Developer Volume Explained: 10, 20, 30 and 40 by Job

Developer volume tells you how much hydrogen peroxide is in the bottle, and that number controls how much natural pigment you lift, how well the color covers gray and how much swelling the cuticle takes. Pick the volume for the job, not out of habit.

What "volume" means

Volume measures how much oxygen the developer can release. One part of 20 volume developer releases 20 parts of oxygen gas. The percentage is the same strength written as hydrogen peroxide concentration, and every 10 volumes equals 3%.

• 10 volume = 3%
• 20 volume = 6%
• 30 volume = 9%
• 40 volume = 12%

US brands like Redken and Matrix label by volume. European brands like Wella, Schwarzkopf and Goldwell label by percent. A 6% Welloxon Perfect bottle is the same strength as 20 volume Pro-Oxide from Redken.

In permanent color, developer does three things at once. Working with the alkalizer, it helps open the cuticle. It breaks down natural melanin, which is lift. And it oxidizes the dye precursors so they build into larger color molecules inside the cortex. More peroxide means more melanin broken down, which means more lift and more exposed warmth. If levels and underlying pigment are still fuzzy, start with how to read a hair color chart.

10, 20, 30 and 40 volume by job

Redken's Color Fusion page lays it out the same way: 10 volume for up to 1 level, called minimal lift; 20 volume for up to 2 levels, standard lift and gray coverage; 30 volume for up to 3; and 40 volume for 3 or more, maximum lift. Matrix SoColor maps 10, 20, 30 and 40 volume to up to 1, 2, 3 or 4 levels.

10 volume (3%): deposit

Use 10 volume when the target is the same level or darker. It gives the dye enough oxygen to develop with minimal disruption to the natural pigment. It is the right call for darkening, tone on tone, filling before going darker on lightened hair, and refreshing faded color. It is also the developer for alkaline demis built around it, like Redken Shades ALK and Matrix Super Sync, both 10 volume only.

20 volume (6%): gray coverage and 1 to 2 levels

20 volume is the workhorse. It gives enough lift to soften natural pigment and enough oxidation to fully develop a natural shade on resistant gray. That is why gray coverage formulas are written with it. Wella states 100% gray coverage in Koleston Perfect calls for a Pure Natural shade in the formula with 6%. Schwarzkopf names 6% for 1 to 2 levels of lift and white coverage in IGORA Royal. Redken's Cover Fusion, built for hair that is 50% gray or more, mixes with 20 volume only.

30 volume (9%): up to 3 levels

30 volume is for lifting natural hair 2 to 3 levels with permanent color. The trade off is more exposed warmth. A level 5 lifted to level 8 shows yellow orange underlying pigment, so the formula needs enough cool tone to control it. With 30 volume, deposit on gray is weaker than with 20, so gray coverage formulas stay at 20.

40 volume (12%): high lift

40 volume is for maximum lift, and it works best paired with high lift shades that were built for it. Most of these change the ratio to 1:2, meaning one part color to two parts developer:

• Matrix SoColor Ultra.Blonde shades, like UL-A+, mix 1:2 with 30 or 40 volume and process 50 minutes.
• Koleston Perfect Special Blondes, like 12/11, mix 1:2 and do not cover gray.
• IGORA Royal Highlifts, like 12-1, mix 1:2 with 12% and lift up to 5 levels.
• Redken Color Fusion Extra Lift mixes 1:2 with 30 or 40 volume for up to 5 levels.

40 volume with a regular level 7 shade lifts more than 20 volume would, but the shade's pigment load was built for 1:1 at lower strength, so the result reads warmer and less covered. Use high lift shades when the job is high lift.

How five lines state developer and ratio

Volume tells you strength. The line tells you which developer, which ratio and what each strength is for. Here is how five permanent and demi lines in our library write it.

A few things jump out.

The same strength does not always mean the same lift. Goldwell describes 6% as same level or one level lighter. Redken and Schwarzkopf describe 20 volume or 6% as up to 2 levels. Read the line's own wording, not a generic chart.

Some lines lock the volume. Shades ALK is 10 volume only at 1:1.5, and IGORA Royal keeps 12% for Highlifts and Fashion Lights. Writing a 20 volume Shades ALK formula is not a formula the line supports.

Ratios change inside one line. Koleston Perfect, SoColor, IGORA Royal and Topchic all run 1:1 for standard shades and 1:2 for their high lift series. A formula card that says "SoColor, 30 vol" without a ratio is missing half the instruction.

Shade codes stay brand specific. A natural level 7 is 7/0 in Koleston Perfect, 7-0 in IGORA Royal, 7N in SoColor and 7N in Topchic. Each one mixes with its own brand's developer at that brand's ratio. For gray heavy clients, SoColor Extra Coverage shades like 506NA are the 100% coverage option.

Demi lines use their own processing solutions

Acidic and ammonia-free demis are not mixed with 10, 20, 30 or 40 volume cream developer. Each one has its own processing solution, activator or emulsion, usually at a lower strength than 3%, and its own ratio.

• Redken Shades EQ mixes 1:1 with Shades EQ Processing Solution, or the Processing Solution for Precision Application for a gel consistency. It has no lift and processes 20 minutes at room temperature, up to 40 minutes on gray.
• Wella Color Touch mixes 1:2 with Color Touch Emulsion at 1.9% or 4%. The 1.9% is for same depth or darker and toning; the 4% gives more vibrancy and more intense gray blending.
• Schwarzkopf IGORA Vibrance mixes 1:1 with Activator Gel 1.9% or Activator Lotion at 1.9% or 4%.
• Goldwell Colorance mixes 1 part color to 2 parts System Developer Lotion 2% (7 vol).
• Wella Shinefinity mixes 1:1 with Shinefinity Activator 2%, in a Bottle Application or a Brush & Bowl Application version.

These solutions are matched to the dye and the ratio. Swap in a standard cream developer and you change the strength, the consistency and the result. The exceptions are the alkaline demis named earlier, Shades ALK and Super Sync, which are written for 10 volume cream developer.

Picking volume from the job

Work backward from the target. Same level or darker: 10 volume, or the line's demi solution if you want no lift. Gray at the root: 20 volume with a natural shade in the formula. Natural hair going 2 to 3 levels lighter: 30 volume with enough cool tone to handle the warmth. Past that on untreated hair: the line's high lift series at its 1:2 ratio with the strength the brand names. Formula Finder builds formulas from real shade codes in your brand, with the developer and ratio that line calls for, starting from the client's inspo pic.