L'Oréal Professionnel runs four parallel colour systems. Two are permanent, two are demi-permanent, and the difference between them is not a matter of strength — it is a matter of what the colour does to the hair and how it leaves. This is the full comparison, with the mixing ratios and the developer pairings you actually need at the bowl.
The four systems at a glance
| System | Type | Grey coverage | Lift | Developer | Ratio | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majirel | Permanent, ammonia | Up to 100% | Up to 3 levels | Majicrème 12.5 / 20 / 30 vol | 1:1.5 | 35 min |
| INOA | Permanent, ammonia-free | Up to 100% | Up to 3 levels | INOA Rich Developer 10 / 20 / 30 vol | 1:1 | 35 min |
| Dia Color | Alkaline demi | Up to 70% | Up to 1.5 levels | DIActivateur 6 / 9 / 15 vol | 1:1.5 | 20 min |
| Dia Light | Acidic demi | Blending only | None | DIActivateur 6 / 9 / 15 vol | 1:1.5 | 2–20 min |
Permanent or demi-permanent — what actually differs
A permanent colour opens the cuticle, removes some of the natural pigment and deposits new pigment inside the cortex. It does not wash out. It grows out, which is why a permanent client is on a four-to-six week cycle with a visible regrowth line. Permanent is the only honest answer when the brief is total grey coverage or going lighter.
A demi-permanent deposits without meaningfully lifting. It fades rather than growing out, so there is no hard regrowth band, and the client is never locked in. Demi is the right answer for glossing, toning, refreshing mid-lengths and ends, blending first greys, and for anyone who has never coloured their hair and does not want to commit.
The trap is assuming demi means gentle and permanent means damaging. INOA is a permanent colour with no ammonia at all; Dia Color is a demi that is alkaline and does lift 1.5 levels. Read the system, not the category.
Majirel — the permanent standard
What it is: the flagship permanent colour crème, in a 60 ml tube. Up to 100% grey coverage, true-to-tone results, and even deposit from root to end. The reformulated crème carries odour-trapping technology, so a 35-minute root application smells markedly less harsh than the version before it, and it mixes more smoothly in the bowl.
How it mixes: 1:1.5 with Majicrème Developer — one 60 ml tube to 90 ml of developer. 12.5 volume for tone-on-tone and grey coverage, 20 volume for one to two levels of lift, 30 volume for two to three. 35 minutes.
Best for: clients whose whole reason for booking is that the white has to go, and go completely.
The sub-ranges: Majirel Cool Cover is the ash-balanced arm — the 4N–9N cool naturals plus the .1 and .17 reflects — for grey coverage that keeps drifting warm after the appointment. Majirel Mix are the pure correctors: Ash Blue against orange, Matte Green against red, Iridescent Violet against yellow, plus Red and Copper to push a warm reflect harder than a standard shade will.
INOA — permanent, without the ammonia
What it is: a 60 g tube of roughly 60% oil-based permanent colour built on L'Oréal's patented Oil Delivery System. No ammonia, no odour, no drip. 100% grey coverage, up to three levels of lift, and a certified vegan formula containing no animal-derived ingredients or by-products. Hair finishes +48% shinier than unwashed hair.
How it mixes: a strict 1:1 with INOA Rich Developer — 60 g of colour to 60 g of developer, measured in an INOA cup or doser. 10 volume for deposit, 20 volume for white coverage and up to two levels, 30 volume for up to three. 35 minutes.
Best for: sensitive scalps, salons where the smell of colour is a real problem, and anyone who has been told ammonia-free means compromising on grey coverage. It does not.
One caution: the Intense Red technologies — Carmilane, Rubilane and DM5 — are not intermixable with the rest of the palette. Mix those only with INOA Clear.
Majirel or INOA?
They cover the same ground: 100% grey, up to three levels, 35 minutes. Choose INOA when the scalp is sensitive, when the client or the colourist reacts to ammonia, when the salon is small and badly ventilated, or when the brief is vegan. Choose Majirel when you want the widest palette in the range, when the 1:1.5 ratio suits your existing trolley, or when cost per application is the deciding factor. Neither is the "gentler" one in any meaningful sense — both are oxidative permanents. INOA simply gets there without ammonia.
Dia Light — the acidic gloss
What it is: an acidic crème demi-permanent with hyaluronic acid, in a 60 ml tube. It tones, glosses and takes colour through the lengths without lifting. Because the pH is acidic, the cuticle closes rather than opens: 82% glossier colour, 1.9x more hydration, 2x less breakage.
