South Carolina·Personal Care and Service Occupations·SOC 39-5094

Best Skincare Specialist programs in South Carolina, ranked by enrollment

Provide skincare treatments to face and body to enhance an individual's appearance.

24 schools in South Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,925 people a year. The job pays a median of $39,670 in South Carolina across about 1,210 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledEstheticianAestheticianMedical EstheticianSkincare SpecialistFacialistBeauticianElectrologistElectrolysist
Graduates / yr
1,925
in South Carolina
Median pay · South Carolina
$39,670
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,210
people employed
Schools
24
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
58%
across those schools
Median net price
$16,748
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in South Carolina that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

3 programs in South Carolina that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in South Carolina (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own South Carolina page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1992
51.5%
13$17,113$10,000
2915
47.5%
24$17,113$10,000
318
0.9%
1$17,113$10,000

Top 24 schools in South Carolina

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 15 of the 24 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Southeastern Esthetics Institute
Elgin, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
351Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist$21,54790%$17,716
2Paul Mitchell the School - Charleston
North Charleston, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
219Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist$19,58375%$14,149
3Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - Rock Hill
Rock Hill, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
157Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist$18,69371%$14,712
4Paul Mitchell the School - Greenville
Greenville, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
139Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$19,58355%$19,431
5Paul Mitchell the School - Columbia
West Columbia, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
132Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$19,58369%$15,100
6Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - Goose Creek
Goose Creek, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
127Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist$18,95684%$16,748
7Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - Greenville
Greenville, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
121Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$18,69379%$21,871
8Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - Florence
Florence, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
112Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist$16,22680%$22,067
9Horry - Georgetown Technical College
Conway, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
85Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General38%
10Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - Spartanburg
Spartanburg, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
84Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist$18,95669%$14,179
11Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology and Nails - Columbia
West Columbia, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
61Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$18,95654%$17,779
12Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - North Augusta
North Augusta, SC Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
53Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$16,22643%$18,988
13Trident Technical College
Charleston, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
49Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General30%
14Strand College of Hair Design
Myrtle Beach, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
41Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General75%$12,201
15Charleston Cosmetology Institute
Charleston, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
34Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$18,08455%$15,814
16Vski Cosmetology School
Charleston, SC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
33Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist80%$10,524
17Greenville Technical College
Greenville, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
23Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$15,77821%
18Academy of Hair Technology
Greenville, SC Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
21Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist$19,459100%
19LeGrand Institute of Cosmetology Inc
Camden, SC Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
19Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$12,47887%$12,971
20Technical College of the Lowcountry
Beaufort, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
18Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General18%
21Florence - Darlington Technical College
Florence, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
16Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General34%
22Southeastern College - Columbia
Columbia, SC Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
14Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General67%$40,17197%
23Denmark Technical College
Denmark, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
8Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General13%
24Williamsburg Technical College
Kingstree, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
8Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General15%

All 24 schools in South Carolina

Every school in South Carolina with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in South Carolina that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Southeastern Esthetics InstituteElginPrivate for-profit3512
Paul Mitchell the School - CharlestonNorth CharlestonPrivate for-profit2192
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - Rock HillRock HillPrivate for-profit1572
Paul Mitchell the School - GreenvilleGreenvillePrivate for-profit1392
Paul Mitchell the School - ColumbiaWest ColumbiaPrivate for-profit1322
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - Goose CreekGoose CreekPrivate for-profit1272
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - GreenvilleGreenvillePrivate for-profit1212
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - FlorenceFlorencePrivate for-profit1122
Horry - Georgetown Technical CollegeConwayPublic851
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - SpartanburgSpartanburgPrivate for-profit842
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology and Nails - ColumbiaWest ColumbiaPrivate for-profit612
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology - North AugustaNorth AugustaPrivate for-profit531
Trident Technical CollegeCharlestonPublic491
Strand College of Hair DesignMyrtle BeachPrivate for-profit412
Charleston Cosmetology InstituteCharlestonPrivate for-profit342

What skincare specialists earn in South Carolina

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in South Carolina
$39,670
Mean annual
$47,750
Jobs in state
1,210
What the range looks like
10th pct$22,530Median$39,67090th pct$80,430
Versus the national median
-12.5%

U.S. median $45,330. South Carolina pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.12×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in South Carolina

Spartanburg, SC
$49,490median
160 jobs
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
$47,150median
70 jobs
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
$41,300median
270 jobs
Columbia, SC
$37,870median
140 jobs
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
$39,260median
250 jobs
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC
$36,160median
80 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+6.7%
Faster than average
Openings per year
14,500
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
6,600
97,400 → 103,900
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Skincare Specialists page.

How to become a Skincare Specialist

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

SpeakingActive ListeningMonitoringCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in South Carolina

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Skincare Specialists4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 12.0401Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General
  • 12.0408Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist
  • 12.0409Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist
  • 12.0414Master Aesthetician/Esthetician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing skincare specialists programs in South Carolina.

What degree do you need to become a Skincare Specialist?+

Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist, which awarded 992 degrees in South Carolina in 2024-25, 51.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Skincare Specialist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services. Together they graduate about 1,925 people a year in South Carolina.

How much do skincare specialists earn in South Carolina?+

The median is $39,670 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 12.5% below the U.S. median of $45,330. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for skincare specialists growing?+

BLS projects a +6.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 14,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in South Carolina?+

24 institutions in South Carolina reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do skincare specialists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Esthetician, Aesthetician, Medical Esthetician, Skincare Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 39-5094.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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