Root touch-up kits used to be a cheap, last-minute fix—like, I swear I grabbed one for $10 last summer. Now? Even the plain, semi-permanent stuff is $25, sometimes more (see: Behind the Salon Door; June 2025). What happened? I keep hearing it’s “ingredient costs” and “supply chain,” but honestly, I’m not convinced. Colorists keep repeating that “better” ingredients and “salon quality” packaging justify these prices. Really? Because half the time, it’s the same formula in a shinier box with a $15 markup.

Gina—my friend who’s glued to TikTok—swears the price jump is all about #hairtok. Apparently, everyone’s obsessed with root touch-ups every three weeks now, and brands know we’ll pay it. Stylists keep mentioning that people use way too much each time (guilty, every time), so we go through kits faster, buy more, and basically hand over our cash. I tried those “award-winning” kits (yes, Clairol, I see you everywhere), but the blonde shades never match, no matter what the box promises. And the “gentle” ones? They’re priced like they contain unicorn tears.

Is it even saving money anymore if DIY kits cost almost as much as a salon root touch-up? I used to tell clients to stretch full-color appointments with at-home kits—supposed to be healthier, easier on the wallet. Now I’m second-guessing myself. The whole root touch-up world feels like it’s changed: higher demand, pricier chemicals, a pinch of brand greed. If you’ve ever left CVS clutching a tiny box and wondering why it cost more than lunch, yeah, same.

Recent Price Hikes in Root Touch-Up Kits

I can’t get over how fast these prices climb. Was it always this nuts? I blinked, and suddenly a basic kit costs what a salon trip did a year ago. Some brands are especially bad about it, too. And don’t get me started on how your zip code somehow decides if you’re paying $5 more.

Trends Over the Past Year

Last Walgreens run: $19.99 for Clairol’s root fix kit. I checked an old CVS receipt—$14.49, same box, earlier this year. That’s a 38% spike by June 2025. Did they add gold leaf? Nope, same cheap gloves. I actually have the receipts, if anyone wants proof.

The big price jumps started last summer, right when everyone started whining about supply chains and packaging costs (remember the “dye shortage”?). A colorist told me, “People think it’s premium, but it’s just manufacturers passing the buck.” Raw materials shot up, “distribution markups” kicked in, and—this floored me—insurance for ammonia-based products got pricier.

It’s not just once a year, either. It’s three, four hikes in a single year. Nobody at the checkout explains why you’re suddenly shelling out coffee money for gray coverage.

Highlighted Brands With Rising Costs

Not every brand is subtle about it. L’Oréal Magic Root Cover Up went from $8.49 to almost $11 since last Memorial Day. TEMPTU Root Touch-Up Kit? $159 to $179, and I swear it’s the same shades. No extra brush, no bonus anything.

Drugstore brands like Revlon and Clairol keep bragging about being “affordable,” but I saw a cost-per-use chart on a review site and it looked as grim as airport snacks. “Micro-pigment technology,” “color-blocking gel”—all these buzzwords, but if all you want is to hide your roots for a Zoom call…

Luxury kits are a different universe. A couple of colorists told me clients pay $40+ for a single-use cartridge and don’t even blink unless it smells weird.

Regional Pricing Variations

My West Coast friends love to brag about saving $5 compared to my Northeast prices, which, thanks, guys. National chains claim prices are “standardized,” but somehow local taxes, distribution, and just random markups turn every city into a weird game of chance. Even in the same state, I’ve seen a $3 difference between cities and rural towns.

Three stylists this week: Brooklyn—$25 for the same kit I saw in Cleveland for $13. Same barcode, double the price. Shopping online? Useless. Flash sales get eaten by shipping, or the color I need is always out.

Nobody talks about this, but stricter chemical laws in some northern states actually push shelf prices up. Try explaining that to a cashier while your roots are screaming at everyone in line.

Colorists Weigh In: Core Reasons Behind the Cost Surge

Keeping up with root touch-up kits lately feels like a losing battle. Prices everywhere—drugstore, online, wherever—just keep inching up. Colorists keep hinting at “bottlenecks” and “unpredictable shifts,” but honestly, I’m starting to think nobody really knows what’s going on.

Supply Chain Challenges

My supplier emails: “Delayed delivery again, sorry.” Pre-pandemic, hair color kits just appeared on shelves, same price week after week. Now? One ingredient stuck at customs, and the $14 kit is $19 overnight.

Lisa Geller at Fox & Main—she’s been around forever—jokes that kit availability changes with the moon. Her last Clairol order sat on a boat for a month, and she got hit with an “overseas surcharge.” Even so-called “budget” brands like Revlon are hiking prices because, apparently, the box took the long way from Taiwan.

Nobody’s talking about cardboard shortages, but any salon insider will rant about how those little hiccups jack up prices. Some are actually hoarding dark brown dye. Sounds nuts, but I get it. I even read that last fall’s $5 price jump was blamed on driver shortages. I mean, really?

Increased Ingredient Expenses

Ammonia, acetates, all the chemicals—they just keep getting pricier. Paraphenylenediamine (the main color base) got hit with new regulations, so every batch is more expensive to certify. Fun.

I overheard a L’Oréal rep at a beauty event basically admit that “clean” trends (no sulfates, no parabens) make stability testing a nightmare. Less bulk buying, more custom blends, and suddenly your “gentler” kit is way pricier. Nobody from corporate says it out loud, but Sally Beauty’s supply manager told me she’s buried in “price adjustment memos.”

Even the foil? Energy prices in Europe bumped it up 15%. Statista says global raw chemical costs jumped double digits in 2024—so yeah, it’s not just in your head.