With the rising numbers of influencers starting trends on what seems to be the “standard of today’s beauty,” the beauty and fashion industry is surpassing almost any other major industry. Today’s beauty industry is worth $532 billion, while the fashion industry is $1.53 trillion. The United States holds the world’s largest beauty and fashion industry.
With this data, it’s clear that the beauty and fashion industry has a lot of opportunities to offer. Knowing what is available and the highest paying jobs in both industries might be the key to helping you identify which career path is best for your skills and education.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Beauty & Fashion Jobs
Before diving into the highest-paying careers in the beauty and fashion industry, weighing the pros and cons is important. This will help you determine if you’ll fit in the industry or not.
The Advantages:
It’s Glamorous
As you might’ve heard, working in the fashion and beauty industry can be very glamorous. You have the opportunity to meet and collaborate closely with celebrities, fashion designers, makeup artists, and more. You’ll also be invited to some galas and facilitate connections with people from other professions.
In addition to this, you’ll meet a lot of people who express themselves in unique ways. Since beauty and fashion are focused on what’s new, you’ll have a vibrant and flavorful career.
Attending fashion shows will be one of your tasks to help you stay current on trends.
It’s Multifaceted
The fashion and beauty industries are shifting away from hiring employees with fixed job descriptions and toward hiring individuals with a wide range of talents who can handle a number of activities. The positions are getting more exciting since these tasks are far more dynamic and varied than they used to be.
Oh! The Freebies
No other industries offer as many freebies as the fashion and beauty industries. Goodie bags and freebies galore will greet you, whether it’s simply another day at the office or you’re going to a fancy company function. And frequently, different companies will keep your name on their PR list and send their newest products to your home, some of which are not available to the public yet.
If you become a famous “vlogger” or “influencer,” some companies will actually send you a lifetime supply of your favorite products from their brands! They’ll even pay you a lot of cash for showing one of their products in a 10-second clip. Crazy. But it’s true!
The perks you get when you are an established artist in either industry are very exciting.
It’s Fast-Paced
The fashion industry is very fast-paced — it’s dynamic and constantly changing. Each year, tens of thousands of designers and brand owners present brand-new collections and creations, establishing the trends for the upcoming season. Professionals in the beauty and fashion industry are continually developing new products.
Full of Hardworking People
The fashion and beauty industry is full of competitive and hardworking people. You’ll meet and learn a lot from tenacious people. This will help you grow professionally and personally.
The Disadvantages:
The Very Competitive Market and Nepotism
The most significant disadvantage, for many, of working in the fashion and business industry is the competitive market. Not only will you be dealing with more experienced people, but you may also have to deal with nepotism. Nepotism can happen in any industry, but it’s more common in these two industries, especially fashion.
Nepotism is not only accepted. It’s celebrated! This gives you an even harder time breaking into the industry. Well, not unless you have the talent to create your own platform, which surprisingly has become easier due to social media platforms like TikTok.
Long Working Hours
Due to its competitiveness, professionals in the beauty and fashion industries are often overworked. You must work long hours to meet quotas and deadlines or send out orders or invitations for an event!
Difficult Customers
The fashion and beauty industries are known to receive some of the most difficult clients. Sometimes it’s impossible or extremely difficult to agree to the terms and conditions they present.
They can ask for a sizable order to be manufactured and delivered in a short time. If the company is a start-up with fewer employees, it will be quite challenging to finish the order within the specified deadline.
Staying Updated
Fashion and beauty trends come and go frequently, and the fashion business is constantly growing. To understand what the public wants, fashion and beauty professionals must stay current with the latest trends.
How to Choose the Right Beauty & Fashion Job
With many job opportunities your way, you can get confused about which one to choose. Regardless of what industry you pursue, you must ensure that what you start is what you really want. You don’t want to spend time, money, and energy on something you’ll regret later.
Here are some of the few important factors you must consider in choosing a fashion and beauty industry role.
What are your skills?
Before anything else, try to answer these questions. What are your current practical skills? What practical skills do you wish to work on?
