after continuous consultation and engagement from the British Beauty Council. They have made great strides in representing hair and beauty to Government and we need to all be aware of the big changes that help overtly or perhaps subtly to bring more professionalism and repute to our benefit. Salons, spas, wellness, hair and beauty… whatever your choice of words and place in
the hair and beauty industry, such important changes in the way we work feed into the future of our businesses.
Back to the announcement…
All you need to know
This comes at a time when the demand for aesthetic and non-invasive procedures is on the rise. According to the British Beauty Council 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.
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On the Government’s announcement, Millie Kendall OBE, CEO of the organisation says: “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 says: “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.”
What next?
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 UK Government has made it clear that it will be working quickly from the announcement above, 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 st
ifle 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.
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