Your questions, answered

Licensed estheticians in Illinois must complete 10 hours of continuing education every two year renewal cycle. Of those, one hour must be Sexual Harassment Prevention (required every cycle) and one hour must be Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Awareness (a one time requirement, usually satisfied at your first renewal). The remaining hours are elective and can cover advanced technique, client safety, or professional development.

See the full breakdown of the 10 hours.

Illinois esthetician licenses expire on September 30 of odd numbered years. The next deadline is September 30, 2027. The renewal window typically opens two to three months beforehand, and your continuing education must be finished by the expiration date, not afterwards.

Yes. Since a statewide variance issued by IDFPR on May 30, 2025, Illinois licensees may complete 100% of their continuing education hours online, including self paced, video, audio and correspondence formats. Before that variance, only half your hours could be completed through individual study.

One caveat worth knowing: the variance was issued as a temporary measure while IDFPR works to make the change permanent in its rules. It has been in effect continuously since 2025, but if you are reading this well after our review date below, confirm it is still current.

Yes. Continuing education only counts toward your Illinois renewal if it comes from a sponsor approved by IDFPR. A legitimate sponsor will publish its license number and let you verify it with the state.

Esthetics Pro Collective is approved under license 190.000934 (BCENT Continuing Education Sponsor) — verify it here. If a provider will not give you a number you can check, treat that as an answer.

No. Continuing education is waived for your first renewal after initial licensure. You still have to renew on time and pay the fee — you just do not need CE hours for that first cycle. The one-hour Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Awareness requirement is commonly tied to that first renewal, so confirm your own status in your IDFPR account.

The renewal fee is $50 for the two year period, paid to IDFPR at the time of renewal. That is separate from what you spend on continuing education, which varies by provider.

Complete your 10 CE hours, then renew online through the IDFPR portal before September 30 of the renewal year. You attest to having completed your hours — there is no CE reporting portal and you do not upload certificates unless IDFPR specifically asks for them.

Step by step renewal walkthrough.

No. Illinois does not require you to submit certificates at renewal; you simply attest that you have completed your hours. Keep every certificate anyway. IDFPR can request proof, and the burden of producing it is yours. Save digital copies for at least one full renewal cycle beyond the current one.

In Illinois cosmetology and esthetics practice the two terms are used interchangeably: one CEU equals one hour of approved instruction. This differs from some other professions, where one CEU can mean ten contact hours. If a course advertises "3 CEUs" for an Illinois esthetician, that means three hours.

IDFPR publishes a list of approved continuing education sponsors on its website, and you can verify any individual sponsor license through the state's online verification tool. Start at the IDFPR esthetician page.

When comparing providers, check three things: that the sponsor license is current, that the topic genuinely interests you (you are going to sit through it), and whether the hours are elective or count toward a mandated topic.

Generally yes. Illinois cosmetologists need 14 hours per cycle rather than 10, and esthetics related coursework from an approved sponsor is normally accepted as elective content. Because the hour totals and mandated topics differ between license types, confirm against your own license requirements in your IDFPR account before enrolling.

Yes, and plenty of students do — the technique and clinical content apply anywhere. The CEU hours, though, are sponsored specifically for Illinois licensees. If you need hours to count toward renewal in another state, check with your own board first, because acceptance of out of state sponsors varies widely. We would much rather you ask before you buy.

The elective ones. We currently offer 15 CEU hours across 4 courses, covering advanced facial technique, lymphatic drainage, oncology esthetics and client retention.

We do not sponsor the two mandated topics — Sexual Harassment Prevention and Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Awareness. You will need those from a sponsor approved for them specifically, and it is worth sorting them early rather than in September. Browse our courses.