Pennsylvania Esthetician License Requirements

Pennsylvania requires 300 hours of skin care training and a theory examination to earn an esthetician license. The State Board of Cosmetology under the Department of State issues the license, which is a limited license covering skin care services only.

1. Meet the age and education requirements. You must be at least 16 years old and have completed a 10th grade education or its equivalent. The education requirement is waived if you are over 35 years of age or a veteran.
2. Enroll in a licensed cosmetology school. Your 300 hours of skin care instruction must be completed at a school licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology.
3. Complete 300 hours of instruction in skin care. Your school documents your hours for the Board.
4. Apply for the examination. Submit your application through the PALS portal. The application fee is $26, plus a $93 fee to the testing organization — $119 total.
5. Pass the theory examination. Pearson VUE administers the exam. Pennsylvania does not require a practical exam.
6. Receive your Pennsylvania esthetician license. Your license renews every two years.

Pennsylvania requires a minimum of 300 hours of instruction in skin care to qualify for the esthetician examination. This is one of the lower hour requirements in the country — many states require 600 hours — so Pennsylvania esthetician license candidates can often finish school in a few months of full-time study.

To qualify for training and examination, you must:

• Be at least 16 years of age
• Have completed a 10th grade education or its equivalent, unless you are over 35 years of age or a veteran
• Complete your 300 hours at a cosmetology school licensed by the State Board of Cosmetology

Training covers the practice of esthetics as defined in Pennsylvania law: facial massage, application of cosmetic preparations, antiseptics, tonics, lotions, and creams to the face, hair removal by tweezers, depilatories, or waxes, eyelash perming, and the dyeing of eyelashes and eyebrows.

If you plan to go further, note that Pennsylvania's full cosmetologist license requires 1,250 hours and covers esthetician and nail technician services without additional licensure. Estheticians who want to teach can pursue a limited license teacher credential with 500 additional hours in a teacher curriculum.

Pennsylvania requires a theory examination only for the esthetician license. The state eliminated the practical (hands-on) examination on November 25, 2014, so you will not demonstrate services on a model or mannequin.

Examination Details

The exam is developed, administered, and scored by Pearson VUE, Pennsylvania's testing organization since July 2011. Pennsylvania does not use the NIC national examination — the state board exam is specific to Pennsylvania. The fee paid to the testing organization is $93, in addition to the $26 application fee to the Board.

How to Apply

1. Complete your 300 hours of skin care instruction at a licensed cosmetology school.
2. Submit your examination application and $26 fee through the PALS portal.
3. Pay the $93 examination fee and schedule your theory exam at a Pearson VUE testing center.
4. Pass the exam to receive your Pennsylvania esthetician license.

Keep your exam knowledge current even after licensure — if your license lapses for more than five years, Pennsylvania requires you to retake the examination through Pearson VUE before the license can be reactivated.

Pennsylvania esthetician licenses renew on a biennial (two-year) cycle and expire on January 31. The renewal fee is $97.00. Pennsylvania does not require continuing education hours to renew an esthetician license — renewal is a matter of paying the fee before the expiration date.

How to Renew Online

1. Log in to the PALS portal (Pennsylvania Licensing System).
2. Scroll to your license number on your dashboard and click the green pencil icon next to it to open the renewal.
3. Complete the renewal application and pay the $97 fee by credit or debit card.
4. Allow seven to ten business days to receive your renewed license in the mail.

Expired Licenses

If your Pennsylvania esthetician license has been expired for less than five years, you can reactivate it through PALS by submitting a reactivation application and paying by credit or debit card. If the license has been expired for more than five years, you must retake the examination through Pearson VUE before the Board will reactivate it. Do not perform esthetics services on an expired license.

The Pennsylvania esthetician license is a limited license issued by the State Board of Cosmetology. It authorizes skin care services only — not hair or nail services. Under 49 Pa. Code § 7.1, esthetics is defined as:

• Massaging the face
• Applying cosmetic preparations, antiseptics, tonics, lotions, or creams to the face
• Removing superfluous hair by tweezers, depilatories, or waxes
• Eyelash perming
• Dyeing eyelashes and eyebrows

The definition includes the use of industry standard mechanical and electrical apparatus and appliances in performing these services.

What Estheticians Cannot Do

A Pennsylvania esthetician license does not authorize cutting, coloring, or styling hair, or performing manicures and pedicures. Those services require a cosmetologist or nail technician license. A licensed cosmetologist, by contrast, may perform any esthetician or nail technician service without additional licensure.

Estheticians must work in a licensed salon. If you want to operate your own skin care business, the location must hold an esthetician salon license from the Board, which carries its own application and biennial renewal requirements.