Practice Standards and Professional Conduct

About 3 of every 45 questions on a Oregon Laws and Rules Exam practice exam come from this topic.

Sources checked November 14, 2026

Oregon's cosmetology rules change on January 1, 2027: a 2025 law adds a provisional certificate, and the Board of Cosmetology plans to adopt temporary rules in December 2026. These practice questions come only from parts of the law those changes don't touch, so they leave out certificate qualifications, renewal, fees and civil penalties. We'll recheck the whole bank against the new rules once they're filed.

What to know

Under the Board's code of professional conduct, authorization holders must adhere to the Office laws and rules in ORS 676.560 to 676.660 and OAR chapter 331, divisions 1 through 30, and must practice in a manner that safeguards the public's health, safety and welfare. Each authorization holder is responsible for determining whether a practice would be prohibited by law, and services that are prohibited, unsafe, dangerous or cause harm may be a violation of incompetence, negligence or unprofessional conduct under ORS 676.612(2)(j). An esthetician is limited to mechanical or electric devices that do not penetrate beyond the epidermis except through natural physiological effects. Permitted devices include galvanic current, high-frequency, microcurrents, light-emitting diode therapy, microdermabrasion and devices used for nanoneedling, microneedling and similar procedures; any other esthetic device must be mechanical or electrical, be used for cleansing, stimulating, manipulating, exfoliating or applying lotions or creams, and have the same risk and safety qualifications as the listed devices. Lasers, intense pulse light, other advanced esthetics devices and needle-free devices for injecting dermal fillers are not esthetic devices, and a certified esthetician is prohibited from using them. An esthetician may not perform skin care or facial care practices, or use a device, for medical diagnosis or treatment of disease or physical or mental ailments. The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin and does not include the dermis or muscle; an esthetician is presumed to be working below the epidermis when removing skin below the epidermal layer or destroying or damaging the dermis or muscle, but deeper cellular activity caused by stimulating the epidermis, as with microcurrent, is a natural physiological effect. Chemical peels may not extend beyond the stratum basale. Head lice may be treated at the authorization holder's discretion, following the division 10 safety and infection control rules.

Where it comes from

• OAR 817-120-0005
• OAR 817-015-0040
• OAR 817-015-0045
• OAR 817-015-0055
• OAR 817-015-0075

Try a practice question

Ready for a full run? The Oregon Cosmetology Laws and Rules Exam Practice Test is 45 questions in 45 minutes, scored at 75%. For the official exam's details, see Oregon Cosmetology Laws and Rules Exam Requirements.