Quick Answer: LDS Color Craze and Lavis Gel Color sit in different niches inside the same wholesale catalog at DTK Nail Supply. LDS Color Craze is the volume play — 1,000+ gel polish shades (gel only, not 3-in-1, not dip) sold in themed sets that match the seasons, designed for salons that need the widest possible color library for the dollar. Lavis Gel Color is the curated, trend-forward play — 18 Cat Eye collections (CE1-CE18, 9D technology on CE7 and CE10), 17 specialty C collections (Jelly, Glitter, Mocha, Pinktopia, Scarlet Bloom, Secret Garden, and more), and three HEMA-free Builder Gel systems, designed for booths that price client-facing premium nail work. Both are wholesale at DTK with Net-15 terms.
Two Gel Polish Strategies, One Salon Decision
Almost every salon that builds a gel color shelf ends up making the same operational decision twice a year: do we go wide, or do we go curated? Wide means a single brand whose catalog is so deep that the booth never has to tell a client "I do not carry that color." Curated means a smaller, trend-forward catalog where every shade earns its slot because clients ask for it by name and pay a premium for the look.
Two of the strongest answers to that decision are available wholesale through DTK Nail Supply. LDS Color Craze runs the volume play — 1,000+ gel shades, themed sets, mood-driven shade names, a discount rate that stays low at the wholesale tier. Lavis Gel Color runs the curated trend-forward play — 18 Cat Eye collections, 17 specialty C collections, three HEMA-free Builder Gel systems, fast-to-market new releases tracking Korean and Japanese nail trends.
The two lines are not competing for the same dollar. They are competing for different operational decisions inside the same booth. This guide compares them honestly so the salon can stock for the role each one plays best.
What LDS Color Craze Is
LDS Color Craze is the flagship gel polish line carried at DTK Nail Supply. Three product facts that often get confused are worth nailing down first:
- Color Craze is gel polish only — not a 3-in-1, not a matching lacquer-and-dip system, not a dip powder
- The catalog depth is 1,000+ shades across the full library
- The line ships to salons primarily in themed sets rather than as individual bottles — 72-color seasonal sets (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall), 36-color mid-tier sets, and 12-color starter sets
The 72-color Spring set is one of the strongest-moving SKUs in the LDS line, with a discount rate of around 2.1% in DTK internal data — among the lowest in the entire DTK catalog. That low discount rate is itself a signal that the line moves at close to full price.
Collection themes inside Color Craze go beyond the four seasons. The library includes Nudes & Neutrals, Glitter, Jelly, and named seasonal drops with mood-driven storytelling — the brand pitch is that "LDS makes feelings, not just polish." Recent named Color Craze collections include Drift, Bloom, Whisper, and other cinematic shade names that give content creators ready-made angles for social media.
Brand-wide wear claims: LDS markets Color Craze as a long-wearing gel polish with chip-resistant finish, designed for professional UV/LED cure, supporting up to 14-21 days of wear when properly applied. Strong color payoff, easy soak-off.
One product line worth being explicit about: LDS Healthy Gel is discontinuing. Healthy Gel is the older LDS line — a 3-in-1 format (gel + lacquer + dip powder in one product). LDS has confirmed Healthy Gel is on clearance pricing and will not be restocked. Salons that migrate from Healthy Gel to Color Craze are moving from a 3-in-1 format to a gel-only format — the same brand, but a different product category.
What Lavis Gel Color Is
Lavis is a California-based, trend-forward gel polish brand known for tracking Korean and Japanese nail trends early and shipping new collections fast. Where LDS plays the volume tier, Lavis plays the curated trend-forward tier — fewer shades total, but every collection is built around a specific palette story or a specific magnetic effect.
The Lavis Gel Color catalog is organized into three product families:
1. Cat Eye Collections (CE1-CE18) — 18 numbered Cat Eye collections, 12 shades each, all HEMA-free. Two collections (CE7 Villain Era and CE10 Beauty Bureau) use what Lavis calls 9D technology — marketed as the most intense magnetic effect in the brand's range. The rest of the CE line still pulls strong magnetic lines. Notable collections include CE1 Cozy Cashmere (creamy nudes), CE4 Fairy Tale (jelly cat eye), CE7 Villain Era 9D, CE10 Beauty Bureau 9D (holiday ornament), and CE16-CE18 (galaxy and halo cat eye).
