Asian J Beauty Cosmetol. 2008; 6(2): 75-94.

A Study on the Cosmetologist Licensure System in the USA

The purpose of this study is to compare the cosmetologist licensure system of Korea and that of U.S. Licensure refers to work in a particular profession or to obtain a privilege. Many privileges and professions require a license from the government in order to ensure that the public will not be harmed by the incompetence of the practitioners. All States require cosmetologist and other personal appearance workers to be licensed. Qualifications for a license vary by State, but generally a person must have a high school diploma or GED, be at least 16 years old, and have graduated from a State-licensed cosmetology school. The cosmetologist licensure system in all states of America differ from that of Korea significantly, and therefore, we need to refer to their system. First, only those who finished 1,000-2,100 hours or 2 years of training are qualified to apply for the license test. Second, besides cosmetologist license, there are esthetician and manicurist licenses as specialty branches. Some states have hair stylist's license. Third, cosmetology school curriculum includes safety and health, and business practice. On the other hand, cosmetologist licensure system is not stable yet. Therefore, we should continue to study other countries' well established systems.

Keywords : cosmetologist licensure system, cosmetologist, esthetician, manicurist