Spray Tanning: Solution Bottles To Order

Excel Formulas › Spray Tanning

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Run out of solution mid-week and the appointments do not care. Multiply your sessions by the millilitres each one uses, divide by the bottle size, and round up so there is always a full bottle on the shelf.


Quick formula: Sessions times millilitres per session, over the bottle size, rounded up:
=ROUNDUP(B2*C2/D2,0)

Twenty sessions at 60 ml each is 1,200 ml — over a 1,000 ml bottle that rounds up to two bottles.

Functions used (tap for the full reference guide):

The example

Three periods, each with a session count, millilitres per session, and the bottle size.

ABCDE
1PeriodSessionsMl/sessionBottle mlBottles
2Week206010002
3Event505010003
4Slow86010001

The formula

Total solution over bottle size, rounded up so a partial need still buys a whole bottle:

=ROUNDUP(B2*C2/D2,0) // sessions x ml each, / bottle size, rounded up

How it works

Total the solution, then convert to whole bottles:

  1. B2*C2 multiplies sessions by the millilitres each one uses — the total solution needed.
  2. /D2 divides by the bottle size to get how many bottles that is.
  3. ROUNDUP(...,0) rounds up to a whole bottle, because you cannot order a fraction of one.
  4. Millilitres per session rises for full-body dark tans and falls for a light face-and-arms touch-up — use your real average.

Add a spare bottle for busy weeks by adding 1 to the result — a backordered solution should never cancel an appointment.

Try it: interactive demo

Interactive

Enter the sessions, millilitres per session, and bottle size.

Variations

Keep a spare

Always hold one backup bottle on the shelf.

=ROUNDUP(B2*C2/D2,0)+1

Solution cost

Multiply the bottles by your cost per bottle.

=ROUNDUP(B2*C2/D2,0)*42

Pitfalls & errors

Round up, not to nearest. A need of 1.2 bottles still requires a second bottle — rounding to 1 leaves you short partway through the week.

Track your true millilitres per session. A generous full-body application uses far more than a light touch-up, and guessing low is how the last appointment of the week gets a thin coat.

Practice workbook

📊
Download the free Spray Tanning: Solution Bottles To Order practice workbook
Edit the yellow sessions, ml-per-session, and bottle-size cells; the bottles recalculate.

Frequently asked questions

How much solution does one session use?
It varies with coverage and skin tone — a light face-and-arms touch-up might use 30 ml while a full-body dark tan can run 60 to 80 ml. Track your own average across a week rather than trusting a single label figure.
Why round up instead of to the nearest bottle?
Because a fractional bottle still means you run out before the sessions are done. Rounding up guarantees enough solution on hand, and adding one spare protects you against a busy week or a backorder.

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Function references: ROUNDUP