The APPG was thrilled to receive a letter from the Minister for Patient Safety, Maria Caulfield, referencing the role of the APPG and the inquiry into non-surgical cosmetic procedures in influencing the Government’s decision to implement a licensing regime for these treatments.
The Minister wrote: “We welcome the important contribution of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing. The APPG inquiry highlighted the huge range of non-surgical cosmetic procedures available, which vary in their level of complexity and invasiveness. The Government has carefully considered the findings of the report including the recommendation for a licensing system”.
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty and Wellbeing Reinstated for 2022
Last week, the APPG held its Annual General Meeting to reinstate the Group, re-elect its officers, and agree the work programme for the year ahead.
The 2022-23 APPG list of officers is as follows:
Carolyn Harris MP, Labour MP for Swansea East – Co-Chair
Judith Cummins MP – Co-Chair
Caroline Nokes MP – Vice Chair
Peter Dowd MP – Treasurer
Nick Smith MP – Secretary
The MPs agreed the purpose of the APPG on Beauty and Wellbeing is to highlight and celebrate the British beauty and wellbeing industry in Parliament, tackle the prejudice it experiences, and provide a forum to explore the challenges facing the industry and what government action is needed to overcome those issues.
The MPs discussed their priorities and workplan for the year ahead.
Following the Government’s milestone announcement of a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic treatments, as recommended by the APPG in its 2021 inquiry and report on the subject, the MPs will continuing to lobby on the licensing amendment to the Health and Care Bill to ensure this is not watered down and ensure the regulations cover the wide range of necessary treatments that need to be adequately regulated. They will also continue efforts to lobby the Government to deliver on the wider recommendations made in the APPG’s report in order to support the industry and protect consumers.
The Group will continue to place a focus on the ‘Power of Beauty & Wellbeing’ and work to grow the recognition of the sectors in Parliament and with Government. This will also include a focus on the wider post-covid landscape such as maintaining consumer confidence and how to address ongoing post-Covid and -Brexit skills issues. The MPs agreed the APPG would run a panel series on this subject, to explore industry issues, such as:
Beauty and sustainability
The importance of complementary therapies and wellbeing
The science behind the beauty: women in STEM
Female leaders and entrepreneurship
Beauty, diversity & inclusion
Beauty battling cancer
And finally, the APPG will continue to support the charity Beauty Banks and highlight hygiene poverty in Parliament. They will focus on the importance of personal care products to physical health, mental health and wellbeing, and explore what can be done to end hygiene poverty in the UK. They also plan to engage their parliamentary colleagues to encourage MPs to support the charity in their constituencies.
DGA Interel will continue to provide administrative support to the APPG as Secretariat with the support of the National Hair and Beauty Federation and spabreaks.com as sponsors.
APPGs are cross-party groups of MPs and Peers with a shared interest in a particular issue they would like to raise in Parliament and with Government. Though they are run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords, many choose to involve outside organisations for advice and administration.
For further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Group’s secretariat on appg_bawUK@interelgroup.com. You can find out more about the APPG on here and on Twitter.
Today, we are pleased to share that the Government has announced its plans to introduce a licensing scheme in law to finally regulate aesthetic non-surgical cosmetic treatments, such as Botox and fillers.
This was a central recommendation of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing’s inquiry into the subject last year.
Co-Chairs of the APPG, Carolyn Harris MP and Judith Cummins MP, welcomed the announcement, saying:
“We are thrilled to see the Government has accepted our recommendation to introduce a national licensing framework in law for non-surgical cosmetic treatments.
The APPG on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing’s year-long investigation found that the regulation of these treatments remains fragmented, obscure and out of date, meaning anyone can carry out any treatment, anywhere, with next to no restrictions on what qualifications they must have to do so.This has left consumers at risk and undermined the industry’s ability to develop.
A licensing framework set in law is an important step in the right direction, however this must be underpinned by mandated national minimum standards for practitioner training.
Maintaining the status quo is not an option. We urge the Government to accept our report’s recommendations in full and look forward to working with them to better protect consumers and support the industry”.
Today, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing (the APPG), welcomed Small Business Minister Paul Scully to National Hair and Beauty Federation salon Issy’s in Belgravia, as he showed his support for the UK’s £30 billion hair, beauty and wellbeing sector.
The Minister, who is responsible for the Personal Care sector, met with Debbie Postiglioni and David Gillson, Co-Directors of Issy’s, the NHBF and APPG member Caroline Nokes MP. They discussed the salon’s experiences during the pandemic, how they have fared since reopening, and wider industry issues such as skills and apprenticeships.
