Salon client records software: notes, intake forms and colour formulas

2026-07-21

Salon client-records software pulls three things into one place: client notes (preferences, allergies and skin sensitivities), intake and consent forms, and colour formulas kept visit by visit. For a salon in the EU that record is also personal data — and sometimes health data — so picking the right tool is partly a booking decision and partly a GDPR one. This guide covers what a good client record should hold, how the widely used booking platforms compare, where the law tightens things for European salons, and where a lean, low-cost option fits.

What should a salon client record hold?

A useful client record holds three core layers: per-client notes, structured intake and consent forms, and colour formulas stored per visit. Notes should capture preferences, allergies and sensitivities so any stylist can pick up a client cold, without a five-minute interrogation at the basin. Intake and consultation forms — ideally digital, with consent captured at the point of booking — record what the client agreed to and any medical flags that affect a treatment. Colour formulas belong in the record too, kept visit by visit with enough detail (developer strength, mix ratios, grams used, porosity or percentage grey) to reproduce or adjust a result months later. Add before-and-after photos and a clear service history, and the record becomes something your team actually opens behind the chair rather than a filing chore nobody keeps up.

Client records and GDPR: what EU salons must get right

Under the GDPR, a salon that stores allergies, skin conditions or medical notes is processing special-category health data, which carries stricter rules than a name and a phone number. In practice that shapes what you should expect from your software: explicit consent captured on intake forms, secure storage (ideally encrypted and access-controlled), a sensible retention period rather than keeping everything forever, and an easy way to honour a client's request to see, export or delete their record. Digital intake and consent forms help here because the consent is timestamped and attached to the client, instead of sitting on a paper card in a drawer. When you compare tools, look for clear export and deletion controls, EU or EEA data hosting where it is offered, and a data-processing agreement (DPA) you can actually sign — these turn "GDPR-compliant" from a marketing line into something you can demonstrate to a client or a regulator.

How the main booking platforms compare

Most owners choose from a handful of widely used booking platforms, then check whether each one records notes, forms and formulas the way they need. The table below sketches the client-records side of the popular options — feature sets change often, so confirm the current detail before you commit.

Colour formulas and the colourist's record

For colour-led salons the formula history is the heart of the record, so it deserves more than a free-text afterthought. The strongest setups store the formula against each visit with the detail a colourist needs to repeat or correct a result: base and target level, developer volume, mix ratios and grams, plus porosity or percentage grey. Most of the big platforms treat formulas as notes rather than a dedicated field, and that can still work — as long as your team writes them the same way every time and never leaves a redo guessing. Where colour is the core service and your margins depend on getting a correction right the first time, prioritise a tool (or a tightly structured notes template) that records formulas richly rather than one that buries them at the bottom of a comment box.

Choosing a tool — and a low-cost option

Start from your riskiest service: if you carry out treatments that need signed medical consent, choose a platform with formal, signable intake forms rather than plain notes. If your real need is rich notes, colour formulas and photo history — not clinical signatures — a lean, beauty-focused tool keeps costs down without losing the record. Boona, for example, stores client records with notes, colour formulas and before-and-after photos alongside booking and reminders from $2 per month per specialist, with 0% commission and a three-month free trial (boona.app). It keeps records as notes and photos rather than signed clinical forms, so where formal consent matters you would pair it with, or choose, a form-capable platform. For the wider picture — reminders, POS, payroll and the rest — browse the full salon management software hub. Whatever you settle on, weigh the GDPR checklist as heavily as the feature list: the cheapest tool that mishandles health data is not a saving.

Frequently asked questions

Are salon client records covered by GDPR?

Yes. Names and contact details are personal data, and allergies, skin conditions or medical notes count as special-category health data, which the GDPR protects more strictly. You need a lawful basis, explicit consent for health data, secure storage, and a way to export or delete a client's record on request.

Where should colour formulas live?

In the client record, stored per visit. Most booking platforms can hold them in notes or custom fields; the key is recording them consistently — base level, developer volume and mix ratios — so any colourist can repeat the result without guesswork.

Do I need digital consent forms, or are notes enough?

It depends on the service. For treatments that carry risk or need a signed record, use a platform with customisable, signable consent forms. For preferences, colour history and general notes, a well-organised notes-based tool is usually enough.