Your study-acquired skills can aid in professional selection and help you succeed in the world of beauty and fashion. You are expected to possess the abilities necessary to deliver what is expected of you. So, decide what you are excellent at.
Make sure you are an expert in the field you select. Find the tasks that come naturally to you.
What makes you happy?
A job in the fashion and beauty industry is very demanding; thus, it’s important to keep a job that makes you happy. You’ll feel less stressed and have a more meaningful career. For example, if you feel good about making other people feel confident with their appearance, you can become a makeup artist or an esthetician.
Training and Education Needs
The highest-paying jobs in the beauty and fashion industry have various educational and training needs.
After considering your skills, you must also consider how much time and money you need to spend to meet the educational requirements of your desired role. Ensure that you can be 100% committed. While certain jobs may require up to 17 years of education, others may need a few years or no college degree at all.
Social Needs
More social skills are needed for some jobs in the beauty and fashion industry than others. To learn about the newest trends, you must network with other artists.
A successful career in the industry depends on your network of contacts. The more sociable you are, the higher your success chances.
20 Highest Paying Beauty & Fashion Jobs in 2023
Cosmetic Surgeon
Education: A bachelor’s degree, a medical degree from an Osteopathic or Allopathic med school, and completion of a six-year plastic surgery residency training program.
Average Annual Salary: $221,646
Cosmetic surgery is classified as an elective since it treats areas that function normally. Cosmetic surgeons perform cosmetic procedures to improve a patient’s appearance by enhancing symmetry, proportion, and aesthetic appeal. They can operate surgery for aesthetic reasons in any part of the head, neck, or body.
Although this profession is one of the highest-paid jobs in the fashion and beauty industry, it takes at least 14 years of education and training to become one.
Cosmetic Dentist
Education: Bachelor’s degree and a DDS or Doctor of Dental Surgery or a DMD or Doctor of Dental Medicine
Average Annual Salary: $173,529
Unlike general dentistry, which prevents, diagnose, and treats oral diseases, cosmetic dentistry focuses on improving a patient’s smile by enhancing the look of their teeth, gums, and mouth symmetry. These dentists focus on implants, veneers, fillings, and teeth whitening. They are permitted to do minor fixes to major surgeries.
Tattoo Artist
Education: No formal higher education is required, but apprenticeships are highly valuable.
Average Annual Salary: $136,565
One of the first artistic disciplines known to man is tattooing. Tattoo artists inscribe phrases or images permanently on the skin by using tiny needles to inject ink beneath the skin’s surface.
The fact that the job involves a lot of time tattooing and designing your artwork is a major factor in why tattoo artists are paid highly. The more intricate the design, the more costly it will be.
Fashion Marketing Manager
Education: Bachelor’s degree in marketing
Average Annual Salary: $133,380
Fashion marketing managers are experts in developing strategies to enhance how a brand markets its line of products to drive sales and productivity. They oversee branding initiatives and design marketing strategies for brands, shops, and companies involved in the fashion industry. They will choose the product’s price, design, and locations for sales and advertising. They will also help facilitate the manufacturing process.
Makeup Artist
Education: High school diploma or a certification in cosmetology
Average Annual Salary: $124,380
Makeup artists are highly skilled professionals that enhance people’s appearance without invasive procedures. They use their expertise and talents to design a specific appearance that complements the client’s qualities and fits their needs by using various methods like contouring, highlighting, and shading.
Public Relations Manager
Education: Bachelor’s degree; other positions may need a master’s degree
Average Annual Salary: $119,860
A public relations manager is necessary for every beauty and fashion house. PR managers are in charge of writing press releases, organizing and managing employee interviews, and all external communication, like social media engagement, newsletters, and occasionally even business events. PR managers are also in charge of handling business crises and resolving issues that harm the business’s reputation.
Fashion Product Manager or Apparel Product Manager
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Apparel Production, Business Administration, or Marketing.
