MPs on the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee have launched an enquiry into the use and risks of beauty products and treatments in the UK.
The enquiry will take place via a survey following studies almost exclusively from the USA about the health implications of hair relaxer use and studies from the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and Cancer Research. The findings highlighted concerns regarding the current scientific evidence base and regulation, as well as the required training and qualifications of specialists performing treatments in the UK.
The Committee, which scrutinises the government’s policy decisions and makes recommendations on how the Government can and should improve, shares that the responses gathered will inform discussions with specialists and shape future implications of the sector. The Committee have explained that they will consider regulatory structure surrounding various treatments and products, identifying consequences that have arisen.
However, members of the aesthetics specialty have expressed concern that the survey places medical aesthetics within the category of “beauty.”
British College of Aesthetic Medicine’s chief operating officer, Sadie Van Sanden Cooke, commented, “Classifying medical aesthetics as ‘beauty’ overlooks the clinical expertise, medical training and patient-safety standards at the heart of our specialty. This Government consultation is a crucial opportunity for patients to make their voices heard and to ensure aesthetic treatments are recognised and regulated as medical procedures, not cosmetic services. We urge everyone with experience of aesthetic care to complete the survey and use the free-text section to highlight the importance of safeguarding the integrity of the field and the safety of those who seek it.”
A spokesperson for the Committee responded saying, “Our team has not come across the distinction between ‘beauty treatments’ and ‘aesthetic medicine’ during our research and unfortunately cannot make changes to the survey. We encourage people who have been impacted by harm caused by hair/beauty treatments/products to share their views with us via the survey.”