What is CIDESCO?
CIDESCO is the world’s most prestigious qualification in the field of aesthetics and beauty therapy. This international organization was founded in 1946 to give aestheticians the opportunity to exchange experiences with their colleagues in other countries. CIDESCO head offices are located in Zurich, Switzerland.
The aim of CIDESCO is to:
- promote aesthetics on an international basis.
- unite members on an international and national level.
- create training centers internationally for CIDESCO training programs which leads to CIDESCO exam and diploma
- promote exchange of professional knowledge of new developments and information by organizing international congresses.
To earn a CIDESCO diploma, candidates are required to have 600 hours of salon experience or 3 years experience for an esthetician not trained at an international CIDESCO school. A candidate not trained at an international CIDESCO school will attend a 7-day class at a CIDESCO accredited school to prepare them for the CIDESCO exam. Each day is filled with theory as well as hands-on demonstration. Information is provided to the candidate for preparing a thesis paper, a 500 question multiple-choice exam on all systems of the body, and a 2 day hands-on exam, similar to that of the state board exam. There is no time limit for preparing the thesis paper and preparing for the exam.
It is not a requirement for estheticians to be CIDESCO accredited to perform services in the United States. In Europe, estheticians attend school for up to four years and are licensed as body therapists, nail technicians as well as estheticians. In the US, three licenses are required to perform all three services: an esthetics license, a massage therapy license and a nail technician license.
A commitment to constant continuing higher education and professionalism is one of the goals of the CIDESCO accredited aesthetician.
