The present invention therefore provides a dyeing composition for keratinous fibers comprising a solvent and a tinctorially effective amount of at least one dye which is a halogenated 2-nitro-aniline of formula: ##STR2## in which Y is a halogen and Z is a NHR2 group or Y is hydrogen and Z is a halogen and R1 and R2, which may be identical or different, are each hydrogen, an alkyl group, a mono- or