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Research Outline

Prepared for Amy r. | Delivered April 8, 2020

Permanent make up (PMU) artists in the U.S

Goals

To provide an overview of permanent make up (PMU) artists including barriers to becoming a PMU artist, what motivates them to join and stay in the profession, challenges in attracting new clients, considerations when choosing permanet make up products, and their attitudes/behaviors. This information will be used for a request for proposals (RFP) response to a prospective client in the PMU products field.


Early Findings

Insights on Permanent Make Up (PMU) Artists in the U.S.

Data from the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals a membership organization for professionals in permanent cosmetics, permanent make up or micropigmentation, shows that:
  • In its industry survey the U.S. has the highest represenation at 79.6% of the respondents in the permanent make up/cosmetic industry.
  • By gender, 99.1% of professionals in permanent make up/cosmetic are fem
  • The age distribution for professionals in permanent make up/cosmetic is: 18-25 are 1.8%, 26-30 are 4.6%, 31-35 are 6.4%, 36-40 are 7.3%, 41-45 are 10.1%, 46-50 are 21.1%, 51-55 are 16.5%, 56-60 are 15.6%, 61-65 are 11.9%, 66-70 are 4.6%
  • Years of practicing permanent make up/cosmetic procedures differs greatly with about 18% of professionals in permanent make up/cosmetic practicing for 1-3 years, 8% practicing for less than 1 year, and less than 5% practicing for 28 years and above.
  •  96.2% of permanent make up/cosmetic professionals participate in continuing education classes and events to keep abreast with changing approches to permanent make up/cosmetics.
  •  69.7% of permanent make up/cosmetic professionals are self emplyed, 13.8% are independent contractors, and 0.9% are employed.

Some of the barriers to entry for potential PMU artists may include:
  • Length of training: "Some states in the U.S. require very few hours of training, while others will require anywhere from 300 or more hours with an apprenticeship program approved by the state’s board of cosmetology."
  • Challenges in licencing: While some states in the U.S. consider the completion of a training program sufficient, others may require the artists to complete an apprenticeship program to qualify for licensure.
Summary of Findings
In the first hour of research, we determined that information on PMU artists is relatively available in the public domain.
In providing our early findings, we have assumed a U.S. focus, and provided some insights on PMU artists in the country, as well as some challenges potential PMU artists face when trying to enter the industry.