Missouri makeup artist rules
Do you need a license to do makeup in Missouri?
Not stated. Missouri's official pages we read do not say whether applying makeup for pay needs a license. Ask the Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners before you charge for it. Below: weddings, events and house calls (allowed), makeup for theater, film, television or photo shoots (not stated) and applying makeup to demonstrate or sell cosmetics (no license needed), each answered from Missouri's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 30, 2026, with the state's own words.
- Makeup for pay
- Not stated
- Weddings and house calls
- Allowed
- Theater and film
- Not stated
- Cosmetics counter
- No license needed
Licensed by the Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners.The board's site Hours and fees for each licenseThe state's own words
Makeup for pay
Do you need a license to do makeup in Missouri?
Not stated. Missouri's official pages we read do not say whether applying makeup for pay needs a license. Ask the Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners before you charge for it.
- License needed
- Not stated
Weddings, events and house calls
Can a makeup artist work at weddings or in clients' homes in Missouri?
Yes, on conditions. Licensed practitioners may work away from a licensed salon at a location other than their principal establishment, giving each client a certificate of identification before services.
- Work outside a salon
- Allowed
- Conditions
- The location must not be the licensee's principal establishment, and a certificate of identification must be delivered to each client before any services.
- Separate permit
- None named
Theater, film, TV and photo shoots
Do you need a license to do makeup for theater, film, TV or photo shoots in Missouri?
Not stated. Missouri's official pages we read do not say whether makeup for theater, film, television or photo shoots needs a license. Ask the Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners before you charge for it.
- License needed
- Not stated
Cosmetics counters
Do you need a license to apply makeup at a cosmetics counter in Missouri?
No license needed. Store staff who apply cosmetics to demonstrate or sell them need no license if they do not claim to hold one, and must not have skin-to-skin contact with the customer.
- License needed
- No license needed
- Exemption
- Persons employed in retail cosmetic sales need no license if they do not hold themselves out as licensed, and there must be no skin-to-skin contact with the customer.
Missouri is one of 34 states whose official pages exempt applying makeup to demonstrate or sell cosmetics from licensing.
Good to know
What else Missouri asks of makeup artists
- A place where cosmetology is practiced must hold a board establishment license (RSMo 329.045).
- Retail staff who apply cosmetics to customers must not have skin-to-skin contact with them (RSMo 329.035).
- Esthetician training subjects include 100 hours of makeup application (RSMo 329.040).
Sources
What Missouri's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of Missouri's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 30, 2026. Rules change: confirm with the Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners before you start charging for makeup or booking work on location.
- Weddings, events and house calls
“practices any of the occupations authorized in this chapter outside of or away from the person's principal office”
revisor.mo.gov “the alternate location is not the licensee’s principal establishment, as defined by this rule”
sos.mo.gov “Each and every time a licensee provides cosmetology services to any person outside a licensed”
sos.mo.gov “prior to performing any cosmetology services”
sos.mo.gov “Any licensee may obtain a certificate of identification form from the board free of charge”
sos.mo.gov - Cosmetics counters
“A license as required under section 329.030 is not required for persons who are employed in retail cosmetic sales if such persons do not hold themselves out to have a license”
revisor.mo.gov “means any person who assists customers to select cosmetics by allowing the customer to apply samples of demonstration cosmetics, assisting the customer to apply cosmetics, or applying the cosmetic to the customer.”
revisor.mo.gov “There shall be no skin-to-skin contact between the salesperson and the customer.”
revisor.mo.gov - Also good to know
“Every establishment in which the occupation of cosmetology is practiced shall be required to obtain a license from the board”
revisor.mo.gov - Also good to know
“There shall be no skin-to-skin contact between the salesperson and the customer.”
revisor.mo.gov - Also good to know
“Makeup application, all phases, one hundred hours”
revisor.mo.gov
Questions
Missouri makeup artist licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do makeup in Missouri?
Can a makeup artist work at weddings or in clients' homes in Missouri?
Is theater, film or photo-shoot makeup exempt in Missouri?
Can you apply makeup at a cosmetics counter in Missouri without a license?
What do you need to open a makeup studio in Missouri?
Plan the rest
Ready to fill your calendar
- Hours, exams and fees for each Missouri cosmetology and esthetician license
- What a Missouri esthetician may and may not do
- Lash extensions, brow tinting and waxing rules in Missouri
- Permanent makeup and microblading rules in Missouri
- What Missouri requires to open a salon or studio of your own
- A deposit and cancellation policy for bridal bookings
Makeup artist rules in other states
Ready when you are
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