Tone Systems — The Danger Map

EU vs US: the differences that matter

Schwarzkopf

Numeric (dash)

Redken

Letters

Tone Mapping

SKPMeaningRDKMatch

-0NaturalN✅

-1AshA🟢

-2Ash (Blue)AB🟡

-3Matte (Green) ★—🔴 TRAP

SKP -3 = GREEN. Most brands have no equivalent. Do NOT substitute .3 from another brand (it is GOLD).

-4BeigeGB🟡

-5Gold ★G🔴 TRAP

SKP -5 = GOLD. Other brands' .5 = MAHOGANY. The mapping is REVERSED.

-6ChocolateM🟡

-7CopperC🟢

-8Red ★R🔴 TRAP

SKP -8 = RED. Wella /8 = PEARL (Blue). They are OPPOSITES!

-9VioletV🟢

Key Differences

Schwarzkopf is the most divergent brand. Its tone numbers do not follow the ICC standard.

Wella also diverges: /4 = Red (not Copper), /6 = Violet (not Red).

L'Oréal is closest to ICC. It is the safest brand for ‘the number means what you expect.’

Letter codes (Redken/Matrix) are more intuitive: A=Ash, G=Gold, R=Red. Fewer errors.