The correct price of an aesthetic service must cover the cost of executing it, professional time, a part of the structure and a business profit. Copying the price of another center does not allow you to know if the treatment is viable in your business.
The most useful way to calculate it is to separate five layers. This way you can see which part pays for products, which part remunerates your work and which part remains in the company.
The formula to calculate the price
Price before taxes = direct costs + professional time + assigned fixed expenses + variable costs + business profit
If the service is subject to VAT, the final price is obtained by applying the rate that corresponds to the calculated base. Do not use the VAT collected as if it were disposable income: it is an amount that the business collects and settles according to its tax situation.
1. Direct costs per session
Calculate what you really consume on a date:
- technical product used, not the full price of the packaging;
- patches, microbrushes, gloves and other consumables;
- disposable preparation and cleaning material;
- proportional cost of materials with various uses.
If a container costs €24 and allows 30 real services, its unit cost is €0.80. Repeat the calculation for each relevant product.
2. Full professional time
It counts the total time during which the professional cannot attend to another service. In the lifting example in this guide we used 60 minutes of agenda in total, within LashPro's operational reference of 45 to 60 minutes for this service. Don't add an arbitrary time frame: measure preparation, treatment and cleaning within your actual operation.
Job cost = total duration in hours × applicable hourly cost
The hourly cost depends on who performs the service. For an employee, use the hourly cost that the center has defined with labor data. For a freelancer who works in a booth, use a target remuneration for her work and keep it separate from the business profit.
In the LashPro simulations we use €12/h as a cost hypothesis for an employee. It is not presented as a legal salary, Spanish average or salary recommendation.
3. Part of fixed expenses
Rental, supplies, software, management, insurance or maintenance exist even if a session consumes little product. An initial approach is to divide the monthly fixed expenses by the realistic number of billable services.
Avoid dividing them between a 100% full agenda. Cancellations, non-billable tasks and gaps are part of the operation.
4. Variable costs on sale
Includes payment commissions, professional commission, average discounts or acquisition cost when they are attributable to the service. The percentages must be calculated on the correct basis and not added up as if they were euros.
5. Business profit
The benefit is not what you pay for working. It is used to assume risk, renew equipment, train the team, cover weak months and finance improvements. If the price only covers costs and salary, the job can be sustained, but the company does not generate reserves.
Price example for an eyelash lift
To update the product cost in the example, always start from your invoices and the actual dosage. If you work with professional lifting, you can consult the current formats and prices of the LashPro lash lifting collection and convert each container into a cost per service. The catalog price does not replace the consumption calculation.
Minimum, recommended and commercial price
The minimum viable price covers costs, structure and remuneration. It doesn't leave much room for unforeseen events. The recommended price adds a consistent business reserve. The commercial price is the rate that you finally decide after comparing perceived value, market, demand and positioning.
This distinction avoids two errors: assuming that any price higher than the product cost is profitable and raising prices without first checking the value proposition.
Errors that usually lower the price without being noticed
- count only the time with the client;
- use the number of appointments of an exceptional month as normal volume;
- forget discounts, commissions or touch-ups;
- consider the self-employed person's salary as a benefit;
- compare final prices without separating taxes;
- keep the same calculation when products or rent go up.
How to decide if you should upload it
First calculate the difference between the current rate and the minimum viable rate. Then it measures how much the service contributes per hour and what occupation it has. A service with high demand, blocked agenda and low profitability offers a different signal than one that is profitable but with low demand.
If you need to adjust, it doesn't have to be done improvised. Define the new rate, the date, the conditions for vouchers already sold and the message to clients. Explain the upgrade clearly, without justifying every penny or apologizing for operating sustainably.
To complete the diagnosis, also consult how to calculate profitability per hour and how to measure the margin of a treatment.
FAQ
What costs should I include in the price of a treatment?
It includes products and consumables, total work time, a reasonable part of fixed expenses, variable costs such as commissions and business profit. VAT, where applicable, is added after calculating the economic basis of the service.
Should I count preparation and cleaning time?
Yes. That time blocks the schedule and requires work even if the client is no longer in the cabin. If you omit it, you overestimate the available sessions and reduce your real hourly compensation.
Are salary and benefits the same?
No. The remuneration pays for the professional's work; The profit offsets the business risk and allows reinvestment. A self-employed person who executes the service must consider both functions separately.
Can I set the price by looking at the competition?
The competition provides market context, but does not know your costs, duration, occupancy or positioning. Use it as a contrast after calculating your minimum viable price, not as the main formula.
How often should it be reviewed prices?
Review them when costs, times, commissions or taxes change and, at a minimum, periodically. The review does not require them to be raised, but it allows a deteriorated margin to be detected in time.