How it mixes: 1:1.5 with DIActivateur — 6 volume for a soft deposit, 9 volume for a standard tone-on-tone, 15 volume for maximum visibility. On Dia Light, 6 and 9 volume are the recommended pair. Development is 2 to 20 minutes, checked visually.
Best for: toning straight out of the foil, refreshing faded ends, and a first-reflect service for a client who wants no commitment and no regrowth line.
The boosters: Dia Light Booster — Ash, Violet, Gold, Copper and Red concentrates that go inside a Dia Light formula to neutralise or intensify. Never used neat.
Dia Color — the alkaline demi that covers grey
What it is: the upgraded alkaline demi-permanent that replaced Dia Richesse. Melanin Gap Filler technology reinjects colour where melanin has been lost, which is what lifts coverage to up to 70% — far beyond what a blending demi manages. Six weeks of gloss colour with 2x shine, up to 1.5 levels of lift, no ammonia, up to 92% natural origin, conditioned with shea butter, glycerin and hyaluronic acid.
How it mixes: 1:1.5 with DIActivateur — 6 volume for a soft, natural deposit, 9 volume for standard white blending, 15 volume for reinforced blending and up to 1.5 levels of lift. 20 minutes, timed from the end of application.
Best for: first greys, take-throughs on the lengths after a permanent root, and the client who wants a real change without a permanent grow-out.
If you are converting from Dia Richesse: the two are completely intermixable, so you can move the back bar across shade by shade rather than all at once.
Dia Light or Dia Color?
Both are demis, both mix 1:1.5 with DIActivateur, and that is where the similarity ends. Dia Light is acidic and does not lift. It is a gloss and a toner — the tool for hair that has just come out of foils and cannot take another alkaline service. Dia Color is alkaline and lifts 1.5 levels. It is the one that covers grey to 70% and changes depth. If the question is shine, reach for Dia Light. If the question is coverage, reach for Dia Color.
How much grey does each one actually cover?
- Up to 100% — Majirel and INOA. Opaque permanent coverage. INOA publishes specific protocols for 70–100% white: mix half a tube of the target shade with half a tube of the Natural at the same level for cool targets, or the Gold Natural for warm targets, and use the target shade alone on mid-lengths and ends.
- Up to 70% — Dia Color. Real coverage, not a blend, without committing the client to a permanent regrowth line. 9 volume DIActivateur for standard blending, 15 volume for reinforced.
- Blending only — Dia Light. It will soften and diffuse white hair. It will not cover it. Do not sell it as coverage.
- Grey that keeps turning warm — Majirel Cool Cover. Full permanent coverage with the pigment balance weighted cool.
Developers: which bottle goes with which system
They are not interchangeable. Each developer is formulated around the colour it partners.
- INOA Rich Developer — 1 L, 10 / 20 / 30 volume. Strict 1:1 with INOA. The oil chemistry is part of how INOA works without ammonia; a standard oxidant is not a substitute. One litre is roughly 16 applications.
- DIActivateur Developer — 1 L, 6 / 9 / 15 volume. 1:1.5 with both Dia Light and Dia Color. 6 volume for soft deposit, 9 volume for standard tone-on-tone and standard white blending, 15 volume for strong deposit and 1.5 levels of lift with Dia Color.
- Majicrème Developer — 12.5 / 20 / 30 volume. 1:1.5 with Majirel. Not currently stocked at ProHair; ask us if you need it and we will source it.
- Blond Studio Nutri-Developer — 1 L, 20 / 30 / 40 volume and Blond Studio 9 Oil Developer — 1 L, 20 / 30 volume. Lightening only, not colour. See our Blond Studio lightening guide.
How to read a L'Oréal shade number
The digit before the point is the depth, from 1 to 10:
1 black · 2 darkest brown · 3 dark brown · 4 medium brown · 5 light brown · 6 dark blonde · 7 medium blonde · 8 light blonde · 9 very light blonde · 10 lightest blonde.
The digits after the point are the tonal direction: .0 natural · .1 ash · .2 iridescent · .3 gold · .4 copper · .5 mahogany · .6 red · .8 mocha. The first digit after the point is the dominant reflect and the second is the secondary. So 6.34 is a dark blonde with a gold-dominant, copper-secondary reflect, and 9.1 is a very light blonde with an ash reflect.
Before you order
Everything on this page is professional oxidative hair colour. A skin allergy test 48 hours before every colour service is not optional, and a strand test tells you what the chart cannot. Mix in a non-metallic bowl, protect the client's skin and your own, and check developing colour visually rather than trusting the clock.
Shop the full range on our L'Oréal Professionnel collection. Free shipping on Canadian orders over $120.