Beauty education is adapting to new ways of learning. From TikTok tutorials and Instagram creators to online theory courses and AI-assisted instruction, aspiring beauty professionals have access to more information than ever before.
In the United States, employment of barbers, hairstylists and cosmetologists is projected to grow 7 percent between 2025 and 2035, generating about 80,300 job openings each year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
At the same time, some industry leaders are rethinking how future professionals are prepared for those careers. While digital tools can expand access to education, there are employers who continue to value workplace experience, communication skills and professional judgment.
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The Digital Classroom
"Digital learning is reshaping beauty education, giving schools new ways to reach students without compromising the hands-on training that's essential to the profession," Corina Santoro, vice president and general manager of Milady, a provider of textbooks and digital learning tools for beauty schools, told Newsweek.
According to Santoro, digital learning across Milady's customer base has grown by nearly 87 percent since 2019. Four in 10 schools now offer hybrid programs, while use of independent distance education, which allows students to complete theory coursework on their own schedules, nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025.
Self-paced study can help students fit coursework around jobs, family commitments and other responsibilities while making education more accessible. "The goal isn't to replace time spent learning techniques or working with clients. It's to give students more flexibility in how they build foundational knowledge so they can make the most of their hands-on instruction."
Artificial intelligence is becoming part of that model as well. Santoro said AI-powered learning tools can help students reinforce concepts and work through questions outside scheduled class time while leaving educators responsible for practical training and professional development.
Building Business-Ready Professionals
Digital learning may be changing how students acquire knowledge, but industry discussions are increasingly focused on what happens after graduation.
"There is a distinct move towards creating business-ready junior staff," Millie Kendall, chief executive of the British Beauty Council, told Newsweek.
While professional qualifications remain important, she said employers are increasingly looking for candidates who can adapt to workplace expectations and contribute to a business from an early stage.
"Work experience has become a vital way for people to enter the industry. Not only because of the contacts they can make but the real-life experience this delivers."
However, Kendall does not view digital skills and workplace readiness as competing priorities. Instead, she argues that digital literacy now sits alongside technical ability and client-facing experience as part of a modern beauty professional's skillset. "For a generation of young people that require a more flexible working environment I personally feel it's incredibly important to teach digital media and AI alongside beauty education."
As beauty businesses place greater emphasis on social media, online marketing and digital client engagement, those skills can also offer practical value in the workplace.
"It can really benefit a salon owner to have a member of the team handling not only client liaison and providing services but working on search, digital media and other online tools," Kendall said.
Similar themes have emerged elsewhere in the industry. A 2026 roundtable hosted by Beauty Changes Lives at America's Beauty Show identified communication, client retention, workplace expectations and mentorship as areas where new graduates often require additional support as they transition into employment.
Beyond the Tutorial
Those conversations about workplace readiness and mentorship are familiar to Shannon Buzzerio, founder of Faces By Shannon, who says technical training is only one part of preparing beauty professionals for a successful career.
After more than 25 years working across bridal, commercial and creative beauty, Buzzerio has watched digital platforms transform access to beauty education. But she argues that access to information is not the same as professional expertise.
"Trends change, but technique gives an artist the ability to understand why something works, who it works for and how to adapt it," she said.
In practice, that means learning how to work with different clients, navigate changing circumstances and make decisions beyond simply recreating a look seen online.
That philosophy informed The Method, her educational and mentorship resource.
"I didn't build The Method to teach you my look," Buzzerio said. "I built it to teach you how to find yours."
Her perspective reflects a broader shift taking place across beauty education. Technology is making knowledge more accessible, but some educators and employers increasingly argue that developing professional capability requires more than information alone.
For aspiring beauty professionals, success is likely to depend not only on what they learn online, but also on the practical experience, business skills and mentorship that help turn knowledge into a career.
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Mike Hirst.