Louisiana Esthetician License Requirements

Louisiana licenses estheticians through the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology (LSBC). You must complete a 750-hour esthetics curriculum, pass a national theory exam through Prometric plus a hands-on practical exam administered directly by the LSBC, and apply for your certificate of registration.

1. Complete 750 hours in an LSBC-approved school’s esthetician curriculum. You must be at least 16 years old and have training equivalent to a completed 10th grade education.
2. Apply for your exams. Your school submits your student registration certificate, cumulative hours report, and photo to the Board along with the $25 initial license fee and applicable exam fees.
3. Pass the National Esthetics Theory Examination ($25), a 90-minute, 110-item exam administered by Prometric through the iqttesting.com portal.
4. Pass the LSBC practical exam ($25), held at an LSBC testing facility. Bring your own model, mannequin, and full supply kit (waxing, facial, and lash lift/tint products) — you will perform a facial, brow/lip wax, and lash lift and tint under evaluation.
5. Receive your certificate of registration once both exams are passed and all fees are paid, before providing any paid services.

Louisiana requires 750 hours in an approved cosmetology school’s esthetician curriculum under R.S. 37:582(B)(2) and LSBC rule. Applicants must also meet the age-16 minimum and have training equivalent to a completed 10th-grade education (a full high school diploma or GED is required only at postsecondary schools).

Some schools set their own hour requirements above the 750-hour state minimum, so check your specific program’s catalog. Schools must furnish each student a mannequin for practice and for use in the practical exam, and must maintain hour reports on file for at least three years.

Louisiana splits its esthetician exam into two parts administered by two different entities — a structure unique among neighboring states.

National Theory Exam (Prometric)

The National Esthetics Theory Examination is developed by the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) and administered by Prometric through the iqttesting.com scheduling portal — not PSI, which handles Louisiana’s barber licensing but not cosmetology/esthetics. The exam runs 90 minutes and covers 110 items (100 scored) on scientific concepts (infection control, anatomy, skin histology, disorders), skin analysis, and esthetic services and treatments. The state fee is $25.

Practical Exam (LSBC)

Unlike the theory exam, Louisiana’s practical exam is administered in person by LSBC evaluators, not by Prometric. You must arrive with two forms of unexpired ID, your registration letter from LSBC, and a full kit of supplies and products; you will perform a 20-minute facial, a 10-minute brow and lip wax, and a 30-minute lash lift and tint on your own model. Entry closes strictly at 9:00 a.m., and the fee is $25.

Retakes

A $25 fee applies to retake either exam, and the same fee applies if you fail to give the Board seven days’ notice (or 24 hours in an emergency) before a scheduled exam you do not attend.

Louisiana esthetician certificates of registration renew annually under R.S. 37:599. Effective August 1, 2025, the Board raised the resident license fee to $35, which applies to both your initial certificate and each annual renewal.

No Continuing Education for Practicing Estheticians

Louisiana does not require continuing education hours to renew an esthetician license. The Board’s 16-hour continuing education seminar requirement under LAC 46:XXXI.505 applies only to licensed cosmetology instructors, not to practicing cosmetologists, estheticians, manicurists, or shampoo assistants.

How to Renew

Renew online through the Board’s PayStar payment portal, or mail in the paper renewal form found on the LSBC website if you cannot locate your license number. If your certificate has been expired for up to three years, you can restore it by paying double the applicable renewal fee for each year it lapsed (capped at $300); after three years, a restoration exam is required.

Louisiana defines the esthetician scope of practice in R.S. 37:563(7)–(8). A licensed Louisiana esthetician (a person who practices “esthetics”) may engage in one or a combination of the following:

• Facial and body treatments: Massaging the face or neck; stimulating, cleansing, or beautifying the face, neck, arms, bust, upper body, legs, or feet by hand or with mechanical or electrical apparatus, including microdermabrasion, epidermabrasion, or particle exfoliation using board-approved equipment and methods
• Eyebrow and eyelash services: Dyeing or trimming eyebrows, and applying natural or artificial enhancements to eyelashes
• Hair removal: By cosmetic preparation, threading, waxing, or other similar means (not electrolysis)
• Cosmetic preparations: Using antiseptics, soaps, tonics, lotions, or creams while performing the services above

Louisiana law is explicit that esthetics excludes diagnosing, treating, or providing therapy for any dermatological condition, and excludes electrolysis hair removal, which is regulated separately. Every esthetician must hold a current LSBC certificate of registration, and services must be performed in a licensed beauty shop, salon, or approved mobile/home-care setting. You can verify any license through the Board’s license search.