# Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

> Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.

- **SOC code:** 39-5091.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-39-5091-00
- **Also known as:** Hair and Makeup Designer, Makeup Artist (MUA), Special Effects Makeup Artist (Special Effects MUA), TV and Film Makeup Artist (Television and Film Makeup Artist), Commercial Makeup Artist (Commercial MUA), Prosthetic Makeup Designer, Special Makeup Effects Artist, Beauty Advisor
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- 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.
- Requisition or acquire needed materials for special effects, including wigs, beards, and special cosmetics.
- Study production information, such as character descriptions, period settings, and situations, to determine makeup requirements.
- Establish budgets, and work within budgetary limits.
- Select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve specific color effects.
- Write makeup sheets and take photos to document specific looks and the products used to achieve the looks.
- Assess performers' skin type to ensure that makeup will not cause break-outs or skin irritations.

**Emerging tasks** (O*NET):
- Clean and sanitize supplies, such as makeup brushes.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Customer and Personal Service _(knowledge)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Arm-Hand Steadiness _(ability)_
- Visual Color Discrimination _(ability)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_
- Finger Dexterity _(ability)_
- Fine Arts _(knowledge)_
- Reading Comprehension _(essential_skill)_
- Visualization _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Active Learning _(Common Skill)_
- Time Management _(Common Skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Adobe Photoshop _(hot technology)_
- Facebook _(hot technology)_
- Intuit QuickBooks _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Appointment scheduling software
- Autodesk Maya
- Autodesk Mudbox
- Blogging software
- Bookitlive
- Clear Books

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 42nd percentile (Moderate) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 36th percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 52nd percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 43rd percentile (Moderate) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 7th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** yes — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 8.1% growth (Growing fast); 1.1k annual openings; 7k → 7.6k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $50,280; 3,320 employed.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

---
_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-39-5091-00_