2. Specialty C Collections (C01-C17) — 17 specialty gel polish collections, each built around a palette or effect:
- C01 Jelly Jamboree — bouncy translucent sheer jelly gels, top seller
- C02 Scarlet Bloom — 24-shade red spectrum (Valentine's, all year)
- C05 Neon Obsession — 10 glow-in-the-dark + 14 neon (UV-reactive summer)
- C07 Pinktopia — 24 pink gels (Valentine's, all year)
- C08 Glass Gala — sheer jelly + silver chrome, hottest Lavis jelly line
- C09 Morning Dewdrop — jelly cat eye formula in nudes, pinks, purples, blues
- C12 Candy Quartz — universally flattering cat eye, top DTK seller
- C14 Secret Garden — soft pastel cat eye, top Lavis C collection
- C16 Honey Eclipse — celestial glowing shades (warm rose, honey, amber)
3. Builder Gel — three HEMA-free systems — Lavis carries three distinct builder gel product lines, all HEMA-free, with B1 and B2 also TPO-free:
- BIAB B1 + B2 (72 shades total) — HEMA-free AND TPO-free, the cleanest formula in the lineup
- Builder Gel in a Bottle Ver2 (36 shades) — thicker rubber-base consistency for overlay work
- Builder Gel in Jars (18 shades) — for extensions and sculpting
Builder Gel core selling points: low heat, easy apply, long-lasting up to 4 weeks.
Lavis revenue inside DTK runs at 67.1% of total DTK revenue ($149,818 net / 3 months, with Gel Color the largest sub-line at 55.5% of Lavis). Margin runs at roughly twice the third-party brand margin tier.
Side-by-Side Comparison Table
| Feature | LDS Color Craze | Lavis Gel Color |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Gel polish only — not 3-in-1, not dip | Gel polish — Cat Eye + C collections + Builder Gel |
| Catalog depth | 1,000+ shades across themed sets | 18 CE collections + 17 C collections + 3 Builder Gel systems |
| HEMA-free | See current product page on dtknailsupply.com | All Cat Eye HEMA-free; Builder Gel B1+B2 HEMA-free AND TPO-free |
| Specialty effects | Universal Cat Eye (12 toppers), Fruit Cat Eye (12 dual-color), nail art liners, painting pots, rhinestone gel | 18 Cat Eye collections, Pat Pat ombre, Wave, Crack, Eggshell, Emboss, Chrome, Reflective, Blooming, Lace |
| Set format | 72-color, 36-color, 12-color themed sets | 12-shade Cat Eye collections; 24-shade C collections |
| Trend speed | Mood-driven shade naming; seasonal drops | Fastest-to-market on Korean/Japanese trends |
| Brand identity | Volume + variety, "1,000+ shades in one brand" | Trend-forward California, editorial palette stories |
| Discount rate at DTK | ~2.1% on Color Craze (low — sells near full price) | Low across most Gel Color SKUs |
| DTK margin tier | ~30% (private label tier) | ~30% (private label tier) |
| Storytelling angle | Mood-driven, cinematic shade names | Editorial, season-driven, magnetic effect |
| Best fit | Salons needing widest color library for the dollar | Booths pricing client-facing trend-forward premium |
| Wholesale at DTK | Net-15 tiers on qualifying orders | Net-15 tiers on qualifying orders |
Pricing Tier Comparison
Both lines are available wholesale through DTK Nail Supply. Both sit in the higher-margin tier compared to third-party brands. The pricing difference between LDS Color Craze and Lavis Gel Color is less about absolute dollars per bottle and more about how the salon recovers the cost per service.
LDS Color Craze themed sets deliver the lowest effective per-bottle cost when the salon buys at the 72-color set tier. A 72-color Spring set used across a full season of services spreads the cost over hundreds of manicures — the per-service materials cost drops below most single-bottle pricing. The 2.1% discount rate in DTK data means the wholesale economics stay clean.
Lavis Gel Color collections are priced at the curated tier — slightly higher per bottle than the volume LDS set math, but the per-service retail charge on a Lavis Cat Eye 9D or a Lavis Builder Gel BIAB service runs $5-15 higher than a standard gel service, which more than covers the wholesale premium. Booths that lean into trend-forward content creation recover the curated tier pricing through higher per-service ticket value.
For current wholesale pricing at the Net-15 tier, log into dtknailsupply.com, request a wholesale account, and compare LDS Color Craze themed set pricing against Lavis CE and C collection pricing.
Who Should Choose LDS Color Craze
LDS Color Craze is the right pick when the salon's competitive advantage is breadth of shade choice, and when the buyer is willing to commit to themed sets rather than single bottles to capture the catalog economics.
A Vietnamese-American chair-rental salon serving a 30-to-50-year-old clientele who book recurring monthly gel manicures benefits most from a 72-color seasonal set rotation. Buying the Color Craze Spring 72-set in spring and the Color Craze Fall 72-set six months later gives the booth 144 fresh, seasonally-relevant shades per year — without burning capital on shades that do not match the season.
A home-studio owner doing high-volume short-notice work for friend networks (the Home-Studio Owner persona, which is approximately 50% of DTK target audience mix per the 2026 pivot) benefits from the 36-color mid-tier sets — smaller capital outlay, still enough breadth that no client gets told "I do not carry that color."
