What Cinta Aveda Institute does

Cinta Aveda Institute is a private postsecondary beauty school founded in 2010, operating two campuses in the San Francisco Bay Area — San Francisco and San Jose, California. The school delivers five core vocational programs: Cosmetology, Barbering, Esthetics, Advanced Esthetics (CIDESCO), and Makeup Artistry, plus a public-facing Student Salon & Spa at each campus where supervised students perform paid services. Curriculum and product training are built around the Aveda brand's plant-based, sustainable beauty line, and the school holds a core affiliation with Aveda granting access to its global network of 6,500+ salons and to Advanced Academies in Berlin, London, New York, Toronto, and Vancouver.

The business operates on a tuition-driven model supplemented by retail service revenue. Students enroll through a sales-led admissions motion (online inquiry, campus tours, phone/text contact with academic advisors) with Title IV federal student aid participation (school code 041800), Pell Grants, Direct Stafford Loans, Plus Loans, and interest-free internal payment plans. Evening class cohorts launched in June 2025 at both campuses extend addressable enrollment to working students. Secondary revenue is generated through public salon and spa appointments, which simultaneously function as hands-on training environments.

The school's value proposition centers on the Aveda brand association and the resulting placement advantage into Aveda-affiliated salons, evidenced by employer testimonials citing reduced retraining costs. The institution is accredited by NACCAS (National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts & Sciences) — which notified the school on August 11, 2025 of an intent to withdraw accreditation over placement verification issues related to the 2021 Annual Report; the school is appealing and remains accredited during the appeal process — and is regulated by California's Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). This regulatory standing is the single most material factor for revenue durability and Title IV eligibility going forward.

Name

Cinta Aveda Institute

Legal name

Cinta Aveda Institute

Website

https://cintaaveda.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cinta Aveda Institute is a private, Aveda-affiliated beauty school operating two Bay Area campuses in San Francisco and San Jose. It trains aspiring cosmetologists, estheticians, barbers, and makeup artists through tuition programs and a public student salon, funded by Title IV aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Educational Services: Revenue generated from tuition for cosmetology, barbering, esthetics, CIDESCO, and makeup artistry programs. Additional revenue from student salon and spa services provided at both campus locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cinta Aveda Institute is a private postsecondary beauty school offering vocational training programs in cosmetology, barbering, esthetics, advanced esthetics (CIDESCO), and makeup artistry at two Bay Area campuses. Instruction combines classroom theory with hands-on practice in student-operated salon and spa environments, all built around Aveda's plant-based, sustainability-focused product and service methodology. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition, supplemented by public salon and spa services performed by supervised students.

Product overview

Cinta Aveda Institute is a beauty and wellness education institution offering a unified portfolio of vocational training programs. The core offerings include Cosmetology, Barbering, Esthetics, Advanced Esthetics/CIDESCO, and Makeup Artistry programs, all utilizing Aveda's plant-based products and sustainable beauty philosophy. Programs are delivered at two California campuses (San Francisco and San Jose) through a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on training in student salon and spa environments. Supporting services include financial aid assistance, scholarship programs, and alumni services with ongoing advanced training opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cosmetology Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates enter workforce with high confidence, outstanding customer service skills, and extensive product knowledge

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AvedacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCinta Aveda Institute is an Aveda-affiliated beauty school that uses Aveda's plant-based, sustainable beauty products for all student training. The partnership provides access to Aveda's global network of 6,500+ salons and spas, advanced training academies in Berlin, London, New York, Toronto, and Vancouver, and Aveda Congress festivals. Students learn Aveda's signature services and methodology, giving them competitive advantages when seeking employment at Aveda salons.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aveda Arts & Sciences Institutes (other U.S. locations): Other Aveda-affiliated beauty schools operating under the same brand partnership, curriculum, and product line. Most directly comparable peer set — same training methodology, same employer network access, and same brand differentiation play, but in different geographies.
• San Francisco Institute of Esthetics and Cosmetology (Paul Mitchell Partner School): Direct Bay Area competitor operating as a Paul Mitchell-branded cosmetology and esthetics school. Explicitly compared to Cinta Aveda on the company's own blog and serves the same prospective-student pool in San Francisco.
• Empire Beauty School: One of the largest U.S. cosmetology chains, offering cosmetology, esthetics, and makeup programs across many states. Competitor for the same Title-IV-eligible student demographic with similarly multi-campus operating economics.
• Tricoci University of Beauty Culture: Multi-campus branded cosmetology and esthetics school with similar career-pathway focus and student salon-and-spa model. Directly competes for the same enrollment pool and employer-network placements.
• Bellus Academy: Private cosmetology, esthetics, and makeup artistry school with comparable program mix and career-placement focus. Competitive peer in California's broader cosmetology-school market.
• Milan Institute: Multi-campus career-trade school chain offering cosmetology and esthetics programs alongside other vocational tracks. Comparable in scale and student demographic, and listed as a comparator for beauty students in California.
• Ogle School: Regional chain of cosmetology and esthetics schools with similar Title-IV participation and program mix. Directly comparable in size, segment, and operating model.

Emerging players

• Sassoon Academy: Brand-affiliated (Vidal Sassoon) hair education academy with strong industry reputation. Less of a multi-program trade school than a specialty hair-training outfit, but competes for the same aspirational cosmetology student.

Broad incumbents

• Paul Mitchell The School (national network): National branded beauty-school network, second-largest cosmetology-school brand in the U.S. Much larger scale than Cinta Aveda but directly comparable product/marketing playbook with branded curriculum.
• California Community Colleges — Cosmetology Programs: Publicly funded two-year college cosmetology and esthetics programs operating in the same California labor market. Differentiated on price and public-vs-private funding model, but they compete directly for the same prospective cosmetology students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cintaaveda
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC05D_zt8pyYGFLAAh8-DHZg
• Facebookfacebook.com/91112745895
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cinta-aveda-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/cintaaveda
• TikToktiktok.com/@cintaaveda

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cinta Aveda Institute