Prismatic permanent · 64 shades

Redken Chromatics Chart: 64 shades and how to read its letters

Q: What mixing ratio does Chromatics use?

1:1 with the 10, 20 or 30 Volume Oil-in-Cream developers. The 40 Volume is not part of this line. That gives up to 3 levels of lift and, per Redken, up to 100% gray coverage.

Q: How long does it process?

35 minutes at room temperature, according to Redken’s product page.

Q: Why is the second letter lowercase?

Because it marks the hierarchy between the two tones. The uppercase is the primary family and the lowercase the secondary: a 6Rr is red with more red, and a 6Rv is red with violet. Writing them alike erases that difference, which is exactly the information you need when formulating or translating the shade into another brand.

Q: Is the B in Bc, Br and Vb brown?

No, it is mahogany. You can see it in the numeric equivalent the professional retailer publishes: 5Br comes out as 5.56 and 4Bc as 4.54, and in Redken’s own key the 5 is red violet or mahogany. It is an easy mistake to make, since the abbreviation invites the brown reading.

Chromatics is Redken’s prismatic permanent. The brand presents it as ammonia-free color, built on its ODS² oil delivery system and protein extract technology. Worth reading it for what it is: it is still a permanent that lifts up to three levels, so it opens the cuticle and oxidizes all the same. Ammonia-free changes the smell, not the process.

Here are the 64 shades of the base line with level, family and approximate swatch. This chart was rebuilt from scratch on September 21, 2026 against Redken’s official chart and against a professional retailer holding stock: it went from 16 shades to 64, and along the way four misspelled codes and a whole misclassified family were fixed.

This is the base line only. Chromatics also has Ultra Rich, Beyond Cover and Remixed, none of them in this chart. For the rest of the house, here is the full Redken chart.

Chromatics: manufacturer's chart (US, 2026-09-21)

Level 1 — Black

1 shades

1Ab Ash Blue Chromatics

Level 2 — Very dark brown

2 shades

2N Natural Chromatics

2NW Natural Warm Chromatics

Level 3 — Dark brown

4 shades

3N Natural Chromatics

3NW Natural Warm Chromatics

3Vb Violet Mahogany Chromatics

3Vv Violet Violet Chromatics

Level 4 — Medium brown

12 shades

4N Natural Chromatics

4NW Natural Warm Chromatics

4Ag Ash Green Chromatics

4Vr Violet Red Chromatics

4G Gold Chromatics

4Gb Gold Beige Chromatics

4Gm Gold Mocha Chromatics

4Bc Mahogany Copper Chromatics

4R Red Chromatics

4Rr Red Red Chromatics

4Rv Red Violet Chromatics

4M Mocha Chromatics

Level 5 — Light brown

9 shades

5N Natural Chromatics

5NW Natural Warm Chromatics

5Ab Ash Blue Chromatics

5Ago Ash Gold Chromatics

5Ig Iridescent Gold Chromatics

5Vv Violet Violet Chromatics

5C Copper Chromatics

5Cr Copper Red Chromatics

5Br Mahogany Red Chromatics

Level 6 — Dark blonde

16 shades

6N Natural Chromatics

6NW Natural Warm Chromatics

6Aa Ash Ash Chromatics

6Ag Ash Green Chromatics

6Ig Iridescent Gold Chromatics

6Vr Violet Red Chromatics

6G Gold Chromatics

6Gb Gold Beige Chromatics

6Gi Gold Iridescent Chromatics

6Gm Gold Mocha Chromatics

6Gr Gold Red Chromatics

6Bc Mahogany Copper Chromatics

6R Red Chromatics

6Rr Red Red Chromatics

6Rv Red Violet Chromatics

6M Mocha Chromatics

Level 7 — Medium blonde

5 shades

7N Natural Chromatics

7NW Natural Warm Chromatics

7Ab Ash Blue Chromatics

7C Copper Chromatics

7Cr Copper Red Chromatics

Level 8 — Light blonde

9 shades

8N Natural Chromatics

8NW Natural Warm Chromatics

8Aa Ash Ash Chromatics

8Av Ash Violet Chromatics

8Ig Iridescent Gold Chromatics

8G Gold Chromatics

8Gb Gold Beige Chromatics

8Gi Gold Iridescent Chromatics

8Gr Gold Red Chromatics

Level 9 — Very light blonde

4 shades

9N Natural Chromatics

9NW Natural Warm Chromatics

9Ab Ash Blue Chromatics

9Ago Ash Gold Chromatics

Level 10 — Extra light blonde

2 shades

10N Natural Chromatics

10Av Ash Violet Chromatics

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Professional guide

How to read a Chromatics shade

Chromatics does not number the reflect: it spells it with letters. 5Cr = level 5, copper with red.

