Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1544125
20 ASCP Skin Deep Spring 2026 ASCP ADVOCACY FOR SOME, THIS WINTER was rough. Wouldn't it have been nice to bail on the cold and spend a few months living and working in the sunshine? Well, a multistate esthetics compact is on its way to turning that dream into a reality. At the time of writing, the esthetics compact, a legislative contract among states that would allow licensed estheticians to practice across state lines, had been fi led in three states (Alabama, Kansas, and Virginia) and growing. If this compact is signed into law in at least seven states and you are licensed to practice in one of those states, you may soon be eligible for a multistate license that allows you to practice in all states that are members of the compact. WHAT EXACTLY IS A COMPACT? A compact is a contract between some states that essentially says, "If you've licensed people to practice this profession in your state, we trust them to practice here too." It's a voluntary mechanism that you can choose to apply for if you live and are licensed in a member state that would allow you to practice in any other state that is a member of the compact. There are a few caveats, most important being that you have to adhere to the laws and rules regulating your profession of whatever state you're practicing in. For example, if you live in the imaginary state of North Wyoming where microneedling is in your scope, but you want to work in another compact state called East Vermont (where they do not allow microneedling), you must stick to East Vermont's laws while you're there. Your scope of practice doesn't follow you from state to state like your license to practice does. Think of it like a driver's license. You are allowed to drive in states outside of where you're licensed, but you must obey their speed limits. HOW SOON CAN YOU EXPECT A MULTISTATE LICENSE IN THE MAIL? While the leaders of this initiative, including Associated Skin Care Professionals (ASCP), have made extraordinary progress, we still have a ways to go. Seven is the magic number—once we have that many states sign the compact bill language into law, then a compact commission, kind of like a regulatory board, can be formed. That body will then make the rules that hammer out the details of multistate esthetics licensure. Shortly after those rules are made offi cial, you can apply for your multistate license and pack your bags for warmer weather! GETTY IMAGES An Esthetics Compact Is Coming by Laura Puryear