BLS puts both spellings in one bucket
The OOH page titled Skincare Specialists opens its "What They Do" section with the line that skincare specialists are also known as estheticians. Duties listed there, facials, skin analysis, waxing and other approved hair removal, product recommendations, are the licensed skincare role states usually regulate under an esthetician or cosmetology credential.
Dental hygienist salary publishes May 2025 BLS medians for that license.
Aesthetician is a common alternate spelling, especially in medical-spa marketing. It is not a second SOC code in the BLS table. When job ads use aesthetician and payroll systems use esthetician, wage comparisons still belong on the skincare-specialists series unless the role is actually a nurse, physician assistant, or physician performing medical procedures.
Spelling vs wage series (side-by-side)
| Label readers see | Separate BLS SOC? | Wage series to use | What usually drives pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Esthetician (common license spelling) | No: folds into 39-5094 | Skincare specialists (OOH) | State license + spa vs medical workplace |
| Aesthetician (ae spelling in ads) | No: not a second SOC | Same 39-5094 series | Marketing title; pay still tracks workplace mix |
| Medical aesthetician (job-ad phrasing) | Still not a separate national median by that name | Compare via industry cut of 39-5094 (e.g., offices of physicians) unless the role is nursing/PA/MD | Employer type and credentials, not the vowel |
That three-way table is the click artifact: aesthetician vs esthetician vs medical-spa labeling shares one BLS occupation unless the duties cross into another license.
May 2025 national pay snapshot
| BLS measure (Skincare specialists, May 2025) | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual pay | $45,330 |
| Median hourly pay | $21.79 |
| Lowest 10 percent (hourly) | less than $14.22 |
| Highest 10 percent (hourly) | more than $39.45 |
| Employment (2025 projection base) | 104,200 jobs |
BLS notes that OEWS wage figures exclude most self-employed workers. Tips and commissions that employers report can appear in the estimates; overtime and benefits do not. Spa booth renters who file as self-employed may sit outside this median.
Where the spelling does not change the paycheck
Industry pages sometimes claim medical aestheticians earn more than spa estheticians. The pay gap, when it exists, comes from workplace and credential mix, physician offices versus personal-care services, not from the ae/e vowel. BLS's own industry wage snippet on the same OOH page shows a higher median in offices of physicians ($24.81 hourly) than in personal care services ($21.10 hourly) for May 2025.
If a posting requires nursing licensure, laser privileges under a medical director, or injection authority, compare it to the correct clinical occupation instead of forcing it into SOC 39-5094.
Outlook without overselling
BLS projects 9 percent employment growth for skincare specialists from 2025 to 2035, labeled much faster than average, with about 14,200 openings a year on average. That outlook applies to the combined occupation, regardless of whether a salon spells the job aesthetician or esthetician.