How Much Does It Cost to Start an Aesthetics Business?

Starting an aesthetics business can be a super exciting and rewarding venture, with now around 1,000 aesthetic clinics here in the UK. 

Not only does this type of business offer the opportunity to tap into a booming industry (with the ever growing demand for non-surgical enhancements like Botox, dermal fillers and skin treatments), but it also allows entrepreneurs to make a real difference in people's confidence and self-esteem.

However, understanding the financial investment required to start and run this sort of business (as with any business) is absolutely essential. And this is where we’re here to help!

It’s important that you know all the costs involved, to properly understand how much you’ll need to make to break even – and, of course, to make a profit. 

Let’s look at this in a bit more detail…

The Costs Involved With Starting an Aesthetics Business in the UK:

From training and equipment to marketing and legal compliance, the costs of setting up an aesthetics business here in the UK can vary depending on your goals and resources available to you. But ultimately, here are 7 of the main costs that you’ll need to consider when planning your budget and starting your aesthetics business.

1. Training and qualifications

First things first, you need to ensure you have the necessary training courses and qualifications under your belt before setting up your business. This is because, as you know, the work of an aesthetic practitioner is specialised, and requires proper training and practice.

British law now states that you must have specific training and qualifications if you want to administer certain treatments like Botox and Dermal Fillers. 

For example, the qualification you will need to complete before you can become an aesthetic Botox practitioner is a Level 6 from an accredited training provider. And to be able to legally administer prescription-only Botox independently, you will need a prescribing licence.

There are a number of different routes you can take, and a wide range of training providers to choose from, each offering different courses at varying prices. Typically speaking, training courses can cost you anywhere from £2000 - £5000, give or take.

For more information on how to train as an aesthetic practitioner, check out this blog.

YouCan Clinic offers an extensive range of courses at state of the art training facilities, and are all CPD accredited. Discover our aesthetic courses here and get in touch with a member of the team on +44 (0)2921 678747 with any questions!

2. Setting Up the Company & Insurance Fees

To officially set up your new aesthetics business as a limited company, you’ll have to pay a registration fee of £12 with Companies House. However, if you’d rather operate as a sole trader, you don’t need to register. 

Insurance is another important fee (especially in the aesthetics industry, for obvious reasons), anticipating to cost you anywhere from £30 - £150 per month, depending on the provider and product chosen.

Providers like Hamilton Fraser or Cosmetic Insure specialise in insurance for aesthetic practitioners, which should cover Botox administration and other treatments you plan to offer, and public & product liability.

Medical malpractice insurance provides you with financial protection if a patient files a lawsuit claiming negligence or harm due to the treatment.

3. Premises

While many other service businesses can easily operate online, aesthetics is certainly not one of them. 

Face-to-face interaction is needed with clients, which is why you need to think about where you will be operating from, as this will of course cost money.

To carry out aesthetics treatments, you’ll need to operate from a professional, safe, and hygienic environment, either at your own clinic, working from home, or you might even choose to kit out your car or van with the necessary health and safety equipment to work in clients’ homes.

Depending on where you decide to work from, you could be looking at premises costs of £1000 - £5000 per month.

Aesthetic businesses can operate from a variety of locations, including salons, spas, clinics, and even homes.

4. Branding

To build and grow any successful business, you need a brand. Having a strong brand will set you apart from the competition and be the key driving force to attracting new clients.

What you spend is totally up to you. A logo could cost anywhere from £50 to £3000! You could go source a cheap logo online (or even make it yourself if you’re feeling confident!), or you could recruit a world-class professