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PSA responds to the Women and Equalities Committee report on cosmetic procedures
23 Feb 2026
The PSA has welcomed the call from the Women and Equalities Committee to accelerate action to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetics within this Parliament, following its inquiry into cosmetic procedures.
The Committee’s report describes the regulatory framework around non-surgical cosmetics as a ‘wild west’ and makes a number of recommendations for the Government, including regulatory alignment across the UK. The PSA has, for some time, stressed the need for a consistent UK-wide approach, including in manifestos published ahead of the Senedd and Scottish Parliament elections in May.
The PSA submitted written evidence to the inquiry highlighting the public protection gaps in relation to regulation of non-surgical cosmetics and encouraging the Government to move forward with its plans to introduce a licensing scheme as soon as possible.
In the interim, to support patient safety, we recommend the public choose a practitioner from one of the two registers of non-surgical cosmetic practitioners accredited by the PSA, Save Face and the JCCP, and to look for the PSA Quality Mark to check if a practitioner is registered. This will provide assurances about minimum standards of competence and a route for redress in the event of harm.
Alan Clamp, PSA Chief Executive said:
“The PSA welcomes the Committee’s recommendations on this important issue and its sense of urgency. Unregulated non-surgical cosmetics present a growing risk to the public. UK-wide action is needed to close the safety gaps.
We advise anyone seeking these types of procedures or treatment to carefully check the credentials of practitioners. A simple way to do this would be to choose a practitioner on one of our Accredited Registers as this shows a commitment to high standards of care and practice.”
ENDS
Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
Contact: media@professionalstandards.org.uk
Notes to the Editor
- The Women and Equalities Committee report into cosmetic procedures calls for high risk procedures including liquid BBLs and breast augmentations to be restricted immediately to regulated professionals, introduction of a licensing scheme for lower-risk procedures within this Parliament, the introduction of consistent, enforceable education and training standards for the non-surgical cosmetic sector and for regulatory alignment across the UK on legislation governing non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
- The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) is the UK’s oversight body for the regulation of people working in health and social care. Our statutory remit, independence and expertise underpin our commitment to the safety of patients and service-users, and to the protection of the public. There are 10 organisations that regulate health professionals in the UK and social workers in England by law. We audit their performance and review their decisions on practitioners’ fitness to practise. We also accredit and set standards for organisations holding registers of health and care practitioners not regulated by law including two registers of non-surgical cosmetic practitioners – Save Face and the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practice (JCCP). We collaborate with all of these organisations to improve standards. We share good practice, knowledge and our right-touch regulation expertise.
- We also conduct and promote research on regulation. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally, providing guidance to governments and stakeholders. Through our UK and international consultancy, we share our expertise and broaden our regulatory insights.
- Our values are – integrity, transparency, respect, fairness and teamwork – and we strive to ensure that they are at the core of our work.