addition-the price of industrial alcohol is much lower than that of cosmetic-grade ethanol. Considering that the detected value is as high as hundreds of thousands of milligrams per kilogram, far exceeding the possible range of "raw material impurity residues", the artificial use of industrial alcohol is highly suspected.

Enterprises involved have repeatedly appeared on the "black list"

Has been fined 230,000 yuan

According to the notice, the registrants/manufacturers of the four batches of unqualified products issued for use are Guangzhou Yuelong Biotechnology Co., Ltd.(hereinafter referred to as "Guangzhou Yuelong").

This is not the first time Guangzhou Yuelong has been notified. Reviewing public information, we can see that this company, established in March 2019 with a registered capital of 3 million yuan, has been repeatedly on the "black list" in the past few years:

From 2023 to 2026, for four consecutive years, spanning three regulatory years, what has changed is the product name, and what remains unchanged is the old problem of excessive methanol.

In April 2026, the Market Supervision Bureau of Huadu District of Guangzhou City imposed administrative penalties on Guangzhou Yuelong, with a total fine of 230,920 yuan. The illegal facts disclosed in the penalty letter are shocking: first, the "Permis Multi-effect Whitening Sunscreen Spray" did not detect multiple sunscreen ingredients marked on the label; second, many products such as "SITUFENG Situfeng Men's Color Styling Spray" and "Quanba Ouya Styling Spray" were produced without authorization at a venue that did not obtain a cosmetics production license; third, key information such as production records and sales receipts of multiple batches of products were missing and could not be traced back.

Guangzhou Yuelong was fined 230,920 yuan (picture taken from the administrative penalty decision)

Unqualified products, non-compliant production, and incomplete records-the quality and safety management system of a cosmetics production company has almost completely collapsed.

What is more noteworthy is that Guangzhou Yuelong has long been mired in legal disputes. According to the company's investigation, the company is currently involved in a total of 11 judicial cases, 82% of which are defendants. The causes of the case include trademark infringement disputes, sales contract disputes and unfair competition disputes. From administrative violations to civil disputes, from product quality to intellectual property rights, this company is experiencing multiple legal risks.

Guangzhou Yuelong is riddled with lawsuits (Photo taken from self-enterprise investigation)

Why can a company that has violated regulations, produced without licenses, and has been plagued by lawsuits for four consecutive years still operate normally?

The answer may be hidden in the 230,000 yuan fine. Four years of violations have resulted in a cumulative fine of 230,000 yuan-and the profits brought by a batch of substandard products may far exceed this amount. When the cost of illegal activities is much lower than the benefits of illegal activities,"punishing repeated offenders" becomes a rational choice.

Spot inspection of "hardest hit areas" to welcome regulatory combination punches

methanol super

The low threshold for production technology, with a cluster of small, scattered, and disorderly enterprises, is a disease in the industry's ecosystem. The production technology threshold for定型喷雾is relatively low, with a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises flooding into this track. Guangzhou Yuelong is a typical case — they dared to start production without even having a complete production license.

The scattered channels and the difficulty in comprehensive supervision exacerbate the spread of the problem. A large amount of定型喷雾flows into hair salons, wholesale markets, and other terminal markets, with some products not even sold in mainstream supermarkets and e-commerce platforms, making it difficult for regulators to track them.

The most fundamental problem lies in the severe imbalance between the cost of violating the law and the illegal gains. A company has violated regulations for four consecutive years, with a total of only 230,000 yuan in fines and confiscations. For a company with an annual output value of tens of millions, this is just a "trifle".

It is worth noting that regulators are stepping up their efforts.

On July 15, 2026, the National Market Supervision Administration officially implemented the "Measures for the Management of the List of Market Supervision for Serious Violations and Dishonesty," clearly including "illegal addition of cosmetics" in the list of serious violations of trust, with severe cases resulting in the revocation of licenses and the imposition of a business ban on enterprises and related personnel.

Following this, in August 2026, the Market Supervision Administration approved and released the mandatory national standard "General Requirements for Cosmetics Safety" (GB 7916—2026), further tightening the maximum allowable concentration limits for harmful substances such as heavy metals.

The fence of the system is being tightened. Every standard upgrade and every new regulation implemented is using rules to force the industry from "barbaric growth" to "good money drives out bad money."

However, back to Guangzhou Yuelong — this company that has violated regulations for four consecutive years is still operating normally. This is no longer just a problem for one company. When定型喷雾becomes a frequent guest in inspections, when methanol exceeds the standard by hundreds of times, and when a company violates regulations for four consecutive years yet continues to produce — the quality and safety bottom line of the entire industry is being repeatedly tested and challenged.

The heavy-handed supervision cannot stop, but relying solely on inspections and fines may be far from enough. For companies that refuse to change, "lifetime ban on business" should not just be a line in the law, but a Damocles' sword hanging over every violating enterprise. After all, what is sprayed on consumers' heads should not be a "poison gas bomb."

This article explores Aromatherapy, Scent, Perfume, Essential Oil, Fireless Aromatherapy, Aromatherapy Candle, Vine Incense Stick, Home Scent, Natural Aromatherapy, Diffuser, sharing the latest industry insights and offering practical references for enthusiasts.

Source: 品观网 (https://www.pinguan.com/)

This article is reproduced from the original source for information sharing only. If it infringes any copyright, please contact us and we will remove it promptly.

© 2026 CeresMall | www.CeresMall.com