This morning, the Department of Health and Social Care announced its plans to push forward with the regulation of the aesthetic and non-invasive procedures sector
This comes after continuous consultation and engagement from the British Beauty Council which has long urged for increased protection for the general public and a professionalisation of the industry.
Following an official consultation, which the British Beauty Council played a key role in feeding into, the government has this morning committed to:
- Ensuring only suitably qualified healthcare professionals will be able to deliver high-risk procedures such as Brazilian Butt Lifts.
- The introduction of a licensing scheme for clinics administering Botox and fillers.
- Protecting young people, with new age restrictions for certain treatments and procedures.
This comes at a time when the demand for aesthetic and non-invasive procedures is on the rise. According to the Value of Beauty report, consumer spending on services – including but not limited to these procedures – reached £10.1bn, up 15% year on year. What’s more, the The British Association of Aesthetic Surgeons note that 27,462 procedures were performed in 2024.
On the Government’s announcement, Millie Kendall OBE, CEO of the organisation said: “I am pleased to hear of the Government’s commitment to regulating and licensing the aesthetics sector following its consultation.
“The Council is dedicated to ensuring that people can engage with beauty safely; people should be able to look and feel as they please without the threat of something going wrong. Any measures to protect this safety are highly welcomed, so that risks are mitigated at every stage of treatment or procedure. We will be working closely with the Government and the industry to ensure the outcomes of the consultation are implemented in a way that professionalises our industry and sustains growth.”
Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said: “The cosmetics industry has been plagued by a Wild West of dodgy practitioners and procedures. There are countless horror stories of cosmetic cowboys causing serious, catastrophic damage.
“This government is taking action to protect those seeking treatments, support honest and competent practitioners, and root out the cowboys as part of our Plan for Change.
“This isn’t about stopping anyone from getting treatments – it’s about preventing rogue operators from exploiting people at the expense of their safety and keeping people safe. We’re giving them peace of mind and reducing the cost to the NHS of fixing botched procedures.”
Since its inception, the British Beauty Council has called for legislation which safeguards those administering procedures safely and legitimately.
This has previously led to the banning of Botox and fillers for those under-18 years old via the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act in 2021 and the more recent legislation banning remote prescribing of injectable cosmetic products.
The government has made it clear that it will be working quickly from today’s announcement to ensure the most high-risk procedures are regulated and it will work after this, over a longer period, to scope out licensing and legislation around lower risk procedures. There will be no immediate changes to the current ways of working in light of today’s announcement.
The British Beauty Council will continue to work closely with the Department of Social Care to ensure that any regulation introduced is fit for purpose and will not stifle the highly skilled practitioners in the industry whilst also protecting the general public. It will also work hard to ensure that those administering procedures safely are prepped for any changes they can expect to their ways of working.
