Arkansas State Board of Cosmetology

Arkansas regulates cosmetology through the Cosmetology Section of the Arkansas Department of Health, with rule-making guided by the Cosmetology Technical Advisory Committee (CTAC), a panel of industry members that meets several times a year in Little Rock. The Section licenses and disciplines cosmetologists, estheticians (aestheticians), manicurists, electrologists, instructors, salons, and cosmetology schools. Barbering is licensed separately by the Arkansas Board of Barber Examiners under the Department of Labor and Licensing, so it falls outside this Section's authority.

The Cosmetology Section's office is at 4815 W. Markham Street, Slot #8, in Little Rock, sharing a building with the Department of Health's Body Art and Massage Therapy programs, which are licensed separately. Licensees and applicants can reach the office by phone, fax, email at Cosmo@arkansas.gov, or in person during business hours, and most transactions — renewals, salon applications, certification requests — can also be completed online through the Section's licensing system, known as CLIPS.

Phone and office support run Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM, and the office is closed weekends and all published state holidays. Newly issued or renewed licenses are typically mailed within 10 to 14 days; licensees who haven't received one in that window are asked to call the office directly rather than resubmit an application.

Arkansas recognizes five personal license disciplines — Cosmetologist, Esthetician, Manicurist, Electrologist, and Instructor — alongside Establishment (salon) licenses and School licenses. Personal licenses renew every two years on the licensee's birthday, and the state does not require continuing education to renew a Cosmetologist, Esthetician, Manicurist, or Electrologist license; Instructors are the exception and must complete eight hours of continuing education to renew.

Under Arkansas Code §17-26-319, licenses for cosmetologists, estheticians, manicurists, electrologists, and instructors expire on a two-year cycle tied to the licensee's birthday. Establishment and school licenses run on a different schedule: at the time of licensing, the owner chooses to renew annually on December 31, biennially on December 31, or biennially on their own birthday alongside their personal license.

Practitioner renewals cost $50 and are most commonly completed online through CLIPS, the Section's licensing portal, where licensees log in, confirm their contact information, and pay by card. Renewals can also be completed by mail or in person at the Little Rock office. A newly renewed license is typically mailed within 10 to 14 days of a successful payment.

State law requires a renewal application and fee to be submitted within 30 days after the license's expiration date. A license that lapses past that point can still be reinstated for up to five years by paying a reinstatement fee equal to 50% of the renewal fee, but the license holder may not legally work while the license is expired. After five years, the license cannot simply be reinstated — the holder must file a Lapsed License application and retake the licensing examination.

Instructors must complete eight hours of continuing education to renew, a requirement that does not apply to the other four practitioner disciplines. Separately, Arkansas law allows a veteran whose cosmetology-related license lapsed to have it renewed without retesting, and licensees 55 or older with 20 or more years in the field may apply for a lifetime license instead of continuing to renew biennially.

The Cosmetology Section investigates complaints against licensed cosmetologists, estheticians, manicurists, electrologists, instructors, and salons, focusing on issues such as sanitation and health violations, unlicensed practice, and other breaches of Arkansas's cosmetology law and rules. The Section does not act as an intermediary in private disputes over refunds or service quality unrelated to licensing violations.

Complaints are filed online through the Complaint and Feedback Form on the Department of Health's cosmetology webpage, which is shared with the Section's Body Art and Massage Therapy programs. The form requires the complainant's name, contact information, and a description of the incident — Arkansas does not accept anonymous complaints, and a copy of the complaint may be shared with the party being complained against as part of resolving the matter.

Because a filed complaint becomes a record subject to disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, a complainant's name and statements can be released if someone requests a copy, and the complainant may be required to testify if the matter proceeds to a formal hearing.