In the United States, estheticians—called “skincare specialists” by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)—provide appearance-focused skin care and related services. To enter the field, you generally complete a state-approved esthetics or cosmetology program and meet your state’s examination and licensing requirements. Those rules, permitted services, and wages vary by location.
What does an esthetician do?
The BLS describes skincare specialists as providing cleansing and other face and body treatments to enhance a person’s appearance. Their work may include assessing a client’s skin, discussing suitable services, and recommending skin-care products. Estheticians may also teach clients about skin care and makeup, clean skin before makeup application, and remove unwanted hair.
Depending on training, workplace, and state scope-of-practice rules, services may include facials, masks, peels, scrubs, full-body treatments, head and neck massage, makeup application, eyelash services, and hair removal. Specialists also clean work areas and disinfect equipment before and after procedures. The BLS notes that protective clothing may be necessary when chemicals are used.
Estheticians do not diagnose or treat medical skin conditions as part of the appearance-focused role described by the BLS. They should refer clients with serious skin problems to an appropriate specialist, such as a dermatologist.
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How do you become an esthetician?
In general, the path is to identify your state’s licensing requirements, complete an approved program or other qualifying route, and pass the required examination. The BLS says many states require written and practical exams after an approved program, but the exact rules are state-specific. Renewal, reciprocity, and permitted services can also depend on state law.
- Check your state regulator’s current rules. Confirm approved education routes, minimum hours, exams, fees, renewal requirements, and scope of practice with the state agency that licenses estheticians or cosmetology professionals.
- Choose a qualifying education route. Verify that the program is approved for your intended license before enrolling. Ask the regulator whether any alternative pathway applies to you.
- Complete the required training and examinations. Follow your state’s requirements for coursework and any theory, practical, or procedural tests.
- Apply for licensure before providing regulated services. Check whether your state requires additional steps, and confirm how its rules apply to the workplace and services you plan to offer.
Why state requirements matter: California and Pennsylvania examples
California’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology lists a 600-hour minimum for its approved esthetician course. Its curriculum includes 100 hours of health and safety, 100 hours of disinfection and sanitation, 350 hours of skin care, and 50 hours of hair removal and lash and brow beautification. California describes skin-care work such as cleansing, massaging, exfoliating, stimulating, and beautifying without destroying live tissue; its listed temporary hair-removal methods exclude laser or light-wave hair removal.
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Pennsylvania’s licensing snapshot lists 300 hours of skin-care instruction in a licensed cosmetology school, followed by a state theory and procedural examination. Its definition includes facial massage, cosmetic preparations, hair removal by tweezers, depilatories, or wax, and eyelash or eyebrow dyeing. These examples are not a nationwide comparison: check the current requirements with your own state regulator before choosing a program or offering services.
How much do estheticians earn?
The BLS reported a national median wage of $21.79 per hour, or $45,330 per year, for skincare specialists in May 2025. In that same BLS profile, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $14.22 per hour, while the highest 10 percent earned more than $39.45 per hour. These are occupational wage figures, not guaranteed pay for a particular job or schedule.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesMedian hourly wages differed by selected industry in May 2025:
| Industry | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|
| Offices of physicians | $24.81 |
| Traveler accommodation | $21.75 |
| Personal care services | $21.10 |
| Health and personal care retailers | $20.15 |
These industry medians are national BLS figures for May 2025. An individual’s earnings also depend on location, hours, employment arrangement, and workplace. Part-time work is common; schedules may vary and include evenings and weekends. Self-employed estheticians may have different business costs and income patterns from employees, so an hourly or annual employee wage is not a direct forecast of self-employment income.
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Where do estheticians work, and what is the job outlook?
Estheticians commonly work in salons and beauty or health spas. Some are self-employed, and others work in medical offices. The BLS’s 2025 employment distribution lists personal-care services as 52% of jobs, self-employed workers as 29%, offices of physicians as 6%, health and personal-care retailers as 3%, and traveler accommodation as 3%.
The BLS projects employment of skincare specialists to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, from 104,200 jobs in 2025 to 113,300 in 2035. It estimates about 14,200 openings per year on average over that period; many are expected to arise because workers transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force. These are BLS projections, not a guarantee of a job or a particular local growth rate.
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How to compare esthetician career options
National wage figures can help set context, but they do not show what a specific job or business will pay in your area. Before investing in training or accepting a position, compare the factors that affect both take-home income and the work you are permitted to do:
- Local demand and pay: Review state and metropolitan-area employment and wage data rather than relying only on the national median.
- Workplace: Compare salons, spas, medical offices, retailers, and other settings; the services, client flow, and compensation structure can differ.
- Employee or self-employed arrangement: Clarify whether pay is hourly, salary-based, commission-based, or tied to operating your own business, and account for any costs that apply.
- Hours and client volume: Ask about expected weekly hours, evening or weekend shifts, appointment volume, and how cancellations or slower periods affect earnings.
- License and service scope: Confirm that the services you want to provide are allowed under current rules where you will practice.
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile, last modified August 27, 2026, provides national wage and employment data; its wages refer to May 2025 and its outlook covers 2025–2035. State licensing details can change, so verify them directly with the regulator.
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