AG Platkin, Division of Consumer Affairs Announce Proposed Rules to Promote Inclusive Spaces and Curricula Diversity in New Jersey Cosmetology Schools to Ensure Comprehensive Training

TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs (“Division”) announced today the publication of proposed amendments and a new rule to promote inclusive spaces and more diverse curricula at cosmetology schools across the state.

The proposal, published in the New Jersey Register today, amends existing rules for the approximately 31 schools licensed by the State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling (“Board”) to provide training hours and curriculum preparing students for careers in the beauty industry.

The proposed rules mandate, among other things, that schools train all students to provide services to individuals with hair of all types, textures, and porosities, including hair that is tightly coiled, coiled, curly, wavy, and straight. The proposed rules also eliminate an existing mandate that schools have separate lavatories for men and women – a requirement that treats non-binary students differently from other students.

“New Jersey is a national leader in promoting equal access to services and opportunities for all,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The rules we are proposing today advance equal access by requiring cosmetology schools throughout our state to better serve students and patrons who have historically been denied service.”

“Together with our Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling, we are taking steps to recognize, welcome, and fully embrace the diverse student populations in New Jersey’s cosmetology schools,” said Elizabeth M. Harris, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “The rules will promote a more inclusive educational experience that will provide all graduates with an opportunity to serve a diverse clientele reflected in communities throughout New Jersey.”

The proposed rules are consistent with P.L.2025, c.207, a statute signed into law on January 12, 2026. The statute codifies the Board’s proposed requirement for training on textured hair into New Jersey law and also requires that the cosmetology licensing exam include textured hair.

Key aspects of the amendments and new rule include:

• requiring schools to train all students to become proficient within their scope of practice in providing services to individuals with various levels of hair strand thickness, various volumes of hair, and various hair patterns, including coiled, curly, and wavy patterns;

• amending the list of training tools schools must provide each student to include the following: hair picks, wide tooth combs, hair weaving kits, braiding packages, and other tools traditionally used to care for and style textured hair;

• requiring schools to possess sufficient equipment to train students in working with a variety of hair types, including having enough mannequins with tightly coiled, curly, wavy, and straight hair;

• lifting the requirement that schools provide gender-specific bathrooms and a teachers’ lavatory for schools having three or more teachers, to provide schools with more flexibility in configuring bathrooms; and

• requiring schools to provide every student with a full copy of the Board’s rules.

The announcement of the proposal is the latest action taken by the Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”) to further the underlying aims of the Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act, or the CROWN Act. The CROWN Act is a state law enacted in 2019 that clarifies that prohibited race discrimination under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination includes discrimination based on traits historically associated with race, including hair texture, type, and styles, such as braids, locks, and twists.

In October 2023, for instance, OAG and the Division on Civil Rights (“DCR”) announced an agreement with the Gloucester County Vocational-Technical School District, which operates the Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT), that ensures its cosmetology program will instruct all of its students in the theory and practice of styling Black and other textured hair. The Assurance of Voluntary Compliance resolved an investigation regarding allegations that GCIT’s Cosmetology Department did not require non-Black students to learn theoretical and practical skills related to Black and other textured hair and did not maintain sufficient mannequins to enable all students to style Black and other textured hair.

The proposed amendments and new rule, and information on submitting a comment can be viewed here: https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/ProposalPDF/cosmo-01202026-proposal.pdf. 

All comments must be submitted by March 21, 2026.

More News from Raritan

• Ribbon Cutting Celebration Welcomes All Goodness No Gluten to Hillsborough The HIllsborough Business Associatiion Celebrates a New Business in Hillsborough.
• Notice from Councilman Umesh Agrawal Stay tuned for more information and updates in 2026.