The APPG’s recent inquiry into how the beauty and wellbeing sector can recoup its losses and recover from COVID-19 found that a deficit in consumer confidence since reopening has meant that 66% of beauty businesses remain either partially or fully reliant on Government support to function. The APPG this week launched 3-point Call to Action on Government supporting the sector, which includes broader apprenticeship incentives for small and micro businesses, and recognising the crucial role of holistic and complementary therapies in taking pressure off the NHS.
Paul Scully, Small Business Minister, said:
“The beauty sector has such a critical role to play in our recovery from the pandemic, not just because of the opportunities it provides to workers and entrepreneurs – most of whom are women – but also because of the vital boost to mental health and wellbeing which beauty treatments offer.
“I’m proud of the efforts we have made to support the sector and will continue to work closely with beauty industry experts as we build back better on high streets across the nation.”
Co-Chairs of the APPG, Carolyn Harris MP and Judith Cummins MP, said:
“We were delighted to see the Minister back our campaign to help beauty and wellbeing bounce back post-pandemic.
“Once worth £30bn to the UK economy, supporting 50,000 businesses and 560,000 jobs (85% women), the pandemic took a massive toll on the industry, which has been struggling to get back on its feet. Despite the full reopening of ’Personal Care’ in April, consumer confidence remains below its pre-COVID levels.
“It was fantastic to see the Minister show the strength of support for this sector, and ensure that, as the beating heart of several UK high streets, it can bounce back to its pre-pandemic state once again”.
APPG Member Caroline Nokes said:
“I am pleased the Minister has recognised the importance of the hair, beauty and well-being sector, and has come to hear at first-hand how businesses have been impacted by the pandemic.
This is an incredibly resourceful sector, which I have been proud to champion in Parliament, and will continue to remind Government of the economic value and the wider well-being support it gives. It is a female driven industry, providing hundreds of thousands of jobs, and just as importantly it has helped enormously to combat loneliness and anxiety at the current time”.
As part of the APPG’s campaign to encourage MPs to support the beauty sector, Gerald Jones MP visited an NHBF salon, Hairport, in his constituency of Merthyr Tydfil.
He discussed issues including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the role that salons like Hairport play on high streets and the economy.
Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing APPG member Alex Davies-Jones MP today visited Pearce and Chapman, a local salon in the Beddeau area of her constituency, as part of the APPG’s campaign encouraging MPs to support the beauty sector.
She was thrilled to meet hairstylist David and beautician Genevieve to discuss issues relating to salons and the beauty sector, including the post-COVID recovery.
As part of the APPG’s campaign to encourage MPs to support the beauty sector, APPG Co-Chair Judith Cummins visited an NHBF salon, Salon 57 & Jayne Taylor Aesthetics, in her constituency, Bradford South.
Co-Chair Judith met with salon staff and discussed a range of issues, from skills and apprenticeships to the COVID-19 recovery. She said:
“It was fantastic to meet local salon owners Helen and Jayne and hear from the team about the challenges facing this key sector in Bradford as they work to return to a more recognisable business environment.
“The hair & beauty sector has been heavily affected by the pandemic. A number of issues raised today will inform the work of the APPG on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing in Parliament. Particularly on the difficulties of recruiting apprenticeships and delivering the full range of training they need throughout Covid.
“These businesses are at the heart of our local communities. They provide important services that support wellbeing, local jobs and contribute greatly to the Bradford economy. This sector must not be left at the bottom of the priorities list.
“The contribution the industry makes to the economy, the opportunities it provides to young people, women and local entrepreneurs are vital in keeping the Great British high street alive.”
As part of the APPG’s campaign to encourage MPs to support the beauty sector over summer, APPG Officer Peter Dowd visited an NHBF salon, Glam Rock Studios, in his constituency, Bootle.
Peter Dowd MP met with salon staff and discussed a range of issues including the challenges of Covid-19 over the last year, issues around reopening, the business environment in Bootle and government support. He said:
“It was great to meet local salon owner Stephanie Lavery and to hear from the team about the challenges facing this key sector in Bootle as they work to return to a more recognisable business environment. The hair & beauty sector has been heavily affected by the pandemic. A number of issues raised will inform our work in Parliament, particularly the many self-employed people in the industry who have been mainly left to look after themselves and I will be pushing for more support from the Government to ensure beauty salons do not experience any further disruption to day-to-day operations”.
You can read more about the visit on the NHBF’s website here.
As part of the APPG’s summer campaign to encourage MPs to support the beauty sector, Ruth Jones MP visited The Beauty Studio in Newport for a manicure.
She praised her technician, Rebecca, for a “relaxing experience” in the salon. Fantastic to see!
