Two-thirds of Brits unaware if their beauty therapist is trained

Recent research of 1,000 female beauty consumers by Salon Rated found nearly two-thirds of British people didn't know if their beauty professional was insured or even trained (59%).

Moreover, 60% confessed they did not know how to do background checks on a salon. Some 75% admitted they didn’t even know the beauty industry was unregulated too.

That’s despite 64% of those surveyed reporting they’d had a bad experience at a hair or beauty salon and the 63% who indicated they regularly visited a salon, one to two times a month.

The issue also extended beyond the beauty therapists themselves. Of those surveyed, 63% had never asked what products their beauty professional was using and 42% received no aftercare advice post-treatment.

The findings once again highlight the risks associated with the beauty industry’s lack of broad-spread regulation and suggest changes need to be made to ensure customer safety and awareness.

In particular, it suggests that individuals willing to exploit the current lack of legislation in the UK could easily establish themselves as practitioners with no qualifications or even no training. This could lead to devastating consequences for clients.

The rise of social media-based recommendations is compounding the issue, with 87% of those surveyed turning to Instagram for inspiration and 48% relying on word-of-mouth feedback. These methods lead to customers assuming, rightly or wrongly, that the advertised individual is qualified.

“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,” says the founder of Salon Rated and Navy Professional, Rebecca Crawforth. The study was conducted as part of the launch of Salon Rated, a new platform to help consumers in the UK find professional, legitimate and qualified hair and beauty services.

“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,” Crawforth continues. “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.”

The chief executive of the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (BABTAC), Lesley Blair MBE agrees: “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.”