jobfacts

Beauticians and related occupations

SOC 2020 6222

Beauticians and related workers give facial and body beauty treatments, apply cosmetics and dress wigs.

Also calledBeauty consultantBeauticianBeauty brand ambassadorBeauty therapistMake-up artistMedia make-up artistand 38 more titles
Typical full-time pay£24,1002025 Provisional
People in the job90,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month1,200↓ 10%on last year · 159th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time beauticians and related occupations earn, 2025
£24,100 typical£21,00025%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%£21,000
Median£24,100
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
More than half (70%) of beauticians and related occupations work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed beauticians and related occupations earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median £24,100
Scotland!£29,000
South West!£28,600
South East!£23,200
West Midlands!£23,100
East Midlands!£22,600
East of England!£21,700
North West!£19,700
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £24,100
Scotland£29,000 (small sample)
South West£28,600 (small sample)
South East£23,200 (small sample)
West Midlands£23,100 (small sample)
East Midlands£22,600 (small sample)
East of England£21,700 (small sample)
North West£19,700 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 2 years
  • 2023 £19,300
  • 2025 Provisional£24,100
↑ 25% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,200 jobs for beauticians and related occupations are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,087
Jul 20261,263
Jun 20261,231
May 20261,289
Apr 20261,252
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,198
Jan 20261,298
Dec 2025558
Nov 20251,255
Oct 20251,469
Sept 20251,406
Aug 20251,519
Jul 20251,580
Jun 20251,577
May 20251,666
Apr 20251,483
Mar 20251,485
Feb 20251,315
Jan 20251,160
Dec 2024621
Nov 20241,062
Oct 20241,415
Sept 20241,429
Aug 20241,616
Jul 20241,683
Jun 20241,771
May 20241,851
Apr 20241,586
Mar 20241,165
Feb 20241,188
Jan 20241,395
Dec 2023837
Nov 2023678
Oct 20231,044
Sept 2023706
Aug 20231,014
Jul 2023934
Jun 20231,612
May 20231,699
Apr 20231,499
Mar 20231,521
Feb 20231,402
Jan 20231,550
Dec 20221,150
Nov 20221,358
Oct 20221,613
Sept 20221,486
Aug 20221,600
Jul 20221,442
Jun 20221,241
May 20221,733
Apr 20221,114
Mar 20221,206
Feb 20221,224
Jan 20221,208
Dec 20211,016
Nov 20211,081
Oct 20211,285
Sept 20211,199
Aug 20211,157
Jul 20211,224
Jun 20211,095
May 20211,001
Apr 2021722
Mar 2021690
Feb 2021250
Jan 2021205
Dec 2020356
Nov 2020398
Oct 2020496
Sept 2020588
Aug 2020570
Jul 2020309
Jun 2020360
May 2020282
Apr 2020591
Mar 20201,301
Feb 20201,626
Jan 20201,653
Dec 20191,061
Nov 20191,630
Oct 20191,665
Sept 20191,794
Aug 20191,654
Jul 20191,881
Jun 20191,649
May 20191,581
Apr 20191,158
Mar 20191,260
Feb 20191,210
Jan 20191,312
Dec 2018881
Nov 20181,575
Oct 20181,723
Sept 20181,770
Aug 20181,863
Jul 20182,627
Jun 20182,447
May 20181,975
Apr 20181,934
Mar 20181,818
Feb 20181,848
Jan 20181,961
Dec 20171,129
Nov 20171,847
Oct 20172,180
Sept 20171,752
Aug 20171,840
Jul 20172,018
Jun 20172,695
May 20173,557
Apr 20172,831
Mar 20173,434
Feb 20172,591
Jan 20173,497
Is there a shortage of beauticians and related occupations?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density, hours and earnings due to proportion of self employed workers.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
47%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for hairdressers and related services, which includes beauticians and related occupations. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London884
Manchester79
Birmingham76
City of Edinburgh73
Leeds61
Glasgow City56
Bristol, City of52
Newcastle upon Tyne40
Cardiff38
Liverpool37
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where beauticians and related occupations are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 16 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, Japan, Pakistan, ranking it 194th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of beauticians and related occupations
21%!
28%!
30%
12%!
7.5%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2421% (small sample)
25–3428% (small sample)
35–4430%
45–5412% (small sample)
55–647.5% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent18%
Higher education below degree!11%
A levels or equivalent35%
GCSEs or equivalent23%
Other qualifications!7%
No qualifications!3%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent18%
Higher education below degree11% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent35%
GCSEs or equivalent23%
Other qualifications7% (small sample)
No qualifications3% (small sample)

