The colour cost of one application with Color SHOCK is about €2.63, based on roughly 60 ml of colour per application. A 180 ml Color SHOCK tube costs €7.90 — that is €0.044 per millilitre, or about 3 applications per tube. A standard 60 ml professional tube on the market costs around €11 (€0.183/ml), so a single application uses up the whole tube. The difference is about €8 on every application — colour cost roughly 76% lower. This article shows how to calculate the cost precisely for your own salon: the formula, quantities by hair length and the developer's share.
The formula is simple: divide the tube price by its volume (price per millilitre), then multiply by the amount used per application.
60 ml is the norm for medium-length hair. In practice the amount (and the cost) depends on length and density:
| Hair length | Colour amount | Colour cost (€0.044/ml) |
|---|---|---|
| Short (chin length) | 30 ml | €1.32 |
| Medium (shoulder length) | 40–50 ml | €1.76–2.19 |
| Long | 60 ml | €2.63 |
| Very long or dense | 90 ml | €3.95 |
Color SHOCK is mixed at 1:2, so an average application adds 120 ml of developer to 60 ml of colour. Developer comes in economical 1000 ml bottles, so its share is about €1 per application. The full mixture cost for an average application is about €3.60. For correct mixing and precise dosing, see the article on mixing colour with developer.
The more applications per month, the starker the difference:
| Applications/month | Color SHOCK (colour) | Standard 60 ml | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | ~€53 | ~€220 | ~€167 |
| 60 | ~€158 | ~€660 | ~€502 |
| 120 | ~€316 | ~€1,320 | ~€1,004 |
For your salon's exact result with your own numbers, use our price calculator.
Colour is only part of the full service cost: there is also the stylist's time, aftercare products, tool wear and salon overheads. But the colour line is the easiest to control: it changes with a single packaging decision, with no change to service quality. For more ways to cut costs without cutting quality, see the article on reducing colour costs in the salon.
A bigger tube means a lower price per millilitre, fewer tubes opened per day and less waste. This is not an aesthetic advantage but a purely economic one for a salon that colours daily. For a detailed packaging comparison, see '180 ml vs 60 ml'.
Colour cost is a management number, not a curiosity. Knowing that an average application costs about €3.60 in materials, you can see the material share in the service price and watch whether it stays stable month to month; assess precisely what a discount or promotion really costs; and plan orders based on actual usage rather than gut feeling. If the material share grows noticeably, check the dosing first rather than raising service prices. Recalculate the cost whenever supplier prices change, or at least twice a year.
Colour cost is a concrete, countable number: €0.044/ml × the amount you use. For an average application that is €2.63 of colour, or about €3.60 with developer — roughly a quarter of what working with standard 60 ml tubes costs.
About 3 applications at ~60 ml of colour each. The exact number depends on hair length and density.
About €2.63 in colour cost (60 ml × €0.044/ml). The same application with a standard 60 ml tube would cost about €11.
The headline numbers are colour only. The developer's share at the 1:2 ratio is about €1 per average application, so the full mixture cost is about €3.60.
With the same formula: ~90 ml × €0.044/ml = €3.95 of colour plus about €1.50 of developer (180 ml at 1:2).
Hairstylist, image designer, lecturer
A creator who sees the beauty industry through a wider lens — over 30 years of experience in salon work, training and professional apparel design.
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