Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing maps to BLS occupations averaging about $122,805, with roughly 3,320 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $3,448; a top linked occupation is Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance.
Key Statistics
Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing: what the data shows
Common questions about permanent cosmetics/makeup and tattooing degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a permanent cosmetics/makeup and tattooing degree?
A Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing program is classified under NCES CIP 12.0411 in the Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services field family (12.04).
A program that prepares individuals to prepare and apply permanent markings, color, and cosmetic products to the face and body for aesthetic or clinical purposes; to remove unwanted markings; and to function as licensed permanent makeup artists and tattooists. Includes instruction in client consultation; sterilization and sanitation; skin anatomy, diseases, and disorders; skin preparation and anesthetics; color theory; machine theory and operation; needle selection; applications such as eyebrows, eyeliners, lips, lipliners, beauty marks, and blemish/mark removal; after care; laws and regulations; and business practices
Types of permanent cosmetics/makeup and tattooing degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 12.04 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist (CIP 12.0409)
- Barbering/Barber (CIP 12.0402)
- Cosmetology & Personal Grooming Services (CIP 12.0401)
- Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor (CIP 12.0413)
- Design (CIP 12.0404)
- Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist (CIP 12.0408)
- Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design (CIP 12.0407)
- Make-Up Artist/Specialist (CIP 12.0406)
- Master Aesthetician/Esthetician (CIP 12.0414)
- Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist (CIP 12.0410)
- Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager (CIP 12.0412)
What degree do you need?
For Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a permanent cosmetics/makeup and tattooing degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | 3,320 | $50,280 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a permanent cosmetics/makeup and tattooing degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $3,448 and median net price is $14,266.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$3,448 Median In-State Public
$13,713 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing majors are, on average, $3,448 for in-state public colleges, and $13,713 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lone Star College System | TX | 45,188 |
| 2 | Lone Star College System | TX | 45,188 |
| 3 | Houston Community College | TX | 40,503 |
| 4 | Houston Community College | TX | 40,503 |
| 5 | NUC University | PR | 28,918 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 5 | Compton College | CA | $1,142 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 2 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 3 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 4 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $614 |
| 5 | Southern Regional Technical College | GA | $813 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 12.04 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist CIP 12.0409
- Barbering/Barber CIP 12.0402
- Cosmetology & Personal Grooming Services CIP 12.0401
- Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor CIP 12.0413
- Design CIP 12.0404
- Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist CIP 12.0408
- Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design CIP 12.0407
- Make-Up Artist/Specialist CIP 12.0406
- Master Aesthetician/Esthetician CIP 12.0414
- Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist CIP 12.0410
- Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager CIP 12.0412
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $122,805. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | $122,805 | 3,320 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$122,805 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing majors is $122,805.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing majors.
Occupations by Share
3,320 2023 Workforce
The number of Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing.
Age distribution for Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
90 Total Degrees Awarded
28 Male (31.11%)
62 Female (68.89%)
Gender distribution of Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
90 Hispanic or Latino (100.00%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to prepare and apply permanent markings, color, and cosmetic products to the face and body for aesthetic or clinical purposes; to remove unwanted markings; and to function as licensed permanent makeup artists and tattooists. Includes instruction in client consultation; sterilization and sanitation; skin anatomy, diseases, and disorders; skin preparation and anesthetics; color theory; machine theory and operation; needle selection; applications such as eyebrows, eyeliners, lips, lipliners, beauty marks, and blemish/mark removal; after care; laws and regulations; and business practices
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing.
CIP Code
12.0411 - Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing
What the data shows
Women earned 68.9% of 90 Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $122,805. The largest mapped role by headcount is Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (3,320 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $3,448 in-state at public colleges and $13,713 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.