A booth focused on creative nail content for Instagram or TikTok also benefits from the wide library, because viral nail content frequently requires a very specific niche shade — mood-driven names, jelly tones, glitter finishes — and Color Craze covers all of those categories inside one brand.
Where Color Craze is a weaker fit: when the salon wants the deepest possible Cat Eye library, the strongest possible magnetic line (9D), or when the client base actively requests trend-forward Korean and Japanese-inspired palettes. For those roles, Lavis is the operational fit.
Who Should Choose Lavis Gel Color
Lavis Gel Color is the right pick when the salon prices nail services at the client-facing trend-forward premium tier — and when the booth's identity is built around being early to color trends and effect gels.
A booth that books a lot of Cat Eye services as a signature gets the most out of the 18-collection CE library. 216 individual Cat Eye shades. Two 9D collections (CE7 Villain Era, CE10 Beauty Bureau) for the strongest magnetic line. Three galaxy collections (CE16-CE18) for cosmic nail content. The catalog supports a full year of content with no shade repetition.
A booth that prices nail art as a separate line item on the menu benefits from the Lavis specialty effect gel lineup — Pat Pat ombre (the #1 Lavis best seller), Wave Gel (requires Diamond Top Coat), Crack Gel, Eggshell Top, Emboss Gel, Chrome Powder, Reflective Gel, Blooming Gel, and Lace Gel. Each effect creates a visual category that clients pay a nail-art upcharge for.
A booth serving sensitivity-conscious clients who have reported lifting, irritation, or contact-allergy symptoms with standard gel polish benefits from the Lavis Builder Gel BIAB B1 and B2 systems — HEMA-free AND TPO-free, the cleanest formula in the Lavis lineup. Lavis Builder Gel is also the line that supports the 4-week wear cycle when used as a structured base under Cat Eye or specialty color work.
A home-studio owner building a brand identity around trend-forward, content-ready nail work weights Lavis higher than Color Craze. Lavis ships new collections faster than the volume brands, which means the studio's content stays ahead of the trend cycle.
Where Lavis is a weaker fit: when the salon needs absolute breadth of shade choice for a clientele that books recurring monthly standard manicures across a wide range of pastels, neutrals, and brights. In that role, LDS Color Craze 72-color seasonal sets are the more efficient stock.
Application Method Compared
LDS Color Craze:
- Standard prep — cuticle, file/buff, dust removal, acetone wipe, dehydrator
- Apply base coat, cure
- Apply first thin coat of Color Craze, cure 60 seconds under UV/LED
- Apply second thin coat, cure 60 seconds
- Apply top coat, cure
- For Cat Eye effects, add LDS Universal Cat Eye topper between color and top coat
Lavis Gel Color (standard color):
- Standard prep
- Apply Lavis Protein Bond OR Primer + Protein Bond 2-in-1
- Apply Lavis base coat, cure
- Apply first thin coat of color, cure
- Apply second coat, cure
- Apply top coat (Lavis Diamond Top Coat is REQUIRED for Cat Eye and Wave Gel finishes), cure
Lavis Builder Gel BIAB (10-step sequence):
- Cuticle work + file/buff
- Dust removal + acetone wipe
- Dehydrator (wait until matte/dry)
- Protein Bond OR 2-in-1 (Bond + Primer)
- Base coat (thin), cure
- Builder slip layer / thin coat, cure
- Builder thick coat — build and seal apex, cure
- File/buff to shape, wipe clean
- Color coat (optional, 1-2 coats), cure each
- Top coat, cure
Cycle time is broadly similar between LDS Color Craze and standard Lavis Gel Color. The Lavis Builder Gel BIAB sequence adds 8-12 minutes of service time compared to a standard gel polish appointment — that time is recovered in the per-service retail charge for a structured BIAB service. The bigger driver of wear and retention across both brands is nail prep — about 90% of retention is prep quality, only 10% is the polish itself.
Pricing & Where to Buy Wholesale at DTK
Both lines are available wholesale through DTK Nail Supply with Net-15 payment terms on qualifying orders. The home-studio tier starts at smaller order quantities than the multi-chair B2B tier.
LDS Color Craze ships as 72-color seasonal sets (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall), 36-color mid-tier sets, and 12-color starter sets. The 72-color Spring set is the strongest-moving SKU at the wholesale tier in DTK internal data. Color Craze also pairs naturally with LDS Universal Cat Eye toppers (12 finishes that layer over any cured Color Craze color) and LDS Fruit Cat Eye (12 dual-color magnetic shades).
Lavis Gel Color ships as 12-shade Cat Eye collections (CE1 through CE18), 24-shade C collections (C01 through C17), and three Builder Gel systems (BIAB B1+B2 at 72 shades, Builder in Bottle Ver2 at 36 shades, Builder in Jars at 18 shades). Lavis Diamond Top Coat is a required cross-sell for Cat Eye and Wave Gel finishes.
