South Carolina Esthetician License Requirements

South Carolina licenses estheticians through the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) Board of Cosmetology. You must complete 450 hours of skin care training, pass Prov's NIC exam, and apply for your license.

1. Meet the basic eligibility rules. You must be at least 16 years old with at least a 10th-grade education or equivalent.
2. Complete 450 hours of skin care classes at an LLR-approved school, or comparable Board-approved training.
3. Submit your application by examination. Pay the $45 application fee along with identification, education records, and your school transcript showing completed hours. Your application is valid for one year from receipt.
4. Take the NIC exam through Prov. Once LLR approves your application, Prov will notify you to register for the theory and practical exam. You need a minimum score of 75% on each.
5. Receive your license. LLR issues your license once Prov sends your passing score report directly to the Board.

South Carolina requires 450 hours of skin care classes at an LLR-approved cosmetology school, or comparable training approved by the Board. This is separate from South Carolina's 1,500-hour cosmetologist curriculum and 300-hour nail technician curriculum.

Applicants actively licensed in another state for less than two years may substitute that active license for the 450-hour requirement, provided they still pass the NIC theory and practical exam.

South Carolina uses Prov to administer the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) theory and practical exam for estheticians.

Registration

Your LLR application must be approved before Prov will authorize you to test. Once approved, Prov notifies you to register and schedule directly with them at provexam.com or (801) 733-4455; exam fees are paid directly to Prov, which sets its own fee schedule.

Passing Score and Retakes

You need a minimum score of 75% on both the theory and practical portions. Applications are only valid for a single testing attempt — if you fail one or both portions, you must submit a new application, pay the application fee again, and pay a $45 Repeat Examination Request fee. Your completed training hours must be used to test within 24 months of completion, though applicants who tested within that window may continue testing past it under a January 2024 policy change.

South Carolina esthetician licenses renew every odd year, expiring March 10 at 11:59 pm. The renewal fee is $52.

Continuing Education

If this is not your first renewal, you must complete 4 hours of Board-approved continuing education specific to Board laws and regulations, client safety, and/or infection control (sanitation and disinfection) during each licensing period. CE can be completed in-person or online through a Board-approved provider. You're exempt from CE if you've held your license for at least 15 consecutive years and are 60 or older, or held continuous licensure for at least 30 years and are 50 or older, with no board discipline.

How to Renew

Renew online through the LLR online renewal system. If you miss the March 10 deadline, you must submit a reinstatement application ($152) with proof of the required CE, which increases the longer your license stays lapsed.

South Carolina defines "Esthetician" in S.C. Code § 40-13-20(5) as a person licensed to practice skin care, make-up, or similar work, for the sole purpose of beautifying the skin. Combined with the cosmetology practices defined in § 40-13-20(2)(b), a licensed South Carolina esthetician may, for compensation:

• Skin care and beautification: Use cosmetic preparations, antiseptics, lotions, creams, and chemical preparations to cleanse, stimulate, manipulate, or beautify the scalp, legs, feet, face, neck, arms, and hands
• Make-up application
• Hair removal: Wax and tweeze

Estheticians — including independent contractors who rent or lease space in a beauty salon — must practice in a licensed beauty salon or booth. You can verify any license through the LLR Licensee Lookup tool.