Emirates has some of the most detailed and strictly enforced appearance standards for cabin crew of any airline in the world. And this ardent eye for detail starts long before cabin crew even get the job. Candidates are assessed on their grooming and appearance from the moment they walk into an Emirates Open Day.
Emirates considers its cabin crew to be its brand ambassadors, and just like any company wants its brand consistency, the same uniformity rule applies to what its cabin crew looks like.
Insight: The airline has seperate appearance and grooming policies for male and female cabin crew. Uniform rules are based on your gender at birth. Emirates does not recognize non-binary or transgender candidates.
Tattoos: What’s Actually Allowed
The short answer is that Emirates does allow tattoos, so long as they are not visible while in uniform. This means that any tattoo must be completely covered by the uniform. It cannot be covered with a Band-Aid, bandage, or makeup.
For women, only short-sleeved blouses are available as part of the Emirates cabin crew uniform, meaning that most arm tattoos are not allowed. Although female crew can request the option to wear trousers, this is not standard when you first join Emirates, so tattoos on the lower legs and feet are also prohibited.
Male cabin crew are only issued long-sleeve shirts, but arm tattoos are still banned because the sleeves are slightly see-through. Tattoos that are covered by a second base layer, like a white t-shirt, are, however, permitted. Unlike female cabin crew, tattoos are allowed on the legs for male cabin crew.
Worth knowing: Attempting to conceal a tattoo with make-up rather than disclosing it is treated by recruiters as an attempt to deceive, not a workaround. Crew have failed uniform fitting or been sent home from an Open Day over exactly this. If a tattoo can’t be hidden by the uniform as worn, the safer route is to disclose it upfront and find out directly whether it’s a barrier.
Check out the image below, which is the official Emirates guide to wear tattoos are allowed.
For the full airline-by-airline tattoo policy, including how Emirates compares to carriers that have relaxed their policies in recent years, see the complete cabin crew tattoo policy guide.
Hair and Colour
Cabin crew at Emirates can dye their hair, but it must be a natural hair colour only. New hire cabin crew who arrive in Dubai with highlights or a fully bleached colour are told to get their roots redone every couple of weeks, since the airline doesn’t want regrowth showing.
In practice, most crew end up dyeing their hair to whatever shade reads as their own natural colour rather than maintaining a dramatic change, simply because getting roots done every two weeks in Dubai is very expensive and isn’t sustainable.
Insight: If you’re planning a colour change before you apply, serving cabin crew at Emirates recommend picking a shade that is close to your natural shade rather than a striking change you’ll have to maintain constantly. It’s one of those practical details nobody mentions until you’re living it.
In terms of hair length and style, these rules apply:
- Hair touching the collar has to be tied up.
- A slicked-back bun is the most common styling choice simply because it’s fastest and consistently passes inspection.
- Hair that is tied back in a bun must be worn with a hair net. Flyaways and baby hairs are not permitted.
- Twists, plaits, and a French twist are also permitted but must be styled to a good standard.
- Shorter styles like a bob are fine as long as the hair doesn’t touch the collar; if it does, it needs to be tied up.
Makeup
Foundation and red lipstick are non-negotiable, and Emirates isn’t vague about the products behind this. Since 2023, the airline has run a dedicated Emirates Beauty Hub at its Dubai headquarters, open seven days a week to its Dubai-based cabin crew, staffed by consultants trained by Dior and Davines, several of whom are former cabin crew themselves. Crew can book personalised appointments covering makeup application, skincare, haircare, and grooming, alongside nutrition and fitness advice.
The recommended products give a real sense of what “the Emirates look” is built to withstand on a long-haul sector: a hydrating Dior Forever Skin Glow foundation, a smudge-proof Diorshow eyeliner, and a waterproof, multi-use concealer built for durability rather than a quick touch-up. The lipstick, Rouge Dior Forever Liquid, is worn in a shade specifically described as “Emirates red,” reinforcing that the colour is a genuine brand signature rather than just “a red.”
Beyond the base, Emirates prefers a matte finish across the board, no shine, including on the eyes. Blusher and contour aren’t optional extras either; crew have been corrected for skipping blusher specifically. For eyes, the standard is at least two of three: mascara, eyeliner (top line only, or top and bottom), or a brown eyeshadow. Many crew simply do all three. An inner corner highlight and a brow highlight are both permitted, but that’s the extent of any shimmer allowed on the face.
