Regulation for hair and beauty products and treatments in the UK is a ‘confusing mess’, as it has failed to keep up with new procedures that have become widely available to consumers over the past decade, according to a report by the House of Commons science and technology committee. The committee said that the ‘government has been far too slow to act, and people are suffering as a result’.
Many hair and beauty products and treatments in the UK cause no harm to consumers, contributing to the wider £5.7 billion sector. Yet, in recent years, non-surgical procedures, such as dermal fillers, botox injections and laser therapies, as well as skin brighteners and chemical peels, have become more common.
The government currently does not regulate these as cosmetic goods or procedures, with practitioners often able to freely administer these treatments with little training. Consumers are increasingly able to buy such injectables and goods online, with ‘influencers’ promoting their use.
Chi Onwurah, chair of the committee, said that ‘years of delay have left dangerous gaps in regulation and exposed people to avoidable harm’. ‘People buying products and treatments on the high street should be able to trust that these are safe, properly regulated and being provided by someone with the right training.’
The report suggests that the ‘complacency over the lack of effective regulation has roots in sexism and racism’. For example, women own 85% of the businesses in the hair and beauty sector, and 34% of those working in the sector are from a ethnic minority. The report also raised concerns about the lack of research into products predominately used by Black women, such as chemical hair relaxers and straighteners.
The committee is now calling on the government to implement and enforce a new licensing framework for cosmetic products, which was first proposed 14 years ago. In October, the government launched a consultation to restrict the performance of ‘high-risk cosmetic and wellbeing procedures’ to qualified professionals, such as doctors, dentists and certain nurses. The consultation closes in January 2027.
Ways of reporting harm caused by cosmetic goods is also ‘failing at both ends’, the report notes, adding that there should be ‘a single, widely promoted point of contact’ for consumers and health-professional to report incidences.
‘The cosmetics industry is a science industry, and science must be at the heart of how its regulated,’ Onwurah says. ‘This means filling gaps in research, responding more quickly when evidence of harm emerges and explaining risks clearly to the public’.
‘Consumers shouldn’t pay the price for regulation that has failed to keep pace,’ she adds.
