By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 09 July 2025. Welcome to our beauty treatment negligence claims guide. Have you suffered as a result of botched beauty treatment? If so, did you know you could seek compensation if third-party negligence was to blame through a beauty treatment claim?
Looking good is great for your body image, confidence and self-esteem. Still, incompetent or negligent professionals can sometimes cause you to sustain beauty treatment injuries of a severe nature.
Beauty treatment procedures, such as fat freezing, hairdressing, tanning, spa treatments, body piercing, and nail services, can sometimes pose risks to the public. It is for that reason that critical laws and policies have been introduced. However, when beauty treatments and cosmetic procedures are not adequately handled, clients could suffer from a chemical burn, skin burn, allergic reaction or contraction of post-procedural infections.
Our personal injury solicitors are experienced in making beauty treatment injury claims for incidents including:
- Lip filler injuries
- Semi-permanent make-up injuries
- Waxing injuries
- Hair loss
- Eye injuries from eyelash extensions or lash lifts
- Allergic reactions to dye
Please contact us for information on how to claim for a beauty treatment injury by:
- Using our 24/7 live chat support
- Calling us on 0800 073 8804
- Contacting us online.
Select a section:
- The Criteria For Beauty Treatment Negligence Claims
- How To Claim For Beauty Treatment Injuries From Skin Treatments
- Claiming For Injuries Caused by Chemicals Used In Beauty Treatments
- Claiming for Injuries Caused by Wax Treatments
- Other Common Causes Of Beauty Treatment Injuries
- What To Do If You Have Suffered An Injury Due To Beauty Treatments
- Compensation Payouts for Beauty Treatment Claims
- Do Beauty Treatment Negligence Claims Have A Time Limit?
- No Win No Fee Beauty Treatment Negligence Claims
The Criteria For Beauty Treatment Negligence Claims
Those in control of a public space, such as operators of beauty clinics, have a responsibility to take practical measures to protect the reasonable safety of individuals visiting their premises. This is the duty of care they owe under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. Additionally, as traders, beauticians must provide their services with reasonable care and skill, as outlined in Part 1 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
If you suffered injuries whilst in a beauty salon – from a hazard such as an unsafe environment, or because of a negligently performed procedure – through no fault of your own, then you may be eligible to make a beauty treatment negligence claim.
As such, the eligibility criteria for making beauty treatment negligence claims is as follows:
- You were owed a duty of care by the beauty salon.
- They acted negligently and breached their duty of care.
- Because of this breach, you sustained an injury or illness.
The rest of our guide offers more information about the different ways in which you could be harmed in a beauty salon and be eligible to make a personal injury claim. You also have the option to reach out to one of our advisers for direct advice, or to learn more about No Win No Fee beauty treatment negligence solicitors and how one could help you.
Can I Claim For Injuries As An Employee At A Beauty Salon?
You might be able to make a claim for injuries as an employee at a beauty salon if your employer was negligent.
All employers under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 owe staff a duty of care. This duty requires them to take reasonable steps to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of employees.
For example, employers are expected to provide sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE). So, if your employer did not provide you with latex gloves as a beautician, for example, you could suffer a chemical burn on your hand.
As such, the beauty treatment claims eligibility criteria for employees is as follows:
- Your employer owed a duty of care to you.
- Your employer breached their duty of care.
- You were injured as a result of this breach of duty.
As a beautician, such as a nail technician, you are likely exposed to the risks of asthma, allergies, and other injuries like burns as a result of exposure to chemical contents. However, you are only able to claim compensation if you can demonstrate that a duty of care owed to you was breached.
Contact us today to find out whether you can make a claim against your employer, or for more details on beauty treatment negligence claims, as an employee.
How To Claim For Beauty Treatment Injuries From Skin Treatments
One common form of beauty treatment claims is skin treatment claims.
Skin care is a popular branch of the beauty industry which focuses on caring for and treating the skin before or after applying makeup. Because of the nature of skin care, professional treatments can often be intense and invasive, utilising tools like lasers and chemical peels.
If you were harmed by a negligent skin treatment, you may be able to make a beauty treatment compensation claim. There are many ways that negligence could contribute to a skin treatment gone wrong, including:
- An aesthetician fails to perform a patch test before applying a cream or peel.
- Laser burns from a laser treatment that was performed at an unsafe temperature.
- Chemical burns from a chemical peel that was mixed unsafely or used unsafe ingredients.