Make up rules at a glance:
- Foundation and blush are mandatory
- Pick two of three: mascara, eyeliner, brown eyeshadow
- Red lipstick is mandatory, but there isn’t one set shade
- No sparkle or glitter allowed
- Inner corner highlight, and a brow highlight are permitted
Nails
Emirates only permits three nail styles:
- French tip (natural colour only),
- Ombre (natural fading to white),
- A plain shade of red
Shape is limited to square or oval; rounded or stiletto nails are not permitted. Length is enforced to a specific, measurable standard: no more than roughly half a centimetre visible beyond the fingertip. Acrylics aren’t required. Clear or red polish on natural nails is common and acceptable.
Jewellery
- Earrings: Limited to small gold, silver, or pearl studs, nothing large or drop-style.
- Necklaces and bracelets: Are not permitted at all.
- A watch is required: Gold or silver, with a plain small face and a plain strap (white, black, or silver if it’s a smartwatch).
- Fitness trackers: Are specifically not allowed, though a smartwatch like an Apple Watch is fine within those style limits.
- Rings: Unmarried crew are permitted one ring; married crew are permitted a wedding ring plus one additional ring.
Eyewear
Glasses are allowed, but the frame has to be understated: black or brown only, and subtle in shape rather than an obvious style statement. This applies to any crew member who wears glasses on duty, not just at the point of application.
For Male Cabin Crew
Male cabin crew follow a separate set of standards, built around a clean, low-maintenance look rather than the makeup and styling rules that apply to female crew.
- Clean-shaven is the default requirement. If facial hair growth becomes visible during a duty, particularly on longer sectors, male cabin crew can be required to shave before continuing.
- No beards or goatees, at any stage.
- A moustache is permitted, but only once it’s fully grown in. It needs to be established and neatly trimmed before a flight, not something visibly in progress or grown out during a duty period.
- No makeup.
- Hairstyles are kept shorter overall, without the tie-back and length rules that apply to female crew.
Beyond grooming rules themselves, the Emirates Beauty Hub’s recommendations for men centre on the Dior Sauvage range, cleansers, face masks, shaving products, and aftershave balm, aimed at keeping skin hydrated through the demands of long-haul flying.
Skin, Piercings, and Scars
Emirates has a very strict policy on visible scars, which, unfortunately, may make you ineligible to join the airline through no fault of your own.
- Visible acne needs to be managed and kept minimal; if it’s unmanageable, crew can be considered unfit to fly until it’s under control, with medical support available.
- The same standard applies to visible rashes or eczema.
- Visible tattoos and large visible scars aren’t permitted, consistent with the airline’s broader appearance policy.
- On piercings, only a single, standard piercing per earlobe is allowed; no additional ear piercings and no facial piercings of any kind.
Weight and the Appearance Management Programme
Emirates cabin crew are weighed periodically throughout their time at the airline to ensure they are meeting a specific BMI goal. If a crew member is deemed to have exceeded Emirates’ acceptable BMI range, they will be grounded and given specific feedback, including a structured monitoring plan involving body composition scans until they’re back within standard.
Expect to be randomly selected for a weight check-in by Emirates’ appearance and grooming officers who patrol the airline’s crew report center at its Dubai HQ. Crew who are nearing the limit of the BMI goal will be given feedback and allowed to fly, but on condition that follow-up weight check-ins may be conducted.
Dental and the Details Nobody Warns You About
Braces and Invisalign aren’t permitted while flying; teeth need to be presentable without visible orthodontic hardware.
Check out the full policy in this guide: Can Emirates Cabin Crew Have Braces? What the Airline’s Smile Policy Actually Means
A few smaller standards catch candidates off guard once they’ve joined, rather than during the process itself. Laddered stockings aren’t acceptable at any point, so keep spare pairs on hand. And it helps to know how to sew, since missing or loose uniform buttons are a real, reportable issue, and crew are expected to fix them themselves.
Ready to Apply?
For everything else on getting through the Emirates process, start with the Emirates Cabin Crew Recruitment Hub, or go straight to the Emirates Cheat Sheet for the Open Day and Assessment Day to prepare for the day itself.
