The ugly side of the beauty industry: 75 percent of Brits have no idea the beauty industry is unregulated

A nationwide study has found a huge lack of knowledge when it comes to who we’re letting perform our beauty treatments, with 75 percent of Brits admitting they had no idea the beauty industry was unregulated.

In fact, a recent study by Salon Rated, found that nearly two thirds of those surveyed didn’t know if their beauty professional was insured or even trained (59%). Whilst 60 percent admitted to not even knowing how to do background checks on a salon.

This is despite 64 percent of Brits having had a bad experience at a hair or beauty salon.

In the UK, there is no legal requirement or formal assessment needed to perform treatments like intimate waxes or facial treatments such as lash extensions and brow tinting and much more. The current lack of legislation has resulted in individuals with no qualifications and even little or no training establishing themselves in the industry. Beauty treatments, if performed incorrectly can lead to devastating consequences.

The shocking stats show that even regular salon goers are unaware about the current lack of regulations in the industry, with 63 percent of those surveyed visiting a salon 1-2 times a month.

The research, surveyed a database of 1,000 female beauty consumers as part of the launch of Salon Rated, a brand-new platform to help consumers in the UK find professional, legitimate and qualified hair and beauty services.

With a huge number of beauty addicts turning to Instagram (87%) and relying on word-of-mouth (48%) for beauty salon recommendations and inspiration, it’s unsurprising that consumers assume the individuals they’re going to for treatments are qualified.

Owner and founder of Salon Rated and Navy Professional, Rebecca Crawforth said: “It’s easy to see how people make assumptions around qualifications in the beauty industry as so many people are unaware of the lack of regulations.

“Having owned salons for many years, I want to support reputable businesses and pave the way for accredited and insured beauty professionals in the UK.

“Unfortunately, cutting corners and using cheap, damaging products has become the norm for some salons in the UK, giving the industry a bad name.

“Many consumers also wrongly assume that appointment booking platforms will perform checks on the individuals and businesses that are shown on their platform but this shockingly isn’t the case.

“We want to help consumers to have peace of mind that they are in safe hands whilst attending their appointment, as client care and safety should be paramount when performing treatments.

“This research shows the immediate need for more regulation and that’s why we’ve created a place where you can find compliant and insured beauty salons, that offer a legitimate service, safe treatments and professional etiquette.”

Lesley Blair MBE, The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (BABTAC) CEO added: “We have long advocated for the implementation of industry regulations and fit for purpose qualifications. We self-regulate our own members through our ‘Qualified, Verified and Insured’ program and welcome and support Navy Professional and Salon Rated, as highly respected and professional organisations with their own campaign to raise the levels of excellence in our sector.”

As well as not researching their beauty therapists, 63 percent had no clue what products their hair or beauty professional uses having never asked. Whilst 42 percent hadn’t received aftercare advise from their salon after having a treatment.

Salon Rated offers consumers the chance to find accredited salons and professionals through their approved industry database. All individuals and businesses on the list will have passed a thorough vetting process to ensure the right qualifications and insurance is in place. As well as random spot checks by a team of Salon Rated experts.