The Foundations of Skin Certification is an immersive 24-hour course designed for licensed beauty professionals who want to strengthen their understanding of skin and develop practical esthetic treatment skills. This course is especially valuable for licensed cosmetologists expanding into skincare, as well as estheticians who are returning to the industry or want a comprehensive refresher in skin science and facial techniques.

Students will move from understanding the science of the skin to analyzing real skin conditions, selecting appropriate products and ingredients, and performing a complete customized facial treatment.

What You'll Learn

Throughout this certification, students will learn how to:

• Understand essential skin anatomy, physiology, and barrier function
• Differentiate between skin types and skin conditions
• Recognize common concerns including acne, rosacea, pigmentation, dehydration, and aging
• Understand Fitzpatrick skin typing and its role in professional treatments
• Conduct professional client consultations and skin analyses
  
• Identify contraindications and determine when a treatment should be modified or avoided
• Understand professional skincare products and key ingredient categories
• Select products based on individual skin needs
• Perform a complete professional facial from cleansing through finishing products
• Develop foundational cleansing, exfoliation, masking, and facial massage techniques
• Customize facial protocols based on client goals and skin conditions
• Maintain proper sanitation, treatment room safety, and client comfort
• Understand professional ethics and scope-of-practice considerations
• Provide appropriate post-treatment and home-care recommendations

Hands-On Training

A significant portion of this course is dedicated to hands-on learning. Students will practice skin analysis, consultation, charting, product selection, facial techniques, massage,  and complete treatment protocols under instructor guidance.

The certification concludes with a practical treatment in which students bring together everything they've learned from consultation and skin analysis to product selection, treatment customization, and home-care recommendations.

Please note: Stonhart Academy’s advanced courses are open only to licensed estheticians and cosmetologists. To preserve the integrity of our curriculum and protect the value of training for our community, we are unable to accept registrations from licensed instructors who are teaching at other institutions.