StateLicensed

Esthetician License Requirements in Massachusetts

Verified · July 2026
Training hours
600 hrs
Upfront cost
$68
Exam
Aesthetician Written Theory Examination
Renewal cycle
Every 2 years
Issuing board
Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Occupational Licensure, Commonwealth of Massachusetts)

How to get licensed

  1. 1

    Meet the prerequisites

    Pass a criminal background check. 240 CMR 2.00 (Licensure of Cosmetologists, Manicurists, Aestheticians, Demonstrators and Instructors) states only that an applicant must complete an approved 600-hour aesthetics program, file an application with required fees, and pass a Board-satisfactory examination — it does not state a minimum age or education-level prerequisite for the Aesthetician license itself, so minAge is recorded as null rather than guessed (older secondary sources citing a 16-year minimum reference pre-2019 regulations that could not be confirmed as current). A notarized Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) form is explicitly required for out-of-state/out-of-country reciprocity applicants per the Board's license-transfer page; a background check requirement for in-state original applicants specifically was not separately confirmed on this page but is treated as applying board-wide given Massachusetts licensing practice. [3]

  2. 2

    Complete approved training

    Complete 600 hours of training at a state-approved program. 600 hours of professional training in a Board-approved aesthetics school, per the Board's own regulation 240 CMR 2.01(2). This figure was increased from 300 hours effective June 1, 2019 — the 300-hour figure still circulates in older secondary sources and should not be used. mass.gov 403s automated fetches; content verified via Wayback Machine snapshot [2025-11-15] of the board's official 'How can I become...' page, with sourceUrl kept as the original mass.gov URL. [1]

  3. 3

    Aesthetician Written Theory Examination

    Pass the Aesthetician Written Theory Examination (fee: $68). Written theory exam only (no separate practical component described by the Board) The Board's page describes a single combined application/exam-eligibility fee of $68 paid to PSI (application is emailed to MACOSprocessing@psionline.com); no separate Board-collected application fee for original licensure was found, so this $68 figure is recorded here rather than duplicated under fees.application. Verified via Wayback Machine snapshot [2025-11-15]. [1]

  4. 4

    Submit your application

    Submit your application to Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Occupational Licensure, Commonwealth of Massachusetts). [2]

  5. 5

    Receive your license

    Once your application is approved, Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Occupational Licensure, Commonwealth of Massachusetts) issues your Aesthetician License for Massachusetts.

Fees

Fee Amount
Application fee [2] None specified
License fee [2] None specified
Renewal fee [2] $68
Aesthetician Written Theory Examination [1] $68

The Board's official renewal-fee schedule (CSV published on its 'Fees and license renewal schedules' page) lists Aesthetician renewal at $68 per two-year cycle. For original licensure, the Board does not separately itemize an application fee or license-issuance fee apart from the combined $68 exam-eligibility fee paid to PSI (recorded under exams[].value.fee) — so 'application' and 'license' are left null here to avoid double-counting. Verified via Wayback Machine snapshot [2026-03-07] of the mass.gov fees page (mass.gov 403s automated fetches).

Renewal & continuing education

Renew every 2 years.

Renewal is biennial, due on the licensee's birthday. The Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering does not impose a continuing-education requirement on any license category it regulates, including Aesthetician, so ceHours is recorded as null rather than 0 to reflect that the Board affirmatively has no CE mandate (not merely an unpublished figure). A $57 late-renewal fee applies statewide across all Division of Occupational Licensure boards. Verified via Wayback Machine snapshot [2026-03-07].

Reciprocity

Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.

Per 240 CMR 2.03(1), the Board may license by reciprocity any applicant who shows proof of a current license in good standing as an aesthetician in another U.S. state with substantially equivalent standards, without requiring an exam; out-of-state applicants who do not hold a current license in good standing must pass the Board's exam. Fee schedule from the Board's transfer page: aesthetician (no exam required) $204; aesthetician (exam required) $136. Out-of-country applicants must always pass an exam and pay $136. Required documents include a notarized CORI form, official school transcript, and direct license verification from the issuing state. No interstate esthetics/cosmetology compact was found — the Cosmetology Licensure Compact has been enacted in some states but is not yet operational anywhere, including Massachusetts, so compacts is recorded as empty. Verified via Wayback Machine snapshot [2026-03-07] of the mass.gov transfer page (mass.gov 403s automated fetches).

9 state-approved training providers in Massachusetts — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.

Cost calculator

  • $68
Total$68

Frequently asked questions

How many training hours does Massachusetts require for an Aesthetician license?

600 hours of professional training at a Board-approved aesthetics school. This was raised from 300 hours effective June 1, 2019, so older sources citing 300 hours are out of date.

Who administers Massachusetts's aesthetician exam?

PSI Services LLC, under contract with the Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering. The combined application/exam-eligibility fee is $68, paid to PSI.

Does Massachusetts require continuing education to renew an Aesthetician license?

No. The Board does not impose continuing education for any of its license categories. Renewal is every two years, on the licensee's birthday, with a $68 renewal fee.

Can an out-of-state esthetician get a Massachusetts license without retaking the exam?

Yes, by reciprocity, if the applicant holds a current license in good standing from a state with substantially equivalent standards — the no-exam endorsement fee is $204. Applicants without a current license in good standing must pass the Massachusetts exam and pay $136.

Is a background check required to get licensed?

Out-of-state and out-of-country reciprocity applicants must submit a notarized Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) form as part of their application.

Sources

  1. [1] mass.gov/info-details/how-can-i-become-a-cosmetologist-electrologist-manicurist-aesthetician-or-barber — accessed 2026-07-11
  2. [2] mass.gov/info-details/fees-and-license-renewal-schedules-for-cosmetology-barbering-and-electrology — accessed 2026-07-11
  3. [3] mass.gov/doc/240-cmr-200/download — accessed 2026-07-11
  4. [4] mass.gov/how-to/transfer-a-cosmetology-aesthetics-manicuring-barber-or-electrology-license-to-massachusetts — accessed 2026-07-11