UK MPs call cosmetics rules 'a confusing mess' as burns and scarring reports pile up

Ballpoint pens carry more regulatory oversight than many hair and beauty products sold in the UK, according to a new report from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, which describes existing cosmetics rules as "a confusing mess" that has "failed to keep pace" with the sector.

The committee states that government "has been far too slow to act, and people are suffering as a result". Consumers giving evidence to the MPs reported chemical burns, scarring, infections after using cosmetic products or undergoing cosmetic procedures, allergic reactions, migraines, hives and poor treatment outcomes. Several linked their experiences to body image distress and lasting mental health damage.

One witness told the committee: "My hair should not have melted and burnt my head." Another said: "At one point the boils were the size of a £2 coin." A third described a permanent consequence: "I now have a permanent allergy to a type of plastic which is found in things like earphones etc which I can never use again." A fourth stated that an aesthetics practitioner "ruined my mental health permanently and my physical for two years".

What does the report identify as the gaps?

The MPs set out three structural failures:

• Products that are regulated but contain powerful chemicals are "increasingly being promoted and used by children", with parents unknowingly buying items that could cause long-term harm.
• Product safety law has not kept pace with online marketplaces, allowing "illegal and dangerous" products to reach UK consumers "faster and in greater volumes than regulators have the powers or resources to effectively police".
• Complacency over regulation of a sector "traditionally the domain of women" has, in the committee's words, "clear roots in sexism and racism".

Committee chairwoman Dame Chi Onwurah said: "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. Years of delay have left dangerous gaps in regulation and exposed people to avoidable harm."

She added that regulation must not disadvantage the sector's female-led base: "Action, not just a consultation, is long overdue, and quick solutions must be found to regulate injectable products like fat dissolvers and skin brighteners, whilst making sure any regulation doesn't push female-led businesses off the market."

What does this change for practitioners and suppliers?

The report lands alongside a live government consultation on a proposed "crackdown on cosmetic cowboys", and its recommendations sharpen the compliance picture for UK treatment providers and product distributors.

Under the proposed measures, Brazilian butt lifts would be classed as cosmetic surgical procedures, meaning only qualified medics could perform them. Deep chemical peels and vampire facials — microneedling treatments that inject platelets drawn from a patient's own blood back into the face — would be restricted to doctors, dentists, some nurses, midwives and pharmacists.

Separately, the Government has reaffirmed its commitment to a licensing scheme covering "lower-risk" treatments such as Botox and lip fillers, requiring practitioners to be appropriately trained, insured and working to safe standards.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "This Government is committed to protecting the public from rogue practitioners. We have been working with a group of experts to develop tough new measures to ensure only qualified healthcare professionals can perform high risk cosmetic procedures." The spokesperson confirmed the consultation includes restricting all cosmetic surgery to doctors regulated to General Medical Council standards working in Care Quality Commission regulated settings.

Onwurah framed the wider principle: "The cosmetics industry is a science industry, and science must be at the heart of how it's regulated." Consumers, she said, "shouldn't pay the price for regulation that has failed to keep pace".

For formulators, salon owners and distributors, the immediate data point to watch is the government's response to the consultation and the drafting of the licensing scheme — the moment when the committee's findings convert from criticism into statutory requirements on who may perform which procedure, and with what training.