The UK government has announced new restrictions on cosmetic procedures, including liquid Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBLs), vampire facials and chemical peels, as part of a crackdown aimed at improving safety. Under the new rules, only qualified, trained and regulated professionals will be allowed to carry out the highest-risk procedures.
New rules restrict procedures to healthcare experts
Fillers injected into parts of the body other than the face, including liquid BBLs, will be legally defined as cosmetic surgical procedures, meaning only doctors could perform them. High-risk non-surgical or wellbeing treatments, including deep chemical peels, vampire facials, dermal micro-coring and some laser procedures, will be restricted to doctors, dentists and some nurses, midwives and pharmacists.
With surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures becoming increasingly blurred, the new rules will also close a loophole that has seen ill-qualified practitioners working out of hotel rooms performing high-risk procedures without regulatory oversight.
Penalties for rogue providers
Rogue providers who flout the proposals could be put before the courts under tough new criminal offences. Breaking the rules could result in unlimited fines or fixed penalties up to £4,000.
Industry reaction and next steps
Victoria Brownlie MBE, chief policy and sustainability officer at the British Beauty Council, said: "Over a number of years, the line between a beauty treatment and a medical procedure has blurred. A lack of regulation in what has become a booming market has led to an exploitation of these gaps, placing members of the public at serious risk."
She added: "I believe this is a vital step toward the required regulation and commend the government for tackling this issue head-on. Their assurance that a licensing scheme for 'lower risk' treatments will follow is also much welcomed as a vital turning point to ensure the highest standards of competence and care across the beauty and aesthetics sector."
New rules would also stop under-18s having risky cosmetic or wellbeing treatments, while fillers are already restricted for children under a separate law. The government is launching a consultation to ask clinicians, regulators, businesses, the public and other experts for their say on the draft regulations before plans go through the parliamentary process, which is currently planned for spring 2027.