Number: the level, 1 to 10.
First letter, uppercase: the family in charge.
Second letter, lowercase: the secondary tone.

Two exceptions you will see in the chart: the eight NW shades (Natural Warm) carry both letters uppercase, and 5Ago and 9Ago use three.

That lowercase is not a typographic whim, and it is what was wrong in our chart until September 21: we wrote 4RR, 6RR, 5CR and 7CR with both letters alike, while Redken prints 4Rr, 6Rr, 5Cr and 7Cr. Leveling them loses which of the two tones dominates.

The families: N natural, A ash, B mahogany, C copper, G gold, I iridescent, M mocha, R red, V violet. B is mahogany, not brown, and this was wrong too: the numeric equivalent published by the retailer confirms it, where 5Br is 5.56 and 4Bc is 4.54. With B read as brown, the converter matched those shades to the wrong family.

Chromatics equivalents in other brands

One shade per level of Chromatics with its closest equivalent in other professional brands of the same type. These are orientative matches calculated by level and reflect: every brand uses its own pigments and bases, so always strand-test when switching.

Chromatics	Koleston Perfect ME+	Igora Royal	Majirel
`1Ab` Ash Blue	`2/8` ≈	`1-1` =	`1` ≈
`2N` Natural	`2/0` =	`1-0` ≈	`3` ≈
`3N` Natural	`3/0` =	`3-0` =	`3` =
`4N` Natural	`4/0` =	`4-0` =	`4` =
`5N` Natural	`5/0` =	`5-0` =	`5` =
`6N` Natural	`6/0` =	`6-0` =	`6` =
`7N` Natural	`7/0` =	`7-0` =	`7` =
`8N` Natural	`8/0` =	`8-0` =	`8` =
`9N` Natural	`9/0` =	`9-0` =	`9` =
`10N` Natural	`10/0` =	`10-0` =	`10` =

= direct match · ≈ approximate match

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We answer your questions

Redken Chromatics Chart

Everything you need to know

What mixing ratio does Chromatics use?

1:1 with the 10, 20 or 30 Volume Oil-in-Cream developers. The 40 Volume is not part of this line. That gives up to 3 levels of lift and, per Redken, up to 100% gray coverage.

How long does it process?

35 minutes at room temperature, according to Redken’s product page.

Why is the second letter lowercase?

Because it marks the hierarchy between the two tones. The uppercase is the primary family and the lowercase the secondary: a 6Rr is red with more red, and a 6Rv is red with violet. Writing them alike erases that difference, which is exactly the information you need when formulating or translating the shade into another brand.

Is the B in Bc, Br and Vb brown?

No, it is mahogany. You can see it in the numeric equivalent the professional retailer publishes: 5Br comes out as 5.56 and 4Bc as 4.54, and in Redken’s own key the 5 is red violet or mahogany. It is an easy mistake to make, since the abbreviation invites the brown reading.

Does Chromatics still exist?

It depends who you ask, and it is worth knowing before you promise a client a shade. As of September 21, 2026, Redken still publishes the Chromatics and Chromatics Ultra Rich charts on its education site, and does not list it on its discontinued products page. At the same time, outside the brand it has long been said that it was discontinued and that Color Gels Oils replaces it. With both on the table: if your distributor no longer supplies it, the replacement people cite is Color Gels Oils, and you can translate your shade with the converter.

Can I convert a Chromatics shade to another brand?

Yes. The hair color converter translates level and family of any Chromatics shade into Igora, Majirel, Koleston and more than thirty charts. For full formulas with your own brands, get Blendsor.

Have more questions?

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