For the most accurate current pricing, log into dtknailsupply.com, request a wholesale account, and compare LDS Color Craze themed sets against the Lavis CE and C collections side-by-side.
FAQ
Q1: Is LDS Color Craze a dip powder or a gel polish?
LDS Color Craze is gel polish only. It is not a dip powder, not a 3-in-1, and does not have a matching lacquer line. The 3-in-1 LDS Healthy Gel format is a separate, older line that LDS is discontinuing — if a salon stocked LDS Healthy Gel previously and is migrating to Color Craze, it is a move from a 3-in-1 format to a gel-only format.
Q2: Is Lavis Gel Color HEMA-free?
All Lavis Cat Eye collections (CE1 through CE18) are HEMA-free per the Lavis product knowledge. Lavis Builder Gel B1 and B2 are HEMA-free AND TPO-free, which is the cleanest formula in the Lavis builder lineup. For HEMA status on specific shades in the C collections, refer to the current product page on dtknailsupply.com. Never claim "FDA approved" — gel polish in the US complies with FDA standards for approved ingredients, which is not the same as a registration.
Q3: Can I mix LDS Color Craze and Lavis Gel Color on the same nail?
Technically yes, but the base coat and top coat should be matched to one system for the most consistent cure and adhesion. The most common cross-brand workflow is to use one brand's base and top across the full set of nails, then pick color from either brand. LDS Universal Cat Eye toppers are designed to layer over any cured gel color base — including Lavis Gel Color. Test cure adhesion on a single nail before committing to a cross-brand setup for a paying client.
Q4: Which line is better for a home-studio owner building inventory for the first time?
The honest answer is "both, used for different roles." LDS Color Craze 36-color or 72-color themed sets cover seasonal shade rotation at the lowest effective per-bottle cost — strong opening stock for clients who book recurring standard manicures. Lavis covers the trend-forward role — one or two Cat Eye collections matching the season (CE1 Cozy Cashmere for fall, CE10 Beauty Bureau 9D for holiday), plus Lavis Builder Gel BIAB for the 4-week structured nail service. The cross-stock combination captures more clients than either brand alone.
Q5: How long do LDS Color Craze and Lavis Gel Color wear on the nail?
Both brands market wear in the standard professional-gel range — up to 14-21 days under normal client hand use. Lavis Builder Gel BIAB is marketed at up to 4 weeks when used as a structured base. Actual wear is dominated by prep quality (about 90% of retention is prep) and by client hand chemistry. A salon switching from one brand to the other should not expect to see a wear-time difference if prep discipline is consistent.
Q6: What is the difference between Lavis Gel Color CE collections and C collections?
CE collections (CE1-CE18) are Cat Eye magnetic gel polishes — 12 shades per collection, all HEMA-free, with 9D technology on CE7 and CE10. The CE line is built around the magnetic-particle effect. C collections (C01-C17) are specialty gel polishes — 24 shades per collection, organized by palette or effect (jelly, neon, red spectrum, pink spectrum, glitter, mocha, pastels). The C line is built around palette stories rather than magnetic effects, with some C collections including cat eye finishes mixed into the palette (C09 Morning Dewdrop, C10 Light of Dawn, C12 Candy Quartz, C14 Secret Garden).
Bottom Line
LDS Color Craze and Lavis Gel Color both sit in the higher-margin tier of the gel polish market at DTK. Both are real options for a US salon trying to capture per-service retail value without trading too far down on quality. But they are not solving the same operational problem.
LDS Color Craze solves "I need the deepest possible shade library for the dollar, sold in themed sets that match the season." 1,000+ shades, themed 72-color seasonal sets, 2.1% discount rate at DTK, mood-driven shade naming that gives the booth content angles for social media. Gel polish only, not 3-in-1.
Lavis Gel Color solves "I need a curated, trend-forward catalog where every collection earns its slot, with the strongest magnetic line on Cat Eye and the cleanest HEMA-free formula on Builder Gel." 18 CE collections, 17 C collections, three HEMA-free Builder Gel systems, fast-to-market new releases on Korean and Japanese trends.
For a 5-chair salon or a home studio building inventory thoughtfully, the smartest move is usually both — LDS Color Craze for the seasonal shade rotation and the breadth of choice on the menu, Lavis for the signature Cat Eye services, the structured Builder Gel BIAB work, and the trend-forward content. Both are available wholesale through DTK Nail Supply with Net-15 terms on qualifying orders. The cross-stock combination captures more clients and more service tickets than either line alone.
Sources: DTK Nail Supply internal product knowledge for LDS Color Craze sets (PK_LDS_2026_v2) and Lavis CE/C collections and Builder Gel systems (PK_LAVIS_2026_v2). For current wholesale pricing and Net-15 terms, log into dtknailsupply.com.