Tennessee Laws, Rules, and Board Regulations
Who regulates what
Esthetics in Tennessee is regulated by the Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners within the Department of Commerce and Insurance. The board adopts rules; the statutes set the framework. Federal rules - OSHA, EPA - sit alongside, not instead of, state rules. Knowing which authority governs which question is itself a testable skill.
Licensure and facility rules
You must hold a current esthetician license to practice, and the shop must hold a facility license. Licenses are displayed where the public can see them. Renewal is on a set cycle with continuing education attached - the exact hours and content change over time, so study the current rule text and the board's published renewal notice rather than a number you heard secondhand. Report address and name changes. Unlicensed practice carries fines and possible denial of licensure.
Scope of practice
Estheticians cleanse, analyze, treat, and beautify the skin; apply makeup; perform waxing and, per current rules, lash services. Estheticians do not diagnose disease, prescribe, or perform invasive procedures. Medical esthetics performed under physician direction follows a different framework. When in doubt, confirm the specific service exists in the adopted rules.
Sanitation and inspections
Rules govern disinfection, single-use items, handwashing, and recordkeeping. Inspectors may enter during business hours; violations can bring citations, fines, or license action.
Traps
Questions that offer a cosmetology license as the answer for an esthetic service, or that treat OSHA as the source of licensure, are wrong. Numbers are the other trap - if a specific hour or CE figure is given, verify it against current rule language rather than trusting memory.
Rule of thumb
If a service breaks the skin, diagnoses, or prescribes, it is outside esthetic scope - refer the client and document the referral.