1.1 The Missouri Board, the Class E Esthetician License, and Eligibility

Why Missouri law matters even though the written exam is national

Missouri gives its esthetician candidates the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) esthetics exams through the vendor Prov, Inc. (Section 1.2 covers the logistics). The NIC theory exam does not test Missouri statutes. The license is still a Missouri license, though, and Missouri law decides whether you may sit the exams, what you may legally do after you pass, and how you can lose the license. Candidates who trained outside Missouri must also complete the Board's online State Law Test, which is on the out-of-state checklist of the Application for Examination/Temporary Permit.

Who regulates esthetics in Missouri

RSMo 329.030 makes it unlawful to practice cosmetology, or to run a cosmetology establishment or school, without a Board license. RSMo 329.032 exempts facial treatments given at home to family members or friends when no charge is made. Once money changes hands, the exemption no longer applies.

The Missouri license classes

RSMo 329.010(5) divides "cosmetology" into classified occupations. Estheticians hold Class E.

A cross-over license is issued to someone who meets the licensure and examination requirements for both barbering and cosmetology. Hair braiders register separately under RSMo 329.275. RSMo 329.265 also means a licensed cosmetologist does not automatically become an esthetician: they must complete the required 750 hours and pass the esthetics examination.

The statutory scope of a Class E license

RSMo 329.010(5)(d) is the definition to know. A Class E esthetician may, for compensation:

• use mechanical or electrical apparatuses or appliances, or cosmetic preparations, antiseptics, tonics, lotions, or creams not exceeding ten percent phenol;
• perform massaging, cleansing, stimulating, manipulating, exercising, beautifying, or similar work;
• work on the scalp, face, neck, ears, arms, hands, bust, torso, legs, or feet;
• remove superfluous hair by means other than the electric needle, which rules out electrolysis;
• arch or tint eyebrows and tint eyelashes.

Read the definition as both a permission and a boundary. Waxing, tweezing, sugaring, and depilatories are hair removal by means other than an electric needle, so they are within scope. Electrolysis, which uses a needle and current, is not. A peel or other preparation above the 10% phenol ceiling is outside the definition no matter what the product is called. The statute does not authorize diagnosing or treating disease. When a skin condition needs a diagnosis, the esthetician's job is to refer the client to a physician.

The statute also defines parental consent (RSMo 329.010(13)) as the written informed consent of a minor's parent or legal guardian, which must be obtained before body waxing on or near the genitalia. Keep that signed consent with the minor client's record.

"Medical esthetician" is not a Missouri license

The Board's Medical Esthetician Disclaimer says the Board issues only the Class E esthetician license and licenses no specialty areas. It warns that calling yourself a "medical esthetician" may lead consumers to believe the Board approved advanced medical training. Misleading terms in advertising can be disciplined under RSMo 329.140.2(14), which covers false, misleading, or deceptive advertising. An esthetician who works in a dermatology office is still a Class E licensee and should advertise that way.

Eligibility to sit the examinations

RSMo 329.050.1 sets the qualifications for every Chapter 329 applicant:

1. Board-approved courses, with documentation of completion.
2. An education equivalent to completing the tenth grade.
3. At least seventeen years of age.
4. Training hours for esthetics:
   • Students: at least 750 hours in a licensed school, or the equivalent credit hours under the federal formula in 34 CFR 668.8.
   • Apprentices: at least 1,500 hours as an apprentice under the supervision of a licensed cosmetologist.
5. Passing the examination "to the satisfaction of the board."

Several rules control how the hours count:

• School hours and apprenticeship hours cannot be combined toward the minimum (20 CSR 2085-7.010(1)(B)).
• Training hours are recognized for only five years from the date the Board issued the student or apprentice license (7.010(1)(C)).
• A course of study may run no more than 12 hours per day or 72 hours per week, and no less than 3 hours per day or 15 hours per week (RSMo 329.070.2).
• Graduates of out-of-state or foreign programs may apply to test if the Board finds the training substantially equivalent (RSMo 329.050.2). Foreign transcripts go through a Board-approved credential evaluator.

RSMo 329.050.5 also lets the Board deny an application for listed serious offenses, including dangerous felonies, specified sexual offenses, offenses against the family, and child sexual abuse material offenses. A 2026 amendment (HB 2273, effective August 28, 2026) updated the statute's terminology for those offenses.

Scenario: is this inside the Class E scope?

A spa owner asks a newly licensed esthetician to (1) wax a client's legs, (2) tint the client's eyelashes, (3) clear a few unwanted chin hairs with an electrolysis machine, and (4) apply a 20% phenol peel described as "medical grade." Under RSMo 329.010(5)(d), the leg wax and the lash tint are within Class E practice. Electrolysis is excluded because it removes hair with an electric needle. A 20% phenol preparation exceeds the 10% phenol ceiling. The esthetician should decline the last two services. Using the title "medical esthetician" to market the spa would also risk discipline for misleading advertising.