Cosmetology Courses

Last Updated on July 29, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

Are you passionate about grooming, hair styling and cosmetics? Do you want to build a rewarding career in this industry? If yes, this article will be of help to you! Here, I’ve listed down some of the best cosmetology courses available in India.

In simple terms, cosmetology is the study and application of beauty treatment. A cosmetologist is a trained professional, who is knowledgeable about hair care, makeup, skin care, beauty products and other aspects of beauty care.

Cosmetology sector is growing at a healthy pace in India. Indians are now giving more attention towards their looks, skin care and hair styling. This has resulted in a huge demand for skilled cosmetologists.   Cosmetology is a very vast field. It consists of specializations and sub-disciplines such as –

• Professional Makeup
• Hair Styling, Coloring, Straightening & Cutting
• Cosmetology
• Skin Care
• Perfumery and Aromatherapy
• Ayurvedic Cosmetology
• Beauty Culture
• Hair Removal (Laser and other methods)
• Manicure, Pedicure
• Hair Transplant
• Beauty Therapy

Cosmetology profession can be broadly classified into two main types. They are –

• Clinical Cosmetology
• General/Non-Clinical Cosmetology

Clinical Cosmetology is all about advanced medical practices related to hair and skin care. Only qualified Doctors (possessing MBBS/higher qualifications) are eligible to pursue Clinical Cosmetology courses. For example, only qualified Doctors are eligible to carry out/supervise complex hair transplant treatment.   General Cosmetology is all about using skin and hair care practices which are usually followed at salons, beauty parlors, spas and hair care centers.   If you have passed 12th standard and want to enter cosmetology sector, you may go for general cosmetology courses. If you are interested in clinical cosmetology, you will have to complete MBBS first. After that, you may go for relevant PG Diploma course related to clinical cosmetology.   Let us check out the main types of cosmetology courses available in India. Here they are –

Types of Cosmetology courses in India

Cosmetology courses and training are available in the following main formats –

• Diploma courses
• Certificate/ITI/Vocational courses
• Workshops
• Advanced Diploma courses
• PG Diploma courses (clinical programs)

Depending upon the ‘depth’ of the training program, general cosmetology courses can be classified into the following types –

• Short Term courses
• Basic courses
• Advanced courses

Let us check out each type of course and find out more details about them. Here they are –

Cosmetology Courses in India

1 Diploma Courses

• Diploma in Professional Makeup
• Diploma in Cosmetology
• Diploma in Beauty Culture
• Diploma in Hair Styling
• Diploma in Aesthetics
• Diploma in Laser Aesthetics
• Advanced Diploma in Cosmetology
• Advanced Diploma in Aesthetics

Duration

Course duration may vary from one institute to another. It could be anywhere between 1-6 months. Readers should check the website/brochure of the institute in order to find the exact course length.

Colleges/Institutes

There exists many Private institutes in India offering the above mentioned courses. Prominent beauty, hair care and cosmetic brands have their own training institutes. Such institutes are present across all major cities in India.

Eligibility

10th or 12th passed. Eligibility criteria may vary from one institute to another (some institutes even accept 8th passed students!). Readers should check the website/brochure of the institute in order to find the exact eligibility criteria.

Fees

Training fees depends upon the following factors –

• Rating and Reputation of the institute
• Type of training program

Average fees could be anywhere between 10-30K INR. High profile institutes may charge significantly higher fees!

2 Certificate Courses

• Certificate in Professional Makeup
• Certificate in Cosmetology
• Certificate in Beauty Culture
• Certificate in Hair Styling
• Certificate in Aesthetics
• Certificate in Laser Aesthetics
• Advanced Certificate in Cosmetology
• Advanced Certificate in Aesthetics

Duration

Course duration may vary from one institute to another. It could be anywhere between 1-3 months. Readers should check the website/brochure of the institute in order to find the exact course length.

Colleges/Institutes

There exists many Private institutes in India offering the above mentioned courses. Prominent beauty, hair care and cosmetic brands have their own training institutes. Such institutes are present across all major cities in India.

Eligibility

10th or 12th passed (Arts, Commerce or Science). Eligibility criteria may vary from one institute to another (some institutes even accept 8th passed students!). Readers should check the website/brochure of the institute in order to find the exact eligibility criteria.

Fees

Training fees depends upon the following factors –

• Rating and Reputation of the institute
• Type of training program

Average fees could be anywhere between 10-20K INR. High profile institutes may charge significantly higher fees!

3 Clinical PG Courses

• PG Diploma in Medical Cosmetology
• PG Diploma in Clinical Cosmetology
• PG Diploma in Cosmetic Dermatology
• PG Diploma in Trichology

The above mentioned programs are PG Clinical and Medical programs. Only candidates possessing relevant qualifications such as MBBS/MD/relevant Diploma are eligible to pursue these courses.   The course duration could be anywhere between 1-2 years.

Career Prospects

General (non clinical) cosmetologists have diverse job opportunities available in front of them. They may either take up a job or start their own business.   Depending upon their area of specialization, a cosmetologist may find work at –

• Beauty Parlors
• Spas
• Salons
• Hotels and Resorts
• Event management firms

In the above mentioned places, they may don the following roles (based on their specialization) –

• Makeup specialist
• Hair stylist
• Nail care specialist
• Skin care specialist
• Cosmetologist
• Stylist

If you are an entrepreneur at heart, you may start your own beauty parlor, salon or bridal makeup service! TV and Film Industry is also known to hire talented cosmetologists. They are hired to take care of makeup, hair care and styling of artists performing in TV programs, movies and other shows.   Clinical cosmetologists may get hired by –

• Skin Clinics
• Hospitals
• Hair Care Clinics

They may even start their own clinic or hospital.

Salary

Starting salary of a general cosmetologist depends upon the following factors –

• Your qualification and experience
• Status of the employer
• Job location
• Your skills and aptitude

On an average, starting salary could be anywhere between 10-25K INR per month.