The difference between an esthetician and cosmetologist schooling in Colorado

A cosmetologist is licensed to work across hair, nails, and skin. An esthetician specializes in the skin. That one distinction shapes the training you complete, the license you earn, the services you can perform, and where you spend your workday. If you are deciding which program to enroll in, here is how the two careers and the two schools compare, with the Colorado licensing requirements that apply if you plan to work in the state.

The short answer

Cosmetologists provide a broad range of beauty services: hair cutting, coloring, and styling, plus nail care and makeup. Estheticians focus on the health and treatment of the skin. A cosmetologist can perform basic facials and waxing but does not receive in-depth skin care training. An esthetician does not perform hair or nail services. Both are licensed professions. In Colorado, both require graduating from a state-approved program and passing written and practical exams.

	Cosmetologist	Esthetician
Focus	Hair, plus nails and makeup	Skin
Main services	Cutting, coloring, styling, manicures, pedicures, makeup, basic facials and waxing	Facials, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, hair removal, body treatments, makeup, lash services
License limitations	Broad beauty license covering hair, nails, basic skin care, and makeup; some advanced services require additional training or credentials	Does not cover hair or nail services; some advanced skin treatments require additional training or authorization
Typical setting	Salons	Spas, resorts, medical and clinical settings
Colorado training	1,500 hours	600 hours

What career is right for you?

Choose cosmetology if you want to:

Focus primarily on cutting, coloring, and styling hair
Learn a broader range of salon services
Potentially provide basic skin, makeup, and nail services

Choose esthetics if you want to:

Specialize in skin care
Provide facials, waxing, makeup, and other esthetic services
Learn advanced skin treatments through additional education
Work in spas, salons, or certain medical settings within your legal scope of practice

If skin care is the part of the beauty industry that interests you most, specialized esthetics training may be the more direct path.

If you are most interested in skin care and want training focused specifically on esthetics, learn more about our 600-hour aesthetician program.

What a cosmetologist does

Cosmetology is the broad path. Training centers on hair: cutting, coloring, styling, perms, and relaxers. It also covers nail care, including manicures and pedicures, and makeup application. Cosmetologists can offer basic facials and waxing, though skin work is a small part of the curriculum rather than its focus.

Most cosmetologists work in salons.

A full cosmetology license in Colorado requires considerably more training than esthetics: roughly 1,500 hours or more, compared with 600 hours for an esthetician. The longer program reflects how much ground cosmetology has to cover.

What an esthetician does

Esthetics is the skin specialty. The work is built on the science of the skin: how it functions, how it ages, and how to treat it. Estheticians perform facials, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, body treatments, hair removal and waxing, makeup, and lash services. They analyze skin and recommend care routines and products.

Estheticians do not perform hair or nail services. Those fall under cosmetology.

Many estheticians work in spas, resorts, and medical or clinical settings.

In Colorado, an esthetics license requires 600 hours of approved training. At least 450 of those hours must be completed in person, with up to 150 hours allowed through distance education. After graduating, candidates pass written and practical exams administered through PSI Services and receive their license from the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure, part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).

Can an esthetician work in a medical setting?

Yes. An esthetician may work in a medical spa, dermatology practice, or plastic surgery office, but the workplace does not by itself change the esthetician’s legal scope of practice. Colorado does not issue a separate “medical esthetician” license. The title describes a licensed esthetician who has earned additional training and works in a clinical environment. Licensed estheticians in Colorado can add advanced certifications in microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and take other advanced certification courses after licensure. Permanent makeup is regulated separately through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.