These are just a few examples of how negligent skin treatment could become a valid beauty treatment injury claim. Contact our team of advisors today to learn more about making a claim for negligent beauty treatment, or keep reading for more information.
Claiming For Injuries Caused by Chemicals Used In Beauty Treatments
Most of the chemicals used in beauty treatments are potentially harmful, primarily when trained professionals do not handle them. Lack of care in using these chemicals could lead to beauty treatment accident compensation being claimed.
The UK Department of Health and other laws controlling the conduct of beauty professionals set out guidelines to be followed when applying chemical treatments to clients.
When these guidelines are followed, the chances of a client suffering injuries are almost non-existent. Failure to follow these guidelines exposes the client to the risk of chemical burns and skin damage and can lead to beauty treatment injury claims.
Claiming For Injuries Caused By Wax Treatments
One of the most frequently asked questions about beauty treatment claims from our clients is, “Can you sue for waxing burns?” Yes, you absolutely can. Before a beauty technician applies potentially harmful chemicals like wax to your skin, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 mandates them to assess the risks of the chemical treatment and take preventive measures so that accidents can be avoided.
For instance, a patch test must be conducted before applying wax treatments to a client’s skin. The wax must not be overheated or used incorrectly to avoid skin burns. When tools are to be shared amongst clients, they must be properly sterilised to prevent the spread of infection and blood-borne diseases.
Failure to comply with any of these safety regulations makes the beauty professional guilty of negligence. Affected clients may be able to claim against the beauty salon and make beauty treatment injury claims.
Other Common Causes Of Beauty Treatment Injuries
Several other situations may also cause beauty treatment injuries, including:
- Non-Invasive Procedures: Carrying out non-invasive procedures such as Botox, to enhance beauty, but a slight error during these procedures may lead to disfigurement and subsequent embarrassment for the affected client.
- Slips and Falls: Beauty salons use a lot of liquid, which may sometimes spill on the floor and cause clients or visitors to slip and fall. As specified by the law for beauty salons, the reasonable care clause includes cleaning the floors from time to time and warning clients to steer clear of wet and slippery areas.
- Damaged or Faulty Equipment: Certain equipment poses a risk of electrical shocks or burns to clients. Beauty salons are required to assess the risks associated with using various equipment on their clients and are expected to properly maintain this equipment or dispose of it when necessary.
- Incompetent Professionals: Before a beauty treatment, a salon technician is assigned to work on a client’s hair, body or skin, especially when it involves using potentially harmful equipment or products, they are required by law to have received adequate training. If inadequate staff training leads to an injury, grounds for beauty treatment injury claims exist.
- Defective Products: The manufacturer of the defective product may be solely liable for the damages. Still, in some cases, the beauty store or the product retailer may be partly liable for selling the defective product to you.
If you’d like to know more about beauty treatment injury claims or to see if your injury could be grounds to make a beauty treatment accident compensation claim, please get in touch with our team today.
What To Do If You Have Suffered An Injury Due To Beauty Treatments
Pursuing beauty treatment negligence claims is no small task because beauticians would be naturally inclined to protect themselves by denying or disputing any beauty treatment injury claims. However, if you have enough evidence to back up your claims which can be given to your personal injury solicitors, it would improve your chances of winning the case.
Because of this, it is recommended that you take the following steps after a beauty treatment accident or injury:
- Take Photos of the Accident and Your Injuries: If possible, get photographic evidence of the injury itself and the environment in which it happened.
- Keep Your Receipts and Other Paperwork: Receipts, contractual agreements and other paperwork would further help to prove that you received services that caused you to sustain injuries.
- Report to Management: Make a formal report to the beauty salon operator about the accident. There should be an accident book that needs to be updated with the details of the incident.
- Seek Medical Treatment: Seek a qualified medical professional for immediate treatment. The associated documentation can be useful for making a beauty treatment accident compensation claim.
- Keep Evidence of Treatment and Related Expenses: This is very important. It can help you get the highest compensation amount possible, so remember to keep all evidence and records of any financial expenses or losses sustained concerning the injury.
- Talk to a Beauty Treatment Accident Claims Expert: A claim against beauty salon experts may only be successful with the right legal backing, so you shouldn’t waste time finding a qualified legal professional well-versed in beauty treatment injury claims to represent you.
Every individual beauty treatment accident case is unique. Our legal experts would be able to review your case during a free consultation session and tell you what to do next.
