Does an aesthetic clinic need to register with CQC?

Only if it carries out a regulated activity, most often surgical procedures or the treatment of disease, disorder or injury. Purely cosmetic non-surgical treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections and fillers are generally not CQC-registered in England at present, though this is under review.

Are Botox and dermal fillers regulated by CQC?

Generally not, when they are purely cosmetic and not treating a medical condition. The prescriber remains accountable to their professional regulator, and a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England has been consulted on, which may change this.

Who regulates laser hair removal and IPL?

Cosmetic laser and IPL treatments are commonly regulated by local authorities through special treatment licensing rather than CQC. Requirements vary by area, so check with your local authority as well as your CQC position.

CQC

CQC compliance for aesthetic clinics

By Cura Compliance UK · Updated 14 November 2026

An aesthetic clinic needs to register with CQC when it carries out a regulated activity, most commonly surgical procedures or the treatment of disease, disorder or injury. Many non-surgical treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers are not currently CQC-registered in England, but the picture is changing, so the first step is to work out which of your procedures actually fall in scope.

The question that decides everything: is it a regulated activity?

CQC regulates activities, not clinics. An aesthetic business registers only if it carries out one of the regulated activities in law. For cosmetic services the ones that most often apply are surgical procedures (for example cosmetic surgery or hair transplant surgery) and the treatment of disease, disorder or injury where a clinician is treating a condition. Diagnostic and screening procedures can also apply. Work through your treatment list against these activities before anything else.

What is often not CQC-regulated

Several popular treatments sit outside CQC registration in England as things stand:

Anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers, when purely cosmetic and not treating a condition, are generally not CQC-registered
Laser and intense pulsed light for cosmetic use are regulated by local authorities under special treatment licensing in many areas, not by CQC
Skin treatments such as microneedling, peels and similar aesthetic procedures are usually outside CQC's remit

If you are in scope: what compliance looks like

A registered aesthetic clinic is assessed against the same fundamental standards and quality statements as any CQC provider, applied to a clinical cosmetic setting. That means, among other things:

Consent that is genuinely informed, with cooling-off time for elective cosmetic procedures
Safe management of prescription-only medicines, including who may prescribe and how remote prescribing is handled
Infection prevention and control suited to a treatment room
Safeguarding, including recognising body dysmorphia and declining to treat where appropriate
Clinician registration, indemnity and competency for each procedure offered
Incident reporting, complaints and duty of candour

Even outside CQC, standards still apply

A clinic that is not CQC-registered is not unregulated. Prescribers answer to their professional regulator, local authority licensing may apply to lasers and needling, and voluntary registers such as the JCCP and Save Face set expectations that insurers and clients increasingly look for. Good policies are worth having whether or not CQC is your regulator.

Where CuraFlow fits

CuraFlow's aesthetic clinic library covers consent, medicines, infection control, safeguarding and governance, aligned to the CQC quality statements and personalised to your clinic. If you are unsure whether you need to register, read how to prepare for a CQC inspection, then browse the aesthetic clinic library.

Frequently asked questions

Does an aesthetic clinic need to register with CQC?: Only if it carries out a regulated activity, most often surgical procedures or the treatment of disease, disorder or injury. Purely cosmetic non-surgical treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections and fillers are generally not CQC-registered in England at present, though this is under review.
Are Botox and dermal fillers regulated by CQC?: Generally not, when they are purely cosmetic and not treating a medical condition. The prescriber remains accountable to their professional regulator, and a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England has been consulted on, which may change this.
Who regulates laser hair removal and IPL?: Cosmetic laser and IPL treatments are commonly regulated by local authorities through special treatment licensing rather than CQC. Requirements vary by area, so check with your local authority as well as your CQC position.

Ready-to-use, regulator-aligned policies for your service

Browse the aesthetic clinic policy library