Massachusetts lash and brow rules
Do you need a license to do lashes in Massachusetts?
Yes. The Board's position is that eyelash extensions require a cosmetologist or aesthetician license. Below: lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination (not stated), waxing (not stated) and eyebrow threading (not stated), each answered from Massachusetts's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 23, 2026, with the state's own words.
- Lash extensions
- License needed
- Lifts and tints
- Not stated
- Waxing
- Not stated
- Threading
- Not stated
Licensed by the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering.The board's site Hours and fees for each licenseThe state's own words
Lash extensions
Do you need a license to do lash extensions in Massachusetts?
Yes. The Board's position is that eyelash extensions require a cosmetologist or aesthetician license.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Cosmetologist, Aesthetician
- License for this work alone
- None
Lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination
Do you need a license to do lash lifts, tinting or brow lamination in Massachusetts?
Not stated. Massachusetts's official pages we read do not say whether lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination need a license. Ask the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering before you offer them.
- License needed
- Not stated
Waxing
Do you need a license to do waxing in Massachusetts?
Not stated. Massachusetts's official pages we read do not say whether waxing needs a license. Ask the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering before you offer it.
- License needed
- Not stated
Eyebrow threading
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading in Massachusetts?
Not stated. Massachusetts's official pages we read do not say whether eyebrow threading needs a license. Ask the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering before you offer it.
- License needed
- Not stated
Good to know
What else Massachusetts asks of lash and brow artists
- Under Massachusetts law, cosmetology covers aesthetics, manicuring and hairdressing for compensation, and the Board's definitions of aesthetics do not name lash or brow services.
- The Board's 2023 eyelash subcommittee advised that the requirement for a cosmetologist or aesthetician license to provide eyelash extensions should be enforced until official changes are made.
- Questions about a licensee's scope of practice can be sent to the Board at cosmetologyandbarberingboard@mass.gov or 617-701-8792.
Sources
What Massachusetts's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of Massachusetts's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 23, 2026. Rules change: confirm with the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering before you start offering a service.
- Lash extensions
“The Board reiterated its stance that a cosmetologist or aesthetician license is required to provide eyelash extensions”
mass.gov “current requirements of needing an aesthetics or cosmetologist license to provide eyelash extensions should be enforced until any official changes are made”
mass.gov - Also good to know
“the practice of aesthetics, manicuring and hairdressing for compensation”
mass.gov - Also good to know
“current requirements of needing an aesthetics or cosmetologist license to provide eyelash extensions should be enforced until any official changes are made”
mass.gov - Also good to know
“If a licensee has a question concerning their appropriate scope of practice, they may contact the Board at”
mass.gov
Questions
Massachusetts lash and brow licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do lash extensions in Massachusetts?
Do you need a license to do lash lifts, tinting or brow lamination in Massachusetts?
Do you need a license to do waxing in Massachusetts?
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading in Massachusetts?
What do you need to open a lash or brow studio in Massachusetts?
Plan the rest
Licensed and ready to book clients
- Hours, exams and fees for each Massachusetts license
- What Massachusetts requires to open a studio of your own
- What Massachusetts inspectors check in a salon or studio
- Microblading or permanent makeup in Massachusetts: the license it needs
- Can estheticians do microneedling, peels or laser in Massachusetts?
- Renting a room or a chair? Start from a booth rental agreement
Lash and brow rules in other states
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