Government crackdown on unsafe aesthetic procedures

The UK Government has unveiled plans to regulate the aesthetics industry. We explore the facts and what it means for spas

By Wendy Golledge

21 August 2025

britishbeautycouncil.com/

The UK government has announced new plans to regulate the aesthetics industry in a bid to crackdown on unsafe cosmetic procedures.

The plans target unsafe practices that have left patients injured, scarred or requiring urgent NHS care.

The crackdown follows a series of incidents where people have had high-risk treatments from practitioners with little or no medical training, leading to dangerous complications.

Therapist performing facial procedure on a guest — Only qualified healthcare professionals will be allowed to perform high-risk cosmetic procedures. Image: Pixabay

The Department for Health and Social Care’s is pushing forward with the regulation of the aesthetic and non-invasive procedures sector, after consultation with British Beauty Council.

The Council has been lobbying for increased protection for the public and a professionalisation of the industry.

Under the proposed measures, only qualified healthcare professionals will be allowed to perform the most high-risk cosmetic procedures. Treatments must take place in Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered clinics.

Lower-risk procedures, such as Botox and lip fillers, will come under a local authority licensing scheme. Practitioners will be required to meet strict training, hygiene and insurance standards.

Simply clinics cosmetic procedure — The changes will ensure consumers can be confident the treatment they receive is safe and of a high standard

Preventing rogue operators

Health Minister Karin Smyth likened the aesthetics industry to a Wild West, saying:

“This government is taking action to protect those seeking treatments and root out the cowboys. Our Plan for Change isn’t about stopping anyone from getting treatments. It’s about preventing rogue operators from exploiting people at the expense of their safety.”

The changes will provide spas and salons with better protections, ensuring safe, reputable providers are easily identifiable.

Government commits to crackdown on cosmetic procedures following steadfast lobbying from the British Beauty Council — Government commits to crackdown on cosmetic procedures

The UK Government’s plans

With an increase in aesthetic and non-invasive procedures in the UK – consumer spending on services is up 15 per cent year on year – the government has committed to:

Ensuring only 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
New age restrictions for certain treatments and procedures (to protect young people from dangerous beauty trends on social media)
Once regulations are introduced, practitioners who break the rules on the highest risk procedures will be subject to CQC enforcement and financial penalties.

“I am pleased to hear of the Government's commitment to regulating and licensing the aesthetics sector. 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.”

Millie Kendall OBE

CEO, British Beauty Council

“Any measures that increase protection for the public and professionalise the industry will help instil confidence, as well as helping to prevent the normalisation of horror stories,” she added.

“We will be working closely with the Government to ensure the outcomes of the consultation are implemented in a way that professionalises our industry and sustains growth.

“We will strive to ensure any regulation is fit for purpose and will not stifle the highly skilled practitioners in the industry, whilst also protecting the general public. This is the first step forward in raising the reputation of our £30.4bn industry.”

“This long-awaited action is a critical step in protecting the public from the dangers of unregulated and unsafe non-surgical cosmetic procedures. These new measures will provide protection and recognition for reputable, safe practitioners who have spent years developing their knowledge and skills.”

Diane Hey

Diane Hey, CEO at Armonia Health & Beauty and chair of the Beauty Industry Licensing Task and Finish Group

“We are particularly encouraged by the decision to categorise aesthetic procedures according to their clinical risk under a tiered ‘red, amber, green’ framework,” says Dr Stephen Hannan, clinical director at sk:n, a leading network of CQC-registered skin and aesthetics clinics throughout the UK.

“Treatments involving injectable substances such as botulinum toxin – which fall under the higher-risk red category – must be subject to stringent regulation.

“We strongly support the Government’s intention to require that such procedures only take place in CQC-registered premises under the direction of qualified medical professionals.

“This new framework has the potential to protect patients and uphold professional standards — but only if implementation is timely and enforcement is robust.”

Next steps

The new regulations will be subject to public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny before they are introduced.

The government’s commitment follows a consultation launched in September 2023, which received almost 12,000 responses. This was the first consultation on proposals for strengthening regulation in this space.

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