If you're booking a mobile beauty pro to come into your home, you should care who's licensed for what. Florida regulates the beauty trades carefully — and the law decides who can legally do what at your address. This is a practical guide to Florida's licensure structure, what each license covers, what to verify before a booking, and where to look it up. Aimed at clients, not pros, but useful to both.

Why licensure matters for mobile

Three reasons:

  1. Scope of practice. A nail technician is not licensed to do facials. A cosmetologist is not licensed to perform advanced skincare protocols like deep peels or microneedling. The training, the sanitation rules, and the legal liability are different. A pro working outside their license is a problem for both you and them.
  2. Sanitation and safety. Licensed pros are trained on infection control, equipment sterilization, and chemical safety. The state board sets the standard. A non-licensed person doing chemical peels in your bathroom is not just a legal issue — it's a real medical risk.
  3. Recourse. If something goes wrong with a licensed pro, you have an actual complaint path through the state board. With an unlicensed operator, you don't.

Who regulates what in Florida

The state agency that covers mobile beauty is the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), Board of Cosmetology — it regulates cosmetologists, facial specialists, full specialists, nail technicians, and barbers. License lookups happen at myfloridalicense.com.

It's a free, public database. Anyone can look up any pro's license status by name or license number in under 30 seconds.

What each Florida license covers

Cosmetology license (CO). The broadest beauty license. Covers hair cutting, coloring, styling, blowouts, treatments, basic skincare and makeup, and most brow services. Florida cosmetology training is 1,200 classroom hours plus a state board exam. Most hair pros on Made Glow hold this license.

Facial specialist license (FS). Covers most spa-style facial protocols, peels, dermaplaning, microdermabrasion, and (with appropriate additional training) microneedling. Florida facial specialist training is 260 classroom hours plus the state exam.

Full specialist license (FE). Combines facials and nails — the broadest specialist license short of full cosmetology. Florida full specialist training is 500 classroom hours.

Nail technician license (NT). Nails only. Covers manicures, pedicures, gel, acrylic, dip powder, builder gel, and nail art. Florida nail technician training is 240 classroom hours.

Barber license (BL). Covers men's hair cutting, beard trimming, and shaving with a straight razor. Distinct from cosmetology because of the razor work.

What's outside scope (common gray areas)

Three places where mobile clients get tripped up:

Eyelash extensions. In Florida, eyelash extension application requires either a cosmetology, facial specialist, or full specialist license. A nail technician license does not cover lashes. Many counties (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) also require an additional eyelash extension specialty certification on top.

Microneedling. A facial specialist or full specialist license is the floor; many pros also pursue an advanced certification through the manufacturer of their device. A cosmetologist alone is not licensed to perform microneedling.

Body waxing vs. facial waxing. Both are typically covered by a cosmetology or facial specialist license — but some specific services (Brazilian waxing) usually require additional training. Always check the pro's portfolio and ask about specific specialty certifications.

How to verify a Florida license in 30 seconds

  1. For DBPR licenses (cosmetology, facial, nails, full specialist, barber): Go to myfloridalicense.com → 'Verify a License' → search by name or license number. The result shows: license type, status (active / inactive / null and void), original issue date, and expiration. Status must read 'Active'.
  2. If a pro tells you their license is 'pending' or 'in process', they are not yet legally allowed to perform paid services in Florida. Wait until the state issues the active number.

Where Made Glow fits

Pros who offer services that need a Florida license have that license checked against state board records before they can be booked on Made Glow, either automatically through public records or by manual review. Services that Florida law exempts from licensing, such as makeup, don't need a license. Services beyond a Florida beauty license, such as microneedling, can't be listed on Made Glow without a verified medical license and Made Glow's approval. The full process is described in our guide to how Made Glow vets Beauty Pros.

You can verify any pro yourself at any time using the same DBPR lookup.

What to ask before a booking

Two kinds of service deserve a direct ask wherever you book them:

  1. Microneedling. Ask which device the pro uses, what their additional certification is, and how long they've been performing the service. Real microneedling sessions include a numbing cream wait of 20 to 30 minutes — see our mobile facial cost guide for the protocol detail.
  2. Chemical peels deeper than a glycolic / lactic surface peel. Ask about the specific peel type, the pH, and whether they recommend a consult before the booking.

The bottom line

Florida licensure is a real protection. The lookups are free, fast, and public. Use them. Made Glow checks the license of every pro whose services need one before they can be booked — but your ability to verify independently is part of the safety architecture, not a backup.

Browse vetted pros at /services or by city. For a wider read on how Made Glow protects both sides of the booking, see what to expect from a mobile beauty appointment.