Average Annual Salary: $103,975
Fashion product managers oversee a brand’s concept, design, selling, and distribution. They are in charge of establishing and using quality control procedures for their product. Product managers typically oversee a single product or a small range of products.
Fashion Art Director or Creative Director
Education: Bachelor’s degree in an art or design subject
Average Annual Salary: $100,890
Without fashion art directors, magazines would be less lively. These professionals control and bring images to life to make their magazines exciting and appealing. In short, fashion art directors are responsible for a fashion brand’s or magazine’s visual aesthetics and content creation. On the other hand, creative directors are the mind behind the projects of art directors.
Image Consultant
Education: Training and certification in image consultancy
Average Annual Salary: $93,492
An image consultant is a fashion stylist that offers thorough advice to help customers improve their image in accordance with their personal or professional goals. They also assist clients in building interpersonal skills so they may feel more secure and show their best selves. This line of work gives freedom and lets you customize your offerings to suit your preferences.
Sourcing Manager
Education: Bachelor’s degree in international business, logistics, supply chain management, or a related field.
Average Annual Salary: $87,742
A sourcing manager controls all firm sourcing efforts, contacts possible applicants, and creates a recruiting plan in addition to gathering pertinent information about job seekers. These professionals collaborate with human resources teams to assess the hiring resources and advertise job vacancies.
Fashion Designer
Education: Bachelor’s degree in fine arts or business related to fashion.
Average Annual Salary: $77,450
Fashion designers are artistic experts who use their understanding of market trends, textiles, sewing methods, and construction to create clothing. They may work for bigger apparel manufacturers or independent design labels with a smaller following. They frequently have sewing and knowledge of the many steps in clothes creation.
Fashion Account Executive
Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business, management, or a related field.
Average Annual Salary: $65,021
Account executives are in charge of selling and promoting in the fashion sector. They assist in promoting and hawking everything from well-known retail companies to high-end designer labels. They will either schedule meetings outside the office with specific media outlets or have a representative come to them. The account executive will be the representative’s primary point of contact during the advertising campaign or other activity.
Luxury Personal Shopper
Education: No formal education is required; however, a background in fashion is preferred by many employers/clients
Average Annual Salary: $59,697
Luxury personal shoppers help clients browse for expensive goods. These professionals are skilled in comprehending the client’s needs and determining the ideal interest for that person while always considering factors like designers, materials, trends, and price in mind. Additionally, it could entail finding a specific piece of clothing, emailing pictures of clothing alternatives, or delivering racks of clothing to the client’s house.
Model
Education: No formal educational credentials are required
Average Annual Salary: $53,816
The fashion and beauty industries rely heavily on models to showcase their products. Models are used in catalogs, online shops, fashion shows, and advertisements to help promote and market apparel, accessories, and beauty items. There are various types of models, including fit models and hand models.
Fashion Editor
Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism, fashion, or a related field
Average Annual Salary: $53,708
A fashion editor’s responsibilities go beyond simply writing articles, even though they work for magazines. A fashion editor is also a stylist for the industry. Although some fashion editors focus more on writing, others prioritize styling. This is more of a matter of preference.
You are free to concentrate solely on writing if you choose.
Graphic Designer
Education: Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a related field
Average Annual Salary: $50,710
Graphic designers are responsible for obtaining prints, approving strike-offs for the fashion/retail company, and researching fashion trends, new dye, and print techniques. They can also create artwork for branding on embellishments like show tickets. A fashion graphic designer will also have good drawing skills and be skilled in a number of CAD programs, including Photoshop and Illustrator.
Beauty Blogger or Vlogger
Education: No formal educational credentials are required
Average Annual Salary: $44,474
Some of the most influential persons driving the growth of the fashion and beauty business are fashion and beauty bloggers and vloggers. Most vloggers earn six digits a year, depending on their following. But, as thrilling as it may sound, this career path requires preparation, planning, and the appropriate strategy because it is a science, an art, and a technique.
Vloggers create video content, while bloggers create written content.
