Trading with the EU? Here’s how new accessibility legislation is set to affect beauty

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an EU directive that aims to improve access to digital and physical services for people with disabilities or other impairments. 

The EAA will become law in EU countries from the 28 June of this year and outlines the minimum accessibility measures that businesses must use. 

By 2030, businesses must stop using inaccessible services altogether, where they were instated prior to June 2025.

Whilst the Act makes some provisions regarding physical services, most of the services that will be affected are digital. The beauty industry is increasingly dependent upon e-commerce and online marketing services, which means that the Act could have a significant impact on industry stakeholders.

Businesses that have at least 10 employees and an annual turnover of more than 2 million euros (£1.7 million) and trade in any way with the EU must comply. This means that even UK-based businesses may need to adhere to the requirements of the Act.

Digital

We have selected some of the key digital features that industry stakeholders may need to implement from June. These include:

• High contrast colour schemes and clear fonts for readability.
• Text descriptions where images are used.
• Easy to use website navigation.
• Avoid confusing content changes such as pop-ups and redirects.
• Provide easy to navigate payment and banking services.

Physical 

Physical accommodations are less prevalent in the Act, but businesses that provide transport to users or physical banking systems may also be required to make changes under the Act. 

This could include: 

• Ensuring that banking and ticketing services such as ATMs and in-store checkout points are accessible.
• Ensuring that transport, if it makes up part of the services that your business provides, is accessible to all users.

For more information on the EAA, visit the European Commission’s European Accessibility Act pages.

The British Beauty Council is dedicated to increasing accessibility in the beauty industry, find out more about ‘A Beauty Industry That Looks Like You’ here.