Compensation Payouts for Beauty Treatment Claims
Compensation payouts for successful beauty treatment negligence claims may depend on up to 2 different types of loss called general and special damages.
General damages account for the physical and psychological harm you have suffered due to negligent actions in a beauty salon. Special damages cover the financial losses that result from that harm. In beauty treatment claims, general damages can cover:
- The severity of your injury or illness.
- The length of your recovery time.
- Loss of amenity.
Legal professionals can use reports from an independent medical assessment and the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help value your general damages. The JCG is a document that provides guideline compensation brackets for various types of physical and psychological injuries.
Guideline Compensation Table
You can find the different guideline compensation brackets in the table below. The information in the table, except for the top row, has been sourced from the JCG. Since these brackets are only suggestive, please use the table for guidance only. Every claim is different, and there are many factors that affect what you could receive if you are successful.
| Injury | Injury severity | Amount Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe injuries and financial expenses, such as medical costs | Severe | Up to £250,000+ |
| Burns | Covering at least 40% of the body | Likely to exceed £127,930 |
| Facial scarring | Very severe | £36,340 to £118,790 |
| Less severe | £21,920 to £59,090 | |
| Significant | £11,120 to £36,720 | |
| Less significant | £4,820 to £16,770 | |
| Dermatitis | Of both hands (a) | £16,770 to £23,430 |
| Of 1 or both hands (b) | £10,550 to £13,930 | |
| Damage to hair | Due to defective permanent waving, tinting, or similar (a) | £8,960 to £13,450 |
What Are Special Damages?
Special damages account for the financial losses you have incurred caused by the harm you experienced. This usually covers:
- Loss of earnings if you have required time off work for recovery from your injuries.
- Medication costs, such as prescriptions for specific dermatitis creams.
- Travel expenses to get to and from medical appointments.
Special damages may not be awarded for your specific claim. For this reason, you must keep any evidence you have of your injury’s financial impacts, like receipts, payslips, bank statements, and invoices.
Contact us today to discuss the details of your beauty treatment negligence claim and to find out more about how your potential compensation could be calculated.
Do Beauty Treatment Negligence Have A Time Limit?
Yes, under the Limitation Act 1980, beauty treatment negligence claims have 3 years in which to be started. This is typically dated to when the incident occurred. However, this time limit may be paused in certain situations:
- Minors: Since minors cannot make beauty treatment compensation claims by themselves, the time limit pauses until their 18th birthday. From that date, they will have 3 years to begin their claim.
- Reduced Mental Capacity: If a person doesn’t possess the mental capacity to make a claim independently, the time limit shall pause indefinitely. The definition under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 will be considered. Should the person’s mental capacity return, they will have 3 years to start their claim from the date of that recovery.
While claimants can wait for the time limit to apply, they also have the option of being represented by a litigation friend. This role allows eligible adults to make beauty treatment claims on behalf of those belonging to one of the above groups. Various individuals can assume the duties of a litigation friend, including:
- Parent or guardian
- Friend or relative
- Any other family member
- Solicitor
- Holder of a power of attorney
The court will make the appointment after verifying the candidate’s suitability and the absence of a conflict of interest.
Speak to our advisors now to discuss the time limit in your case and get more information about the beauty treatment injury claims process in general.
No Win No Fee Beauty Treatment Negligence Claims
Beauty treatment negligence claims can be supported by our solicitors on a No Win No Fee basis. If you discuss your potential case with our advisors and they determine that you have a strong claim, then you may be able to claim under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
When you’re supported under a CFA, you won’t be charged any solicitor fees to get your claim started. There will also be no solicitor fees to pay as your case progresses. Furthermore, if your claim for injuries sustained in a beauty salon is not successful, you won’t face paying these fees for your solicitor’s work.
If your claim wins, your solicitor will take a small success fee out of the compensation you receive. The success fee is a legally capped percentage and acts as payment for the work done on your case.
To learn more about your eligibility to claim for negligence during beauty treatment and how claims with a No Win No Fee solicitor work, contact our advisors for free today. To reach our team, you can:
- Use our 24/7 live chat support
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Contact us online.
Helpful Links
Below, you can find some useful links on making a personal injury claim:
- Learn about laser hair removal claims
- Get guidance on making hairdresser compensation claims
- Information on claiming for facial injuries
Thank you for reading our guide on beauty treatment negligence claims.