Esthetician
Education: Postsecondary vocational training program and certificate from a state-approved cosmetology or esthetician program
Average Annual Salary: $42,925
Estheticians are skilled skin care professionals who can perform body treatments, waxing, facials, superficial chemical peels, and other cosmetic skin procedures. They, however, do and should not provide medical care. Estheticians typically work in spas or salons.
Cosmetologist
Education: Professional certificate or associate’s degree in cosmetology at a beauty school.
Average Annual Salary: $37,122
Cosmetologists are professionals with extensive training in therapies and treatments to enhance one’s outward look. Among the specific cosmetology focuses/specialties are hairstyling, laser hair removal, esthetics, makeup application, nail care, and other beauty treatments.
Hair Stylist
Education: High school diploma or GED and a state-licensed cosmetology program
Average Annual Salary: $33,978
Hair stylists can actually earn more, depending on where they’re working. They can work for a famous person, at a hair salon, or do freelance. Those working with models and influential people are paid more. They focus on the styling and care of hair, cleaning and cutting hair, suggesting particular hair products, and giving counseling on hair styling and care.
Starting a Career in the Beauty and Fashion Industry
Breaking into the fashion and beauty industry is challenging but possible.
You should obtain a relevant degree to build the knowledge base and abilities you’ll need to succeed in the role you’d like to pursue. Always pick a degree program that directly connects to your intended career in fashion and beauty.
Making your own name is the key to succeeding in the fashion and beauty industry. One of the most effective is, of course, by making connections. After all, the beauty and fashion industry is all about Who Knows Who.
Create a list of the industry leaders and organizations you admire. Make sure your résumé is current, conduct thorough research, and start contacting a few key individuals for informational interviews. Learning more about the career is wise than asking for a job.
Thanks to technology, you can easily reach people and brands through email or LinkedIn. You’ll be surprised that more folks are willing to assist because this gives them the privilege to talk about themselves and gives their company credit for being approachable.
Feel free to put yourself out there.
How to Improve Your Fashion and Beauty Skills
Unlike the early 2000s when the only known influencers or “trend starters” were the Kardashians and other popular celebrities seen on TV, today — because of social media platforms — more and more people are becoming great influencers. As a result, the beauty and fashion industry is evolving faster.
If you work in the industry, you must keep yourself and the products you’re handling relevant. You need to stay up-to-date on the current trends. But how do you do this? The answer is pretty simple: You need to stay active on all social media platforms.
You need to always keep an eye out for rising trends.
Another way to improve your industry skills is to keep trying new things. You can enroll in non-credit fashion courses that update you on recent technology and styles. You can also read books about how fashion and beauty have changed throughout history; this might give you an idea of what’s next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Beauty Industry?
The beauty industry is a broad field centered on helping people improve their appearance by enhancing their hair, nails, makeup, and skincare. If you work in this field, you might trim hair or cloth, apply a new style to a customer who wants a change, or promote skincare and haircare goods as an artist to bring a creative concept to reality.
What is the Fashion Industry?
People assume it only includes retail chains, online businesses, design studios and brands, and fashion periodicals; however, the fashion industry includes a wide range of specialized, smaller sectors. There are other artisans and enterprises involved in clothing production, nevertheless.
Is the fashion industry male-dominated?
Yes. Although women make up the vast majority of students who pursue degrees in fashion, the profession is dominated by men. Only about 14% of the top 50 major fashion firms are headed by women.
Do vloggers make a lot of money?
Because vloggers earn money through views and interactions on their videos, their income varies greatly. Some industries, however, pay more commission per ad than others. The location of the viewers will also affect how much money can be earned. However, the CPM for most channels might range from $0.30 to $2.50.
Is a college degree necessary to excel in the fashion and beauty industry?
While it’s possible to succeed in these industries without a degree, it can be more challenging, especially in the fashion industry. Attending college is one of the best ways to create a professional network and portfolio, which is very important in the fashion industry.
Final Thoughts
The fashion and beauty industries are likely never to disappear, which makes it good news for people who want to make a living in the industry. However, it’s a very competitive market to break into. You need solid connections and unique creativity to excel.
