Beauty Professionals

in georgia deserve beauty, not barriers

Traditional cosmetology programs are too expensive and state licensure requirements are too steep, and this can keep many out of the industry, in debt, or unable to hire. Beauty professionals deserve more flexible training options that cater to their specific needs – and artists who have already mastered certain safe skills shouldn’t be forced to spend money learning what they already know.

Let’s exempt safe, narrow services from cosmetology licensing to make Georgia’s beauty industry more accessible and inclusive, while keeping it safe.

1,140 hours of training to do blow-outs?

Hair stylists who don’t want to use chemicals or cut hair should not need a full-service license. They could go to school if they want to expand their services.

georgia is tied for first for worst law for makeup artists.

Georgia requires MUAs to get 1,000 hours of costly training – even if they already have the talent and skills. That’s too much.

What about sanitation and safety?

Customers are already protected by consumer protection laws, and will continue to be if blow-dry styling and makeup application are exempted.

do you want to help change georgia’s law to make the industry more accessible and inclusive?

Beauty, Not Barriers is a nonprofit initiative working to make it less costly to work in the beauty industry.

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did you know:

13 states exempt muas from cosmetology licensing.

6 states exempt blow-dry styling.

  • Neither of these services involve chemicals or cutting.
  • Exemptions save beauty professionals money and time and allow them to focus on getting the specific training and experience they need.
  • If blow-dry stylists wants to expand into chemicals or cutting, they can go to school and get a license.
  • In states that don’t require a license, clients are protected by existing consumer protection laws.
  • Georgia already allows those working at makeup counters to apply full makeup to any member of the public without a license. What changes when makeup is applied outside of a mall? Why should talented individuals be banned from expanding past retail sales?
  • Cosmetology schools lobby to keep state hour requirements in place and high, because they profit off of every hour you spend in school – and sometimes, twice, when they charge customers for services that students are required to provide for free.

It’s not fair that beauty professionals face steeper and more costly licensing requirements than so many other fields.

Education

Chefs prepare food that is ingested by customers and aren’t required to get a license or go to school. They take a short, simple sanitation course, and the restaurant is subject to inspections. It’s up to the chef whether they want to go to culinary school.  

Time

In Georgia, EMTs – who administer life-saving aid – have to get 150 hours of training to get a license to work. Compare that to 1,000 hours to apply makeup and at least 1,140 hours to blow-dry style hair. That’s not fair.

Regulations

Personal trainers aren’t required to have a license. Tattooing is riskier and more invasive than what MUAs or blow-dry stylists do, but Georgia does not require a license from the state.


IT’S 2023: IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO REQUIRE BEAUTY ARTISTS TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME IN TRADITIONAL, COSTLY COSMETOLOGY PROGRAMS, WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER, MORE AFFORDABLE TRAINING OPTIONS – ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO NARROW SERVICES THAT DON’T INVOLVE CHEMICALS OR CUTTING.
While aspiring beauty professionals are in school—spending money and not making money—those in other occupations are learning on the job or practicing their crafts while earning a living from day one. That’s not fair to beauty professionals.
We believe that beauty professionals deserve better.

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Beauty, Not Barriers is an initiative of the Institute for Justice, a non-profit organization that works alongside beauty professionals and other workers nationwide to change laws that make it hard to earn a living.  So often, state laws require way too much to work in an occupation—like expensive and excessive training, which profits the schools at the expense of students going into debt.  

  • There are better and far more affordable alternatives to these kinds of laws, that allow training to be tailored to the students’ needs.
  • The alternatives would make it easier for existing and aspiring beauty professionals alike to work in the industry.  
  • We support beauty, opportunity, entrepreneurship, professionalism, and safety.  We are against barriers. 
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Read the Bill Georgia Senate Bill 354

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