ENGLAND
Published: January 2025
The English Government has reaffirmed its intention to introduce a national licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. This follows growing public concern regarding patient safety, complications, and the lack of consistent standards across the aesthetics sector.
Why is regulation needed?
Over the past decade, demand for non-surgical cosmetic treatments has grown rapidly. At the same time, complications related to unsafe or poorly supervised practice—such as infection, vascular occlusion, scarring and allergic reactions—have steadily increased.
Currently, there is no mandatory national regulation for many aesthetic procedures. This means that individuals with widely varying levels of training may offer treatments that carry significant medical risks.
What will the new licensing scheme include?
A "traffic light system" has been proposed:
Green procedures that present the lowest risk of complications could be performed by all practitioners who meet agreed standards. The green category currently proposes to include:
Microneedling
Mesotherapy
Intense Pulsed Light and Light Emitting Diode therapies
Chemical Peels that involve destruction only into viable epidermis
‘No-needle fillers’ including pneumatic devices that use intense pressure to pass substances through the epidermis
Micropigmentation, including microblading and nanoblading
Non-ablative laser hair removal
Photo rejuvenation
Amber procedures that present a medium risk of complications can be carried out independently by registered healthcare professionals. This includes NMC, HCPC, GMC, GDC and GPHc registrants.
Non Healthcare professionals will need supervision from a named prescriber with accredited qualifications to prescribe, administer and supervise aesthetic procedures.
The amber category currently proposes to include the following:
Botulinum toxin injections
Semi-permanent dermal fillers are injected into the face only
Biorevitalisation, and/or the injection of hyaluronic acid, such as skin boosters
Vitamin and mineral injection treatments
Platelet rich plasma therapy
Biofiller
Injection microsclerotherapy
Weight loss injections
Carboxytherapy and the infusion of gases under the skin
Cellulite subcision
Injection lipolysis with a prescription-only medicine
Cryolipolysis
High-intensity focused ultrasound, including intimate use
Radiofrequency treatments
Plasma ablation/fibroblast
Non-ablative lasers
Medium-depth peels that involve full-thickness destruction of the entire epidermis into the upper dermis
Prescription-only medication treatments applied topically
Electrocautery
The combination of two or more technologies in a hybrid device
Cryotherapy and/or any cryoautery procedure that freezes the skin to remove any skin lesions.
The proposal states that Red procedures which present the highest risk of complication would need to be carried out by regulated healthcare professionals working from CQC registered premises only. These procedures will likely tie in with the list of CQC regulated activities, which are currently mandates that healthcare professionals may only conduct these from a CQC registered premises.
NB: However a "loop hole" currently (2025) permits non registered healthcare professionals to conduct such regulated activities from any un licensed/unregulated environment. As such this presents a high risk area of the aesthetics industry that required urgent regulation.
The amber category currently proposes to include the following:
All thread-lifting procedures
Hair restoration surgery
Procedures aimed at augmenting any part of the body, in particular the breast, buttocks, and genitals, typically using autologous fat or dermal fillers
Dermal micro-coring
Hay fever injections for reducing redness or blotches on the skin
The combination of ultrasound and large bore cannula for liposuction
Deeper chemical peels (e.g. phenol peels)
Lasers which target the deeper layers of the dermis (CO2 Lasers, ablative)
All intravenous injectables and infusions
The provision of any procedure where the circumstances of the procedure could be considered the treatment of a disease, disorder, or injury.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) intends to establish:
• A clear list of procedures that require a licence (e.g., dermal fillers, toxins, advanced skin procedures)
• Minimum competency, training, and qualification standards
• Infection control and hygiene requirements
• Mandatory indemnity and complication management protocols
• Stronger enforcement powers for local authorities
• Age restrictions and safeguarding standards
• Improved consent processes and transparency
What happens next?
Draft regulations are expected to be published following the Government’s final review of the 2023–2024 public consultation. Once approved, the licensing scheme will be rolled out across England.
AHPA’s Position
The Allied Health Professionals in Aesthetics (AHPA) welcomes the Government’s proactive approach and strongly supports regulation that places patient safety, professional competency and ethical practice at the forefront of aesthetic care.
What does this mean for AHPS (Healthcare professionals registered with the HCPC)
Whilst this list is not confirmed yet, we anticipate that AHPs working in aesthetic medicine will need to implement the following:
Obtain a practitioner license from their local authority. This may involve premises inspection by the local authority to ensure the clinical space is approproate for the treatments being undertaken.
Practitioners may need to demonstrate a level of qualifications, and ongoing CPD.
It is important to note that CPD courses do not count as qualifications and would only be deemed as "training".
-We therefore suggest that practitioners undertake some formal qualification in preparation for this. Formal qualifications include Level 7 courses, PGDip and MSc in Aesthetic medicine.
-The JCCP has an approved list of training providers here:
Wider Regulatory Context
Key Considerations
The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) and British Beauty Council continue to advocate for statutory regulation of the aesthetics field.
A 2025 Parliamentary briefing highlighted variation in training and practice standards across the sector and reinforced the need for clearer regulation.
Core regulatory themes expected to shape the sector include:
Competence and minimum training requirements
Local authority licensing and enforcement
Supervision and oversight responsibilities
Strengthened consent and complication-management procedures
Appropriate indemnity, insurance and clinical governance
How AHPA Supports Members
Regular regulatory updates and guidance notes.
Peer support and networking for allied health professionals working within aesthetics.
What to Expect Next
Anticipated Developments
Further government consultation on licensing lower-risk aesthetic procedures (expected 2026).
Secondary legislation outlining local authority licensing schemes.
Clarification of regulatory differences across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Updates on training standards, premises requirements and supervision arrangements.
Potential changes to the regulation and classification of aesthetic devices and prescription-only medicines.
Summary for Members
The aesthetics sector is moving towards a more regulated and standardised framework. This shift provides an opportunity for allied health professionals to demonstrate safe, evidence-based and professional practice.
AHPA Recommends Members:
Maintain organised records of training, CPD and competence.
Review and strengthen clinical governance and documentation processes.
Map existing treatments to the emerging risk categories.
Ensure insurance, hygiene standards and premises compliance are up to date.
Engage with AHPA resources, events and policy updates.
Respond to government consultations to help shape future regulatory policy.
AHPA remains committed to supporting members with clear guidance, advocacy and professional development throughout this period of regulatory change.
Paragraph — Last Updated: November 2025