Aesthetics Licensing in England: What We Know and What Is Still Missing
England's aesthetics licensing scheme is not in force yet. Here is what the government has decided, what is still missing, and what you can check before you book in the meantime.
There is no aesthetics licence in England yet
There is no aesthetics licensing scheme in England in force today. The law that allows one was passed in 2022, but the regulations that would make anyone hold a licence have not been made, and the list of treatments it will cover has not been published.
So if a clinic tells you it is "licensed" for anti-wrinkle injections or filler in England, ask what it means. It may hold a council registration for something else, a voluntary accreditation, or a training certificate. None of those is the national licence, because that licence does not exist yet.
This page sets out what the government has actually decided, what is still missing, and what you can check before you book while you wait. We'll update it as the rules land.
What the 2022 law allows the government to do
Section 180 of the Health and Care Act 2022 gives the Secretary of State the power to make it an offence to carry out specified non-surgical cosmetic procedures without a licence. The details, including which procedures count, who issues licences and what standards apply, are left to regulations made later.
That is the gap. A power in an Act does nothing on its own. Until the regulations are written, debated and brought into force, no one in England needs a licence to inject anti-wrinkle treatments or filler, and a council has no new power to stop them.
The licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures: what was decided in 2025
The Department of Health and Social Care consulted on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures from September to October 2023 and received almost 12,000 responses. It published its consultation response in August 2025.
Three decisions came out of it:
- The highest-risk procedures come first. Treatments such as filler injected into the breasts, buttocks or genitals are to be restricted to suitably qualified regulated healthcare professionals working for providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
- Lower-risk treatments go to councils. Anti-wrinkle injections and lip and facial fillers are expected to fall under a local authority licensing system that licenses both the practitioner and the premises.
- Age limits are coming. The government said the consultation strengthened its intention to restrict procedures for under-18s, except where a healthcare professional is involved.
The response also said tattooing, cosmetic piercing, electrolysis, semi-permanent skin colouring and acupuncture stay under the existing council registration rules rather than moving into the new scheme.
Green, amber and red: the proposal, not the law
The 2023 consultation proposed sorting treatments into three risk categories. You'll see these colours quoted on clinic websites as if they were settled. They're not. The 2025 response said further work was needed to decide where each procedure sits.
| Category | Who could perform it under the proposal | Who would oversee it | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Any licensed practitioner who meets the standards | Local authority licence | Proposed only |
| Amber | Non-healthcare practitioners only under a named regulated healthcare professional; healthcare professionals independently if they meet the standards | Local authority licence | Proposed only |
| Red | Suitably qualified regulated healthcare professionals only | CQC registration, outside the licence scheme | Highest-risk restrictions prioritised, not yet in force |
If a practitioner tells you a treatment is "green category, so anyone can do it", they're describing a draft. No procedure has a final category in law.
What is still missing from the aesthetics licensing scheme in England
This is the part that matters if you're booking a treatment this year. As of October 2026, the following had not been made law:
- The final list of procedures the licence covers, and which category each one sits in.
- The training and qualification standard a practitioner must meet.
- The premises standard, including infection control.
- Insurance requirements.
- The supervision rules for non-healthcare practitioners using prescription-only medicines.
- How councils will inspect, what a licence will cost, and the transition period for people already practising.
The timetable has slipped more than once. In December 2025 the government told Parliament it intended to consult on restrictions for the highest-risk procedures in spring 2026. In February 2026 the Women and Equalities Committee called for liquid buttock and breast augmentations to be banned immediately and for licensing to arrive within this Parliament.
In a letter published by the committee in June 2026, the health minister said the department intended to consult on draft regulations that month and remained "committed to implementing licensing in the current parliament". The committee chair called the delay unacceptable. Draft regulations still have to go through consultation and Parliament before anything changes for patients.
What already protects you in England today
The absence of a licence doesn't mean there are no rules at all. A few are in force now, and they're worth knowing because they're the ones a clinic can actually be held to.
The under-18 ban. A 2021 Act of Parliament made it an offence in England to give anti-wrinkle injections or dermal fillers for cosmetic reasons to anyone under 18. It also catches businesses that arrange or book the treatment.
Prescription-only medicine rules. Anti-wrinkle injections are prescription-only medicines. Someone with prescribing rights has to be involved, and naming the product in an advert is not allowed. Filler is not a medicine, which is why it has been so loosely controlled.
Professional regulators. If your injector is a doctor, nurse, dentist or pharmacist, they answer to the GMC, NMC, GDC or GPhC. Those regulators can act on misconduct whether or not a licence scheme exists. A beauty therapist injecting filler has no equivalent body to answer to.
Voluntary registers. The JCCP and Save Face run accredited registers and inspect members against their own standards. They're useful, but joining is optional and they can't stop a non-member from practising. Our guides to the JCCP register and Save Face explain what each one does and doesn't prove.
Scotland and Wales are on different tracks
The England scheme only covers England. Scotland passed its own legislation in 2026 restricting skin-piercing non-surgical procedures to permitted premises, with commencement dates still to follow. Wales already licenses some special procedures, such as tattooing and acupuncture, under its own public health law.
If you live near a border, the rules can differ depending on which side the clinic sits. Check where the clinic is registered, not where you live.
How to check an injector while you wait
Until a licence exists, you're doing the checking a regulator would otherwise do. Our checklist for finding a safe injector goes through it in full. The short version:
- Find out who prescribes. For anti-wrinkle injections, ask who the prescriber is and whether you'll see them face to face before the treatment. If no one can tell you, walk out.
- Search the professional register yourself. Use the GMC, NMC, GDC or GPhC search. Don't rely on a logo on the clinic's website.
- Ask about insurance. A practitioner should have cover for the treatment they're doing and be happy to tell you who it's with.
- Ask what happens if it goes wrong. For filler, that means who can dissolve it, how quickly, and whether they hold the dissolving product on site.
- Look at the clinic's record. Check its CQC status if it is registered, its reviews, and whether it has claimed and kept its profile up to date.
Reading the anti-wrinkle injection treatment page or our dermal filler page first gives you a sense of what a proper consultation should cover.
Frequently asked questions
Do aesthetics practitioners need a licence in England? Not yet. The power to create a licence exists in the Health and Care Act 2022, but the regulations that would require one have not been made. Some councils register related activities such as tattooing and piercing under older law, which is not the same thing.
When will the aesthetics licence UK scheme start? There is no confirmed start date. The government has said it intends to bring in licensing during the current Parliament, and draft rules still need consultation and parliamentary approval before they apply.
Will beauty therapists still be allowed to do anti-wrinkle injections? That depends on the final rules. Under the 2023 proposal, non-healthcare practitioners could carry out some medium-risk treatments only under the oversight of a named healthcare professional. The final category for each treatment has not been published.
Is the green, amber and red system law? No. It was proposed in the 2023 consultation, and the 2025 response said more work was needed to place each procedure. Treat any clinic that quotes a category as settled with caution.
Is it legal to have filler under 18 in England? No. Since 2021 it has been an offence to give anti-wrinkle injections or dermal fillers for cosmetic reasons to anyone under 18 in England, and that includes booking the appointment.
Does a JCCP or Save Face listing mean a practitioner is licensed? No. Both are voluntary registers with their own standards. They are a sign that a practitioner has chosen to be checked, but they are not the government licence.
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