1.3 Missouri Establishment and Sanitation Rules (20 CSR 2085-10 and 11)

Why these rules matter

The NIC theory exam tests infection control in national terms. A Missouri inspector, though, enforces Missouri's own numbers. The sanitation rule, 20 CSR 2085-11.020 (Cosmetology Sanitation Rules), applies to schools, cosmetology establishments, and anyone practicing a cosmetology occupation, estheticians included. Breaking it can lead to discipline under RSMo 329.140, which includes "failure or refusal to properly guard against contagious, infectious or communicable diseases."

Establishment licensing basics

• License required. Every establishment where cosmetology is practiced needs a Board license (RSMo 329.045). The base fee covers up to three operators, counting apprentices and students with temporary permits, and each additional operator adds a fee (20 CSR 2085-10.050). The initial establishment license is $100 (20 CSR 2085-3.010).
• Display. The establishment license must be posted in plain view. For a station or booth rental, it is posted at that work station (20 CSR 2085-10.010(3)).
• Changes. A change of ownership or location requires a new license within 45 days. The inspector checks sanitary conditions without making the business close (RSMo 329.045.2).
• Records. The establishment keeps a Board-approved form, on the premises, listing every employee authorized to practice there. It must produce records proving the employment relationship, such as payroll or W-4 records, within 10 days of a Board request (20 CSR 2085-10.030).

Physical facility standards (20 CSR 2085-11.020(1))

Salons in a residence

An establishment in a building that is also a home must be separated from the living quarters by solid floor-to-ceiling partitions, have a separate entrance that does not open off the living quarters, and keep internal doorways closed. Beds of any kind are not allowed in the establishment, and its rooms may not serve residential purposes. It also needs its own restroom, separate from the living quarters.

Sanitation requirements (20 CSR 2085-11.020(2))

Protecting the patron

1. Cover headrests with a clean towel or paper protector for each use.
2. Use clean towels for each patron, and keep clean towels and linens in a closed cabinet or drawer.
3. Put soiled towels in a closeable, leakproof container as soon as you finish with them.
4. Place a new laundered towel or neck strip so the cape never touches the patron's skin.
5. Sanitize implements and instruments after each patron.

Products, animals, and waste

• Powders and creams: Open powder boxes and common powder puffs are forbidden; powder comes from shakers or similar dispensers. Creams and emollients come out of the container on a clean, sanitized spatula or a sterile cotton swab, and every container stays covered when not in use. For an esthetician, this rule covers the cleanser jar, the massage cream, and the wax pot too: never put a used applicator back into a shared container.
• Animals: None allowed, except service animals.
• Waste: Covered waste receptacles are required. Clippings are swept up and disposed of after each patron.

Disinfecting and storing implements (11.020(2)(D))

Missouri's procedure is specific:

1. Clean every implement thoroughly after each use.
2. Disinfect any implement that touches a patron's skin, directly or indirectly, with an EPA-registered disinfectant whose label shows bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal activity. Use it according to the manufacturer's instructions; a spray solution is allowed.
3. Completely immerse the implement in the solution. If it cannot be immersed, dip it thoroughly. Either way, the contact time is not less than five minutes, and if the label gives a longer contact time, follow the label.
4. Either store the implement in the solution, or remove it, let it air dry, and store it in a dust-tight cabinet, covered container, or drawer that holds nothing that cannot be disinfected.

Disease control and personal cleanliness

• A licensee, apprentice, student, or retail cosmetic salesperson with a communicable disease, or one serving a patron known to have one, must take all proper precautions to prevent its spread, except as the Americans with Disabilities Act provides otherwise.
• Disposable gloves are required for anyone with open wounds, dermatitis, or other non-intact skin on the hands.
• Operators, instructors, and students wear washable clothing. A student or apprentice may not take the training kit off the school or establishment premises.

Blood spills (11.020(2)(F))

Missouri writes out two procedures:

Chemicals and prohibited practices

• MMA: Licensees may not provide services with any liquid product containing methyl methacrylate. Products containing ethyl or butyl methacrylate are acceptable (11.020(2)(J)).
• Safety data sheets: On request from a Board inspector, any licensee in a licensed establishment must be able to produce the Material Safety Data Sheet for every service product (11.020(2)(K)). The federal name today is Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
• Razor-type callus shavers: A licensee may not use, offer, or possess any razor-type callus shaver designed to cut growths of skin on the hands or feet, such as a credo blade. Using one during "any cosmetology, manicuring, or esthetician services" is deemed unsafe and unsanitary. Every establishment and school must post the Board's prohibition flyer in plain view (11.020(2)(L)).
• Phenol: The 10% phenol limit comes from the Class E definition in RSMo 329.010(5)(d), not from the sanitation rule. It is still a hard boundary on the preparations an esthetician may use.

Scenario: an inspector's walk-through

An inspector visiting a two-room esthetics studio finds: clean towels stacked on an open shelf; a jar of massage cream with a reused spatula standing in it; tweezers soaking for two minutes in an EPA-registered disinfectant whose label requires a ten-minute contact time; and no razor-blade flyer on the wall. Each finding breaks a specific provision. Clean linens belong in a closed cabinet or drawer, creams come out on a clean, sanitized spatula, implements need complete immersion for at least five minutes and for the full label time, and the prohibition flyer must be posted. The corrections are immediate and inexpensive, and each one maps to a rule you can cite.