How to check your beauty or aesthetics practitioner is qualified, wherever you live

Quick answer: Ask what qualification they hold for that exact treatment, ask to see proof of insurance that covers it, then check the official register or licence where you live. In the US, use your state board's licence lookup. In Australia, doctors, nurses and dentists appear on the Ahpra register. In the UK there is no national register for beauty, so check council registration for treatments such as microblading, the Save Face or JCCP registers for aesthetics, and the GMC, NMC or GDC registers for medical professionals. For any prescription only medicine, such as anti wrinkle injections, a qualified prescriber must be involved.

Booking someone new can feel a little like a first date. You have seen their photos, read a few comments and liked what you saw. But photos do not tell you whether someone has trained properly for the treatment you want, or whether they are insured if something unexpected happens.

The reassuring part is that great professionals are proud of their training. Most will happily show you their certificates and insurance, and many display them on the wall. Asking is normal, and it tells them you value doing things properly too.

Here is how to check, wherever you live, with simple questions to ask and the official registers to use.

Start with three simple questions

Before you look anything up, ask these. A confident, friendly answer is a great sign.

• What qualification do you hold for this treatment? A general beauty diploma is a brilliant foundation, but lashes, microblading, laser and peels each need their own training. Our guide to accreditation and qualifications explains what to look for.
• Are you insured for this treatment? Insurance should list the specific treatments covered.
• Which product will you use, and who prescribes it? This matters most for aesthetics.

These questions are worth asking because people who run into problems often did not have this information. Save Face analysed 1,617 complaints it received in a year and found that 78% believed their practitioner was uninsured or saw no evidence of insurance, and 76% were not told which product had been used. Three questions before you book can make all the difference.

United States: state boards and licence lookups

In the US, hairstylists, cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technicians and barbers are licensed by state boards, and most boards offer a free online licence search. In California, for example, the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology uses the BreEZe system for licensing and complaints. Search your state's board name plus "licence lookup" and check that the name, licence type and status match.

For nurses, the national Nursys service lets you confirm a licence, and doctors can be checked with your state medical board. Who can give injectables varies from state to state, so check your state's rules. The CDC investigated a 2024 outbreak in which 17 people in nine states were harmed by counterfeit or mishandled botulinum toxin, and 13 were treated in hospital. Its advice is simple: confirm your provider is licensed and trained, make sure the product is FDA approved and from a reliable source, and if in doubt, do not have the injection.

Australia: the Ahpra register and new injectables rules

Doctors, nurses and dentists must be registered with Ahpra, and you can search the national register of practitioners by name. It shows whether someone is registered and what type of registration they hold. If you cannot find them, ask for their registration number.

Stronger rules for cosmetic injectables took effect on 2 September 2025 for nurses, dentists and other registered practitioners, with doctors covered by their own guidelines. You should now expect a full consultation, in person or by compliant telehealth, before treatment. Nurses need at least a year of full time clinical experience before moving into cosmetic work, and you should receive written information about who prescribed your treatment, who is performing it, the product used and your aftercare. Anyone under 18 must have a seven day cooling off period after their first consultation.

Ahpra has also been active online. In one financial year it sent more than 12,000 takedown requests to social media platforms over alleged unlawful advertising of therapeutic goods, and more than 2,500 of those concerned cosmetic injectables. Beauty therapists are not on Ahpra's register, but depending on the treatment, some premises must be registered with the local council, as NSW Fair Trading explains. You can also ask to see qualifications before your treatment.

United Kingdom: a mix of registers

There is no national register for beauty therapists in the UK, so you check different things for different treatments.

• Skin piercing treatments. In England, acupuncture, cosmetic piercing, electrolysis, tattooing and semi permanent skin colouring, which includes microblading, must be registered with the local council. Both the person and the premises need registering, so ask to see the certificate or contact your council.
• Aesthetics. Save Face accredits doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and prescribing pharmacists, checks insurance for each treatment and inspects every clinic it lists. The JCCP also runs a public register, and it receives on average more than 30 complaints and concerns every week.
• Medical professionals. Doctors are on the GMC register, nurses on the NMC register and dentists on the GDC register.

