Beauty Education & Career Guide

Get answers to your frequently asked questions.

Get answers to commonly asked questions about beauty industry. Whether it's about how to pay for school, whether the beauty school you're considering is legitimate or what it takes to get a license in your state, use this page to learn more about education and careers in the beauty arts and sciences. We've got tons of information about all the essential beauty services: cosmetology, esthetics and skin care, nail technology, barbering, hair design, teaching cosmetology, makeup artistry, electrolysis and laser hair removal, salon and spa management and massage therapy! Check out the Q&As below to find information about everything from enrolling in cosmetology school to finding the perfect beauty career once you've graduated. We're here to help!

Vital Beauty Industry Statistics

According to IBISWorld, the Professional Beauty Association and Beauty Salon Industry Analysis, the field of cosmetology has not taken a significant turn for the worse in response to the struggling economy, as opposed to other career fields in the past several years:

  • In 2010 beauty salon industry analysis estimates there are roughly 739,042 beauty salons, barber shops and spas in the U.S.
  • The employment of skin care specialists is projected to grow by 38% through 2018.
  • Personal appearance workers will grow by 20% from 2008 to 2018, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.
  • In the first quarter of 2010, services sales, retail sales, employee hiring, and capital expenditures rose a 0.5%. In this beauty salon industry analysis, business owners remain optimistic about future industry growth.

According to the NACCAS 2007 Job Demand Survey:

There were more than 1,680,000 professionals working in more than 370,000 beauty salons, skin care salons, nail salons and barber shops in January 2007.

Since 2003:

  • The number of salons is up 18%.
  • The number of workstations/chairs is unchanged.
  • The number of employees leaving their beauty jobs is down 13%.
  • The number of new hires (turnover) is down 15%.

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