How Much Can You Earn As An Esthetician?

estheticians salary

Estheticians, also known as skin care specialists and aestheticians, are personal appearance specialists who focus on makeup artistry, hair removal, and facial and body skincare. It can be a lucrative career if you’re thinking about becoming an esthetician, depending upon a few factors. Everyone loves to pamper themselves now and again, and cosmetic skin experts use several skills to help clients feel and look their best.

An esthetician earns a little over $16 per hour on average, not including commissions, bonuses, and tips, from the sale of products, which can make up to twenty percent in salaries.

Skills Required for Esthetician Jobs

Through various therapies, estheticians help clients remove hair, improve acne, smooth the texture of the skin on the neck, face, and other parts of the body and reduce wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. These highly trained skin specialists perform several duties, including microdermabrasion, facials, extractions, chemical peels, waxing, makeup application, and more.

They are skilled and trained to recognize areas of the skin that are affected by specific problems and refer clients to medical practitioners if they feel it’s necessary for their health.

Esthetician jobs are typically described as medical esthetics; however, while they do need a license to practice their job, they are not physicians. They do not write out prescriptions, perform any duties that puncture the skin, or diagnose skin disorders.

These skills are exclusively practiced by dermatologists, who are medical doctors. Estheticians do work in dermatologists and plastic surgery offices, but their expertise is focused on complementary and support therapies for skincare. They also work in health spas, in their own independent offices or beauty salons.

How Much Do Estheticians Make

According to the U.S. BLS, in 2019, median hourly pay for estheticians was $16.39. The bottom ten percent made about $9.85 an hour, while the highest-paid skin specialists made more than $30 per hour. Esthetician overall wages and hourly pay can vary based on bonuses, tips, and product commissions. All of this can add an extra ten to twenty percent to their basic salary.

Esthetician positions are quite desired, with an industry growth that outranks many other job titles. In 2018, 71,800 estheticians were working in the U.S. That number is predicted to grow eleven percent by 2028, based on demand for services, mobile services, and new technologies. Some factors of its popularity include the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle, clients’ desire to reduce the outward effects of aging, an increasing number of spas.

[ Read: How to Become a Freelance Aesthetician ]

Esthetician School Requirements

While few high schools offer vocational training, estheticians generally fulfill their requirements for a license through esthetician school or separate state-run cosmetology. Not only do estheticians are trained about being a skin specialist, but they also learn about customer service and business operations. Most schools also offer continuing education classes, which allow students to stay abreast of the latest products and techniques. The cost of schooling can range from $3,000 to $10,000.

Every esthetician school requires students to pass both a physical, and a written exam to complete their courses and receive a license to practice. A student must also complete a specific number of hours for training. For instance, Illinois requires the completion of 750 hours, while California requires 600 hours for licensing. Some states also require periodic licensing renewals for various skills, such as chemical peels, eyelash extensions, or microdermabrasion, while other states have no such requirements.

Careers in Europe: The average esthetician salary in Germany is 34.945 € or an equivalent hourly rate of 17 €. 

Careers in Asia: The average esthetician salary in India is ₹2,41610 or an equivalent hourly rate of ₹116.

Job Growth Trend

According to the BLS, career prospects for estheticians is expected to grow by 14 percent between 2016 and 2026, which is quicker than the growth projected for all professions. The BLS does not break out the demand for medical or spa estheticians from its statistics.(1)