make-up artist
Make-up artists assist and support artists before, during and after the performance and filming of movies or television programs to ensure the make-up is in line with the artistic vision of the director and the artistic team. They create images and characters through make-up and prosthetics. They maintain, check and repair prosthetics and assist with quick changes.
make-up artist make-up artists assist and support artists before, during and after the performance and filming of movies or television programs to ensure the make-up is in line with the artistic vision of the director and the artistic team. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include art history, cosmetics, make-up techniques, skin types, work ergonomically.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £24,124 a year for Beauticians and related occupations (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 6222). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Service and sales workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only make-up artist, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 5. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Fine Arts
- Design
- Communications and Media
- Administration and Management
- Psychology
- Education and Training
What you'd actually do
- Clean supplies such as makeup brushes.
- Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis.
- Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies.
- Analyze a script, noting events that affect each character's appearance, so that plans can be made for each scene.
- Alter or maintain makeup during productions as necessary to compensate for lighting changes or to achieve continuity of effect.
- Confer with stage or motion picture officials and performers to determine desired effects.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does make-up artist do?
Make-up artists assist and support artists before, during and after the performance and filming of movies or television programs to ensure the make-up is in line with the artistic vision of the director and the artistic team. They create images and characters through make-up and prosthetics. They maintain, check and repair prosthetics and assist with quick changes.
What skills does make-up artist need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include art history, cosmetics, make-up techniques, skin types, work ergonomically, understand artistic concepts. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace make-up artist?
Our AI-durability model gives make-up artist a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.