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Botox, Fillers and the October 2026 Consultation: What Is Actually Being Proposed

ByCity Hair & Beauty Academy

On 21 October 2026 the Department of Health and Social Care published a consultation on restricting high-risk cosmetic and wellbeing procedures in England. If you have seen posts claiming that non-medics are about to be banned from Botox, that is not what the document says.

We have read the consultation in full. Here is what it proposes, what it leaves out, and what it means if you are training or working in London.

Which procedures would be restricted?

The consultation proposes that only specific healthcare professionals could carry out:

  • Intravenous (IV) procedures for cosmetic or wellbeing purposes, such as vitamin drips
  • Blood- or plasma-derived treatments, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
  • Deep chemical peels
  • Dermal microcoring
  • Non-resorbable (permanent) facial fillers
  • Specified high-risk laser and IPL treatments
  • Subcision
  • Cosmetic procedures that include a separate anaesthetic injection

Filler injected anywhere other than the face, such as buttock or breast filler, would be treated as cosmetic surgery.

Who would be allowed to perform them?

For the non-surgical procedures above: GMC-registered doctors, dentists, and nurses, midwives and pharmacists who are independent prescribers. Cosmetic surgery, including filler outside the face, would be for doctors only. Providers offering these treatments would also need to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

What is not on the list

Botulinum toxin is not on the proposed list. Neither are resorbable (dissolvable) facial fillers or thread lifts. For most aesthetics practitioners, whose menu is anti-wrinkle injections and lip or facial filler, these proposals do not change who can treat.

What has not changed

  • Giving botulinum toxin or injectable cosmetic filler to anyone under 18 has been an offence in England since the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021.
  • Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine, so non-prescribers still need a prescriber.
  • Hyaluronidase, used to dissolve filler, is also prescription-only.
  • A wider licensing scheme for lower-risk treatments has been promised, but there is still no start date. The consultation only says that licensing of high street treatments will go further later.

What this means if you are training in London

If you offer, or plan to offer, IV drips, PRP, deep peels or body filler, these proposals could take those treatments off your menu unless you are a doctor, dentist or independent prescriber. Think carefully before paying for training in those areas until the outcome is known. We say the same on our CPD courses page.

If your work is toxin and facial filler, the consultation does not restrict you, but the direction is clear: more checks, more paperwork and higher expectations around complications. A regulated qualification such as the ProQual Level 7 Diploma in Aesthetic Practice, proper complication training and good records are the best preparation for whatever licensing looks like.

How to have your say

The consultation is open until 11:59pm on 13 January 2027. You respond through the online survey linked from the GOV.UK consultation page, and your answers only count once you reach the end and press submit. Practitioners, trainers and clients can all respond.

Frequently asked questions

Is Botox being banned for non-medics?

No. Botulinum toxin is not on the list of procedures the consultation proposes to restrict. It remains a prescription-only medicine, so non-prescribers continue to need a prescriber.

Is this law yet?

No. It is a consultation that closes on 13 January 2027. The government will publish its response after that.

Does it affect microneedling or chemical peels?

Deep chemical peels and dermal microcoring are on the proposed list. Standard microneedling and superficial peels are not named.

Will I need a licence to do aesthetics in London?

Not under these proposals. A separate licensing scheme has been promised but has no start date. Some London councils already license certain treatments, such as laser and IPL, so check with the council where you plan to work.