Cosmetology is a wide-ranging and lucrative industry. There are dozens of different job roles and opportunities within the sector that cater to all types of personalities. Many are drawn to the personable nature of hair styling, whereas the creative freedom as an image consultant appeals to others.
As with all industries, different roles bring in different salary expectations. Makeup artists often enter the career as they’ve had a long-standing passion for makeup their entire life, but the pay they would expect to receive is generally low compared to other roles.
Perhaps you have just finished your training and now wish to secure a first job role with high earning potential. If this is the case, you will need a perfect cosmetology resume to show off your skills and experiences to prospective employers.
Or perhaps you are looking for a career change altogether, curious to know which roles within the industry offer the highest salaries. If this sounds like you, read on as we reveal the top five highest-paying roles within cosmetology.
Cosmetic Surgeon
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a cosmetic surgeon is considered to be the highest-paying opportunity within the cosmetics industry. As a cosmetic surgeon, you will be expected to perform procedures to improve a patient’s health, appearance, and well-being.
The most common procedures that a cosmetic surgeon usually carries out include rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), breast augmentations, and liposuction.
As it is a highly-specialized area, you will almost certainly require at least five years of training and education before you can practice as a cosmetic surgeon. Once qualified, you can expect a starting salary of around $100,000, with an average expectation of $269,000.
Skin Care Specialists
As a skin care specialist, your duties will include full-body treatments and massages, facials, and dermabrasion (the process of exfoliating the outer layer of the skin). As with all types of cosmetic treatments, the goals are to make your clients feel good about their appearance and increase overall skin health.
As a skin care specialist, you would typically expect a starting salary of just over $75,000, with the average salary coming in at approximately $141,000.
Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artists
As a makeup artist in a salon or beauty store, your expected salary would not rank toward the top of the list of cosmetology roles.
However, as a performance makeup artist tasked with making high-budget films and Broadway shows look as spectacular as possible, the opposite is true. As part of this role, you will create prosthetics for characters and bring the director’s visions to life. Many will even play an active role in designing the characters’ looks themselves!
If you can land yourself a role as a performance makeup artist, you can expect an average salary of around $134,000, though this will likely scale as you continue working with bigger studios.
Beauty Copywriters
This is perhaps not a role that you would immediately think of, but it is essential within any health and beauty company.
Beauty copywriters are tasked with providing content that will help sell products to customers. They will know the cosmetics industry better than anyone and use this knowledge to take advantage of beauty trends before their competitors. They will also get involved with promotional campaigns and marketing strategies.
This highly sought-after role pays well. As a starting salary, you could earn around $85,000, with the average salary coming in at just under $95,000.
Salon Owner
This is not quite the same as the other roles. If you go down the route of setting up your own business, the earning reward will reflect the work you put in. If you take the time to look after your clients, implement focused marketing strategies and invest in your staff, you could find yourself bringing home a lot of money in no time at all.