Save Face reported a record 2,824 complaints about unregistered practitioners in 2022, up from 2,083 in 2020, and dermal fillers accounted for 69% of them.

Change is on the way. On 6 August 2025 the government confirmed plans to limit the highest risk procedures to qualified healthcare professionals in premises registered with the Care Quality Commission, and to bring treatments such as anti wrinkle injections and fillers under a local authority licensing scheme with training and insurance standards. Its earlier consultation drew almost 12,000 responses. The House of Commons Library describes a green, amber and red system based on risk. At the time of writing the scheme is not yet in force, and it would apply to England only, so check the latest position. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are taking their own approaches.

Ireland

Botulinum toxin is a prescription only medicine in Ireland. Medical Council guidance, summarised by Carson McDowell, says it should be given by a registered doctor or dentist, or by someone such as a registered nurse acting on their directions, with the prescribing doctor remaining responsible. You can check doctors on the Medical Council register and nurses on the NMBI register. For beauty treatments, qualifications and insurance are your best guide.

Canada

In Canada, rules are set by each province. Health professionals are listed on the public register of their provincial college, such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons or the College of Nurses in Ontario. Salons and clinics offering services such as hairdressing, nails, waxing, laser hair removal, micropigmentation and piercing are inspected by local public health. In Toronto, the BodySafe programme publishes inspection notices online, and businesses must display their notice near the entrance. Look for it when you walk in.

United Arab Emirates

In Dubai, healthcare professionals and facilities are licensed by the Dubai Health Authority. Gulf News explains three easy checks: ask to see the practitioner's DHA licence card, look for the facility licence at reception, and search the Dubai Medical Registry by name. You can also use the DHA's own licence verification service. Abu Dhabi and the other emirates have their own health regulators, so check the one that covers your area.

Why the prescriber matters

Anti wrinkle injections are prescription only medicines in many countries, including the UK, Ireland and Australia. That means a qualified prescriber should assess you, review your medical history and agree that the treatment suits you before it goes ahead. If the person treating you is not a prescriber, ask who is, and how you can contact them if you need help afterwards.

The UK government's own advice is a helpful guide anywhere: check qualifications and insurance, be wary of prices that seem too good to be true, and make sure the product is licensed for use where you live.

Your quick checklist

• A certificate for the exact treatment you are booking
• Insurance that lists that treatment
• A licence or register entry you have checked yourself
• A proper consultation, plus a patch test where needed
• The name of the product, and of the prescriber for medicines
• Clear aftercare advice and someone to contact if you have questions

FAQs

How do I check if my beautician is licensed?

In the US, search your state board's licence lookup. In the UK there is no national licence for beauty, so ask about qualifications and insurance, and for treatments such as microblading, check council registration. Elsewhere, ask your local council or health authority which treatments need a licence.

Is there a register for beauty therapists in the UK?

Not a national one. Skin piercing treatments are registered with local councils, aesthetic practitioners may belong to Save Face or the JCCP, and doctors, nurses and dentists are on the GMC, NMC and GDC registers.

Can a beauty therapist give anti wrinkle injections?

The product is a prescription only medicine in many countries, so a qualified prescriber must be involved. Who can inject depends on local law. In Ireland, for example, it should be a registered doctor or dentist, or a registered nurse acting on their directions.

How do I check an aesthetic practitioner in Australia?

Search the Ahpra register by name or registration number, and expect a full consultation and written information about your prescriber, product and aftercare before any injectable treatment.

Find someone already checked

We make this part easy. Every verified professional on The Hair and Beauty Directory has had their qualifications and insurance checked before their profile is marked as verified. Find a verified professional near you, and read more about what different qualifications mean in our guide to accreditation and qualifications.