Main employers: hairdressing and other beauty treatment (86%), retail sale of cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores (2.3%), manufacture of perfumes and toilet preparations (1.9%), other personal service activities nec (1.3%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
18%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 35%
Apprenticeships
3
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
1 to 18 months
typically
Self-employed
70%
of people in the job

Routes in

Beauty consultant

You can get into this job through:

College

You could take a course at college to learn some of the skills you need for this job. Courses include:

  • beauty consultancy
  • beauty therapy
  • cosmetic make-up and beauty consultancy

You could also take a more general course in retail, sales or customer service, which may help you to get a trainee job.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Beauty Therapist Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This takes between 1 and 2 years to complete and is a mix of workplace training and off-the-job study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could work in retail sales in a department store, then apply for a consultant's position with a beauty concession counter that operates in the store.

Apply directly

You may be able to apply directly for jobs if you have experience in retail sales, make-up or beauty therapy.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Employers will look for people with a keen interest in make-up and skin care products.

To expand your knowledge, you could:

  • follow trends and cosmetics 'influencers' on social media
  • trial new products and write online reviews
  • do your own social media, make-up or skin-care tutorials
Further information

You can find out more about careers in beauty consultancy and therapy from the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for beauty consultant. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Beauty therapist

You can get into this job through:

College

You could study for a college qualification, which may help when you apply for jobs as a trainee in a salon or spa.

Courses include:

  • beauty therapy
  • massage therapy
  • aromatherapy
  • nail technology
  • beauty specialist techniques
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do a Beauty Therapist Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, or Advanced Beauty Therapist Level 3 Apprenticeship.

These typically take up to 2 years to complete and combine work-based training with periods of study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as a beauty therapy assistant in a salon or spa. You could then study for a qualification while you're working.

Other routes

You could take beauty therapy courses with private training providers, that can be found by searching online.

It's important to research and compare exactly what is included in courses, whether they lead to a recognised qualification and what the costs are.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Advertised pay rates are often listed as full-time equivalent (FTE) or pro rata. Actual pay will depend on the number of hours you work each week or month.

Professional and industry bodies

You may find it useful to get professional recognition by joining a register like the Guild of Beauty Therapists.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in beauty therapy from the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority and the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for beauty therapist. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Make-up artist

You can get into this job through:

University

You can do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or a degree in make-up, such as:

  • make-up for media and performance
  • media make-up artistry
  • theatrical, fashion and special effects make-up

Subjects that show your creativity can be useful for getting on to university make-up artistry courses.

These include:

  • art and design
  • performing arts
  • drama or theatre studies

You'll usually need a print or online portfolio of your work and ideas for course applications and interviews.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could study for a college qualification in:

  • make-up
  • theatrical and media make-up
  • make-up artistry
  • hair and media make-up
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship, for example:

  • Beauty Therapy Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Hairdressing Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Hair, Wigs, Make-up and Prosthetics Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

With a qualification in hair or beauty and practical experience, you may be able to apply for assistant make-up artist jobs.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start out as a trainee or assistant to a make-up team, or find casual work doing make-up and hair for extras in crowd scenes.

You could get experience in salon, wedding and events make-up. You might also work in cosmetics sales, and build a professional portfolio to demonstrate your skills.

Volunteering

You could volunteer behind the scenes in theatres or amateur dramatic societies to get some experience.

Other routes

You can do specialist make-up and beauty courses through commercial beauty schools.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

It's a good idea to get practical experience and put together a portfolio of work to show employers what you can do.

