Utah Licensing Law
What Utah's SB 330 Means for Esthetics Students
Utah rewrote its esthetics licensing rules effective January 1, 2026. If you are deciding where to train, the changes affect which credential you are working toward and how many hours it takes.
What Changed
Senate Bill 330, titled Cosmetology Modifications, passed in the 2025 general session and took effect on January 1st, 2026. It restructured the whole of the Cosmetology and Associated Professions Licensing Act, and for esthetics it did three things that matter to anyone choosing a school.
It closed the old esthetics license. The Division of Professional Licensing may no longer issue an esthetics license, with one exception covered below. That credential previously took 600 hours of school instruction and was the usual starting point in Utah.
It created a shorter entry credential. In its place is a basic esthetics permit, requiring a minimum of 200 hours of instruction. Its scope is narrower and only includes: cleansing, stimulating, manipulating, masks and oils, manual extraction, and manual hair removal.
It left the top of the ladder where it was. The master esthetics license still requires a minimum of 1,200 hours. That figure did not change. What changed is that the entry credential beneath it is now much shorter, so the gap between the two is wider than it used to be.
The Credentials, Side by Side
Current · Entry Level
Basic Esthetics Permit
200
minimum hours of instruction
Cleansing, stimulating, manipulating, oils, antiseptics, clays and masks, manual extraction, and manual hair removal.
Closed to New Applicants
Esthetics License
600
school hours, transition route only
No longer issued after January 1st, 2026, except to those who had already enrolled and started. Existing licenses may still be renewed.
Current · Advanced
Master Esthetics License
1,200
minimum hours of instruction
Laser hair removal, body contouring, photo rejuvenation, anti-aging resurfacing, dermaplaning, microdermabrasion, chemical exfoliation, advanced extraction and lymphatic massage.
These are the state's requirements, not Acaydia's. Hour thresholds, scopes of practice and credit between credentials are set by Utah law and by Division of Professional Licensing rule. Confirm your own position with DOPL before making a decision about any school.
Which Situation Are You In?
The law treats four groups differently. Find yourself here, then confirm the detail with DOPL and with whichever school you are considering.
You have never been licensed
Starting from scratch
The 600-hour esthetics license is no longer available to you. Your options are the 200-hour basic esthetics permit, or training straight through to the 1,200-hour master esthetics license. Which one you want depends entirely on the scope of work you are aiming for.
You already hold an esthetics license
Your licence still stands
SB 330 did not revoke anything. An esthetics license may still be renewed as an esthetics license, and a master-level esthetics license is renewed as a master esthetics license. If you want to move up, how many of your existing hours count toward the 1,200 is set by DOPL rule.
You enrolled before 1 January 2026
You keep the old route
If you had registered an esthetics apprenticeship or enrolled and started an esthetics program at a licensed school on or before 1 January 2026, DOPL will still grant you the esthetics license — at 600 school hours, or 800 hours through an apprenticeship.
You hold a cosmetology license
600 hours already counted
This one is written directly into the statute rather than left to rule. A cosmetology license counts 600 hours toward the 1,200 required for master esthetics — so you are starting the advanced credential half way there.
What the Master Esthetics License Covers
This is the part worth reading closely if you are weighing 200 hours against 1,200. The master esthetics scope is where the medical-adjacent work sits, and most of it cannot be performed on a basic permit.
Under the statute the 1,200 Hour Master Esthetician license includes body wraps, hydrotherapy, chemical and limited chemical exfoliation, callous removal, sanding and microdermabrasion, advanced extraction, dermaplaning, lymphatic massage, manual hair removal, natural nail manicures and pedicures, and eyelash and eyebrow technology.
It also includes the use of cosmetic medical devices for nonablative procedures such as laser hair removal, body contouring, anti-aging resurfacing enhancements and photo rejuvenation. Those carry their own conditions under Section 58-1-506, and chemical exfoliation is subject to supervision requirements set by DOPL rule. Otherwise, the procedures in this scope may be performed without supervision by a medical professional.
The law also specifies what a 1,200-hour curriculum has to cover: eyelash and eyebrow technology, cosmetic medical procedures, body contouring and lymphatic massage, and advanced skincare.
How Acaydia's Programs Fit
1200 Hours · $19,522.32 plus tax
Master-Medical Aesthetics
Built to the 1,200-hour mark and approved by DOPL as a master esthetics curriculum under the new act, so it takes you from no licence through to the full master esthetics scope in one course. No existing credential required to start.
600 Hours · $11,808.80 plus tax
Level II Master-Medical
The top-up route for people who already hold a basic esthetics license, a cosmetology license (which the statute credits at 600 hours toward the 1,200 hour program), or 600 transferable hours. Admissions will confirm what your record counts for.
Common Questions
What is Utah SB 330?
Senate Bill 330, Cosmetology Modifications, passed in Utah's 2025 general session and took effect on January 1st, 2026. It restructured the license classifications and qualification requirements across the Cosmetology and Associated Professions Licensing Act, including esthetics.
Did SB 330 reduce the hours for a master esthetics license?
No. The master esthetics license still requires a minimum of 1,200 hours of instruction. What changed is the entry-level credential beneath it: the 600-hour esthetics license was closed and replaced with a 200-hour basic esthetics permit.
Is my existing esthetics license still valid?
Yes. The bill closed the license to new applicants; it did not revoke existing ones. An esthetics license may still be renewed as an esthetics license, and a master-level esthetics license is renewed as a master esthetics license.
I started a basic esthetics program before January 2026. What happens to me?
If you registered an esthetics apprenticeship with the division, or enrolled and started an esthetics program at a licensed school, on or before 1 January 2026, DOPL will still grant you the esthetics license. The requirement is a minimum of 600 school hours, or 800 hours through an apprenticeship.
Can I do 200 hours now and then upgrade to master esthetics later?
Credit between credentials is set by DOPL administrative rule rather than fixed in the statute, so the number of hours a basic esthetics permit carries forward is a question for the division. The one figure written into the law is for cosmetologists, whose license counts 600 hours toward the 1,200. Utah schools are also required to accept credit for documented, relevant and substantially equivalent coursework you have already completed. At Acaydia, hours you earned toward a basic esthetics permit transfer in full, provided you earned them at an accredited school.
Can I do laser treatments on a basic esthetics permit?
No. Laser hair removal, body contouring, anti-aging resurfacing and photo rejuvenation sit in the master esthetics scope, and carry additional conditions under Section 58-1-506. The basic esthetics permit covers cleansing, stimulating, manipulating, oils, masks, manual extraction and manual hair removal.
Where can I read the law myself?
The enrolled text is published by the Utah Legislature at le.utah.gov. For how it applies to your own licence, contact the Division of Professional Licensing directly.
Talk It Through With Us
Where you sit under the new rules depends on what you already hold. Bring your licence details to a tour and admissions will go through it with you — thirty minutes, no pressure to apply. Or call 801-980-3918.