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Provide skincare treatments to face and body to enhance an individual's appearance. Includes electrologists and laser hair removal specialists.
Business skills. Skincare specialists who run their own salon must understand business principles, such as accounting, to manage a salon efficiently and profitably.
Customer-service skills. Skincare specialists should be friendly and courteous to their clients to encourage repeat business.
Initiative. Self-employed skincare specialists generate their own business opportunities and must be proactive in finding new clients.
Physical stamina. Skincare specialists spend most of their day standing.
Tidiness. Workers must keep their work area clean and sanitary for the health and safety of their clients. They also must keep a neat personal appearance to increase the likelihood that clients will return.
Time-management skills. Skincare specialists need to manage their time efficiently for scheduling appointments and providing services.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
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99% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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99% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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98% | Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. | |
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96% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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93% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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92% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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91% | Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job. | |
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89% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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85% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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84% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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72% | Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. | |
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66% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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65% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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63% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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56% | Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. | |
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53% | Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
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95% | Enterprising - Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law. | |
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61% | Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services. | |
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61% | Social - Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
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67% | Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. | |
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67% | Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy. | |
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61% | Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
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72% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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72% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |
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66% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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63% | Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. | |
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63% | Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |
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56% | Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. | |
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56% | Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |
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53% | Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. | |
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53% | Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. | |
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53% | Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
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99% | Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people? | |
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92% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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91% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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90% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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85% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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82% | Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions? | |
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81% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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74% | Level of Competition - To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures? | |
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72% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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71% | Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls? | |
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69% | Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job? | |
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66% | Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job? | |
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62% | Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets? | |
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61% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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59% | Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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58% | Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing? | |
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56% | Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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55% | Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting? | |
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53% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
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93% | Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests. | |
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71% | Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients. | |
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70% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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68% | Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions. | |
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68% | Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. | |
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65% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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64% | Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials. | |
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63% | Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. | |
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61% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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56% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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55% | Providing Consultation and Advice to Others - Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics. |
Skincare specialists, also known as estheticians, provide cleansing and other face and body treatments to enhance a person’s appearance.
Skincare specialists typically do the following:
Skincare specialists give facials, full-body treatments, and head and neck massages to improve the health and appearance of the skin. Some provide other skincare treatments to remove dead or dry skin, such as masks, peels, and scrubs. They also may provide eyelash services, makeup application, and hair removal.
In addition, these specialists create daily skincare routines for clients based on skin analysis and help them understand which products will work best for them.
Those who operate their own salons have managerial duties that include hiring, firing, and supervising workers, as well as keeping business and inventory records, ordering supplies, and arranging for advertising.
Skincare specialists held about 82,000 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of skincare specialists were as follows:
| Personal care services | 53% |
| Self-employed workers | 24 |
| Offices of physicians | 9 |
| Health and personal care retailers | 5 |
| Traveler accommodation | 3 |
Skincare specialists usually work in salons and beauty and health spas. Some work in medical offices. Skincare specialists may have to stand for extended periods of time.
Because skincare specialists must evaluate the condition of the skin, good lighting and clean surroundings are important. Protective clothing and good ventilation also may be necessary, because skincare specialists often use chemicals on the face and body.
Part-time work is common for skincare specialists. Work schedules may vary and include evenings and weekends.
Skincare specialists must complete a state-approved cosmetology or esthetician program and then pass a state exam for licensure.
To enter the occupation, skincare specialists typically must complete a state-approved cosmetology or esthetician program. Although some high schools may offer vocational training, most people receive their training from a postsecondary vocational school. The Associated Skin Care Professionals organization offers a State Regulation Guide, downloadable as a PDF, on its Requirements by State page.
After completing an approved cosmetology or esthetician program, skincare specialists take a written and practical exam to get a state license. Licensing requirements vary by state, so those interested should contact their state board.
The National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology and American Association of Cosmetology Schools provide contact information for state licensing boards. Resources about exam and licensing requirements include sample exam questions.
Many states offer continuing education seminars and programs designed to keep skincare specialists current on new techniques and products. Post-licensing training is also available through manufacturers, associations, and at trade shows.
State reciprocity agreements may allow licensed skincare specialists to get a license in another state without needing additional formal training or state board testing. Contact your state licensing agency for details.
Employment of skincare specialists is projected to grow 9 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 12,400 openings for skincare specialists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The projected increase in employment reflects demand for services being offered, such as mini-sessions (quick facials at a lower cost) and mobile facials (making house calls) directly from skincare specialists rather than hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists. Employment growth also should result from the desire among many women and a growing number of men who seek out skincare services to reduce the effects of aging, to look good on social media platforms, and to lead a healthier lifestyle through better grooming.
For information about skincare specialists and a state regulation guide, visit
Associated Skin Care Professionals (ASCP)
For information about education and cosmetology schools, visit
For information about the spa industry, visit
International Spa Association (ISPA)
For information about state licensing, practice exams, and other resources, visit
American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS)
National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC)
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of skincare specialists.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Barbers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists |
Barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists provide haircutting, hairstyling, and other services related to personal appearance. |
Postsecondary nondegree award | $33,400 |
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Manicurists and Pedicurists |
Manicurists and pedicurists clean, shape, and beautify fingernails and toenails. |
Postsecondary nondegree award | $31,130 |
|
Massage Therapists |
Massage therapists treat clients by applying pressure to manipulate the body's soft tissues and joints. |
Postsecondary nondegree award | $49,860 |