How Can Consumers Be Protected From Harmful Beauty Products? MPs Launch Inquiry into UK Cosmetic Safety

On 2 December 2025, the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee announced a Parliamentary inquiry into one of the most overlooked areas of public health: the harms caused by beauty products and cosmetic treatments.

The inquiry will examine how unregulated ingredients, improper application, and weak training standards can lead to lasting health complications. From illegal mercury-based skin-lightening creams to unsafe injectable treatments carried out without medical training, the Committee wants to understand whether UK regulation keeps pace with science.

It’s a simple question with national implications:

How do we protect the public in a booming, largely unregulated industry?

Products That Harm: When Beauty Goes Wrong

The UK is saturated with cosmetic products, ranging from harmless moisturisers to high-risk agents that should never be used without medical oversight.

Examples highlighted by MPs include:

1. Illegal skin-lightening creams

Some imported creams contain mercury, a neurotoxin linked to kidney failure, neurological damage, and long-term skin injury.

2. Unsafe injectables

Facial injections performed in kitchens, hotel rooms, or mobile beauty setups can result in:

• infections

• arterial occlusions

• scarring and necrosis

• hospitalisation

• botulinum toxin poisoning

A key issue is consumer confusion: most people do not realise that botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine, and that injections must be prescribed after a face-to-face medical consultation.

In other words: “cosmetic” doesn’t mean “risk-free”.

Is UK Regulation Based on Real Science?

The inquiry will explore how regulators use scientific evidence to authorise products and treatments. This includes:

• chemistry and toxicology data

• clinical risk profiles

• post-market safety monitoring

• transparency in decision-making

MPs want to know whether consumers are adequately warned about risks before purchase, or whether regulation is too easily bypassed with online marketplaces and cosmetic tourism.

Put simply: Does the average person know what they’re putting on their skin?

Training and Qualifications: Who Is Allowed to Treat You?

The Committee has highlighted the role of training and qualifications in reducing harm. At one extreme, you have hospitals treating complications caused by “cheap Botox”. On the other hand, you have reputable medical clinics following strict governance processes.

The inquiry will look at whether minimum standards should be introduced for:

• injectable treatments

• chemical peels

• advanced devices

• scalp and hair relaxers

• laser procedures

This aligns with ongoing campaigns by organisations including Save Face, BAAPS, and clinical safety groups who argue that medical treatments require medical oversight.

Should someone without medical training inject a neurotoxin near the eye?

At present, nothing is stopping them.

Protecting Marginalised Communities

For the first time in a mainstream inquiry, MPs have acknowledged evidence showing disproportionate risk for specific communities.

In particular:

• Relaxer creams for afro-textured hair

There is concern that some products contain harmful chemicals capable of causing scalp burns, hair loss, or systemic absorption.

• Synthetic hair products

Certain adhesives and bonding agents have been linked to irritation and long-term sensitisation reactions.

These products are often used by Black consumers, yet have historically been under-researched in safety testing.

The Committee will examine whether regulation accounts for diverse hair and skin types, rather than relying on safety assumptions designed around lighter skin.

It’s a simple justice question:

Why should one group be exposed to a higher risk because of poor regulation?

Transparency, Labelling and Consumer Awareness

The inquiry will consider:

• whether labels are clear

• whether risk warnings are visible

• if consumers understand the difference between cosmetic and medical use

• how scientific decisions are communicated

The INCI list on the back of a product can feel like the ingredient list for a spaceship. The Committee wants to know whether consumers deserve plain-English safety information before applying something to their body.

Why This Matters to a Medical Aesthetics Clinic

At Haus of Ästhetik, this inquiry reflects what we already see in clinic:

• Patients harmed by online products

• Complications from unregulated injectors

• Unknown filler brands with no traceability

• Social media hype outrunning clinical science

• Ethnic hair/skin products lacking safety evidence

We follow strict safeguards:

Governance and Prescription

• injectables prescribed only after face-to-face medical assessment

• batch numbers, expiry and lot codes recorded

• emergency kit and protocol in place for every procedure

Supply Chain Integrity

• all prescription products sourced from UK pharmacies

• no “grey market” imports

• direct manufacturer supply for medical peels (e.g., Mesoestetic UK)

Professional Training

• treatments delivered by registered medical professionals only

• documented informed consent

• formal complication management pathways

Some procedures look identical on Instagram. They are not identical in reality.

A Chance to Reset Standards

This inquiry could trigger:

• mandatory qualifications for injectables

• stronger evidence requirements

• enforcement against illegal imports

• clearer safety warnings

• real protection for marginalised groups

• clearer public education

Most importantly, it may force a national answer to a long-standing question:

Should medical treatments be regulated as medicine, not make-up?

For many clinicians, the answer is obvious.

Until Regulation Catches Up: Your Safety Checklist

Until new rules arrive, here is a quick protection guide:

Before any treatment:

1. Confirm medical credentials (NMC, GMC, GDC).

2. Avoid home and hotel treatments.

3. Ask to see batch numbers and packaging.

4. Ensure a face-to-face consultation with the prescriber.

5. Avoid treatments ordered on social media.

6. Be wary of prices that look unrealistic.

7. Remember: injectables require a prescription.

If the practitioner can’t explain where the product came from, walk away.