In a major step for the beauty industry, 11 participating states will start issuing multi-state cosmetology licenses, some as early as this summer. And according to one of the biggest champions of the interstate Cosmetology Licensure Compact, every beauty professional who’s eligible — even those not planning to relocate — should get one.
Why? Because the more salon and spa professionals apply for a multi-state license, says Leslie Roste of the Professional Beauty Association, the stronger the case they build for other states debating whether to join the interstate licensing agreement.
“When you have the option to get a multi-state license, take it,” Roste told the audience at the recent Be+Well | Beauty and Wellness Show in New York (formerly the International Beauty Show). “Because if people don't do it, other states won't see value in it.”
In her role at PBA as Director of State Relations and Policy Development, Roste is instrumental in guiding the Cosmetology Licensure Compact and the newer Esthetics Licensure Compact toward their ultimate goal: getting as many states as possible to join the agreement that lets salon and spa professionals work across state lines without having to reapply for a license.
For cosmetologists, the compact is already in effect.
It takes a minimum of seven participating states to activate the agreement, and 11 — Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia – have enacted the necessary legislation and are expected to start issuing licenses, some as early as late summer.
Bills to join the Cosmetology Licensure Compact are actively moving through state legislatures in Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.
Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Washington D.C. are working on establishing legislation.
The Esthetics Interstate Compact is newer and following the same trajectory. Alabama, Kansas, and Virginia have passed legislation.
Bills are being established for Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.
Once four more states pass the bills into law for Esthetics, that compact will also take effect.
Multi-state licenses in cosmetology and esthetics are based on similar compacts for the medical profession that give healthcare providers the legal ability to practice in multiple states without requiring a separate license for each one.
Participating states join a shared centralized database that allows for license verification, disciplinary tracking, administrative coordination, and other means of maintaining regulatory oversight across states.
States in the compact retain their autonomy on key governing elements such as number of hours required toward licensure, scope of practice for licensed professionals, exam standards, and more.
Professionals working across state lines are responsible for knowing local rules and regulations governing their work.
“If nurses and doctors and respiratory therapists and all of these other groups can make this work,” Roste says, “I'm absolutely certain we can do it in this industry.”
Several demographics within the beauty and wellness industries would especially benefit from interstate mobility. The Cosmetology Licensure Compact is funded in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Defense, due to the support that license portability would give to military families that frequently relocate.
But the broader implications extend far beyond that community, Roste told the crowd at the Glam and Glow Stage. She works with domestic violence advocacy groups and is aware of the obstacles facing survivors who need to start earning after fleeing to another state to escape abuse.
“We are in an industry where you can get tips in your pocket today, buy a meal, go to the grocery store, get a hotel room,” she said. “But if you don't have a license, you can't get that job.”
With 85% of the beauty workforce identifying as female, she noted, the ability to relocate quickly and get right to work can be lifesaving.
In the same vein, those fleeing natural disasters such as flooding, wildfires, tornadoes, and hurricanes often seek refuge in other states for long periods of time.
“If your salon washes down the river,” Roste said, “you still have to feed your family.”
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