You could:

  • get involved with amateur theatre
  • take part in student film, theatre and photography projects
  • help out at charity or student fashion shows
  • work shadow an established make-up artist or photographic stylist
Further information

You can find out more about careers in stage and screen make-up from ScreenSkills and Get Into Theatre.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for make-up artist. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Nail technician

You can get into this job through:

College

You could begin by taking a college course, for example:

  • nail technology
  • nail treatments
  • nail art

Some colleges will offer nail services as part of a beauty therapy course.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could take a Nail Services Technician Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This typically takes 1 year to complete and is a mix of workplace learning and day-release for study.

Entry requirements

To do this apprenticeship, you'll need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Work your way up

If you can show a real interest in nail art and have some skills in it, you may be able to get a job as a trainee with a nail salon or beauty spa and learn on the job.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Working part time in a nail bar or beauty salon will help you learn about different treatments and allow you to develop your customer service and salon skills.

Nail technicians often work freelance. If you're thinking about being self-employed it's useful to find out what sort of business skills you'll need.

Further information

You can find out more about working in the beauty industry from the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for nail technician. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Tattooist and body piercer

You can get into this job through:

Work your way up

You could start as an assistant in a tattoo or body piercing studio. You would need to find a registered tattooist or body piercer, who is willing to take you on and train you.

You would learn alongside them in the workplace to get the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the job.

You'll need:

  • an interest in body art and jewellery
  • artistic ability
  • a portfolio of your own artwork and design ideas to showcase your talents

You might be able to start as a customer service assistant in a studio, answering enquiries and booking appointments. From there, you could look out for trainee opportunities.

Other routes

You could take training courses offered by studios and private training providers. You should research these thoroughly to make sure they're right for you.

These courses do not mean you're fully qualified. For that, you'll need to get hands-on, supervised experience in a registered studio.

What you’ll need

  • be over 18 years of age

You must register both yourself and your premises with your local council for a tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence.

You'll also need to be vaccinated against hepatitis B.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Many tattooists have experience or qualifications in art and design and have a portfolio of work.

It's useful to know about the styles and history of tattooing across different cultures. This can help you understand the traditions and meaning of images and how they are meant to be used.

Networking is a good way to get your skills known. Look for online community forums that can put you in touch with experienced tattooists or piercers.

Further information

You can get advice about working in body art by speaking to tattooists in your local area, or by contacting registered members of the UK Association of Professional Piercers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for tattooist and body piercer. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

3 for this job
Level 3About 18 months

Advanced beauty therapist

Employers may ask for
Typical entry requirements would be following the study or completion of a Beauty Therapy Level 2 Apprenticeship Standard or equivalent to have the…
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • discusses clients requirements, analyses and advises client on appropriate skin care, and applies treatments to the face or body
  • massages scalp, face and other parts of the body and carries out spray tanning
  • uses waxing, threading, sugaring and other epilation techniques to remove any unwanted body hair
  • cleans, shapes and polishes finger and toe nails, applies nail extensions
  • performs specialist treatments for conditions such as acne, applies skin rejuvenation therapies
  • recognises problems and refers clients to medical practitioners if appropriate
  • advises clients on diet and exercise to assist in weight loss and slimming
  • maintains client records, sells and advises on cosmetic products and services, and ensures appropriate health and safety issues are addressed.
  • applies make-up to hide blemishes or enhance facial features and advises clients on skin care and make-up techniques

Skills

  • maintain customer service
  • administer appointments
  • order supplies
  • process payments
  • identify customer's needs
  • monitor stock level
  • recommend cosmetics to customers
  • keep personal administration
  • maintain professional administration
  • advise customers on usage of cosmetics
  • maintain equipment
  • offer cosmetic beauty advice
  • work ergonomically
  • manage a small-to-medium business

Knowledge

  • cosmetics
  • skin types
  • cosmetics industry
  • cosmetic manicure
  • cosmetic skin treatment

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Helping and caring for people

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for leisure, travel and related personal service occupations, a group of 11 jobs that includes beauticians and related occupations.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 5.6%about 41,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035421,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.