Cosmetologist or beautician: how it works in Latvia and why it matters to you
In Latvia almost everyone says cosmetologist — it is what people type into Google and what they say when booking a treatment. Yet the title no longer exists in the official register of professions, and behind that apparent formality sits a very practical question: what exactly is the person you are sitting in front of allowed to do to your skin?
This article explains who a beautician, a beauty care specialist, an aesthetician and a cosmetologist are in Latvia, which of them may perform injections, and how to check your own specialist in three minutes.
The short answer
A cosmetologist (kosmetologs) in Latvia is a medical doctor holding a cosmetology certificate. The qualification can no longer be newly obtained — only specialists who acquired it earlier still hold it. Most people who call themselves cosmetologists are in fact beauticians (kosmētiķis) or beauty care specialists in cosmetology (skaistumkopšanas speciālists kosmetoloģijā) — full, state-regulated professions with medical training behind them.
A beautician is a registered medical practitioner
In Latvia a beautician holds the status of ārstniecības persona — a registered medical practitioner. This is not marketing language but a legal status: the specialist must be entered in the Register of Medical Practitioners and hold a certificate renewed every five years.
Qualifying means completing an accredited vocational programme in cosmetology — roughly 3,120 study hours (two years), or 960 hours for someone who already holds a vocational secondary qualification in healthcare. The programme covers anatomy, physiology, dermatology, pharmacology, asepsis and antisepsis — the same foundation healthcare workers study.
Beauty care specialist in cosmetology
This is the next step up — a first-level higher education qualification in cosmetology. Such a specialist is also a registered medical practitioner and also needs registration and certification. In practice both work with the same range of treatments; what differs is the level of education and the depth of certain techniques.
Aestheticians and course-trained specialists
Aestheticians and specialists trained through informal courses are not registered medical practitioners. They may perform non-invasive treatments only: massage, masks, waxing, brow shaping, make-up. Injections, deep peels and device-based treatments reaching the deeper skin layers fall outside their competence.
Who may perform injections
Precision matters here, because the internet says very different things about it.
Cosmetic injections — biorevitalisation, mesotherapy, polynucleotides, collagen preparations — have always been high-risk procedures reserved for a qualified specialist. The Health Inspectorate's position was already clear before: they may be performed by a beautician, a beauty care specialist in cosmetology or a doctor — that is, by a registered medical practitioner.
What changed: until 2026, Cabinet Regulation No. 631 regulated the conditions of the service in detail (premises, sterility, client age), but requirements for the provider's own qualification were not written into the text that directly. From 1 January 2026 the qualification requirement is stated explicitly in the regulation, and high-risk services may no longer be provided in a home setting. Device-based treatments have a transition period until 30 June 2028 — injections have no transition period.
In other words, it is wrong to say that «before 2026 anyone could do injections». What changed is not the requirement itself, but how unambiguously it is written and how easily it can now be checked.
How to check your specialist — three steps
1. Ask for the profession title. The correct answer is kosmētiķis or skaistumkopšanas speciālists (kosmetoloģijā). If the answer is «aesthetician» or «I completed a course», injections are not permitted for that specialist.
2. Check the register. The Health Inspectorate's Register of Medical Practitioners is public — you can look up a specialist by name, see their speciality and the validity of their certificate.
3. Look at the product. A specialist will show you the ampoule, its labelling and expiry date without hesitation. The product should come from an official distributor, not an online marketplace.
Frequently asked questions
Are a cosmetologist and a beautician the same thing?
In everyday speech, yes — people mean the same specialist. Legally, no: in Latvia a cosmetologist is a medical doctor with a cosmetology certificate, and the qualification can no longer be newly obtained. A beautician is a separate state-regulated profession with medical education and the status of a registered medical practitioner.
May a beautician perform injections?
Yes. Beauticians and beauty care specialists in cosmetology are registered medical practitioners, and cosmetic injections fall within their competence. Aestheticians and course-trained specialists may not perform injections.
What changed on 1 January 2026?
The qualification requirement for the service provider is now stated explicitly in the Cabinet Regulation, and high-risk services may no longer be provided in a home setting. Device-based treatments have a transition period until 30 June 2028; injections have none.
How do I check whether a specialist is registered?
The Health Inspectorate's Register of Medical Practitioners is available online. You can search by first and last name to find the specialist, their speciality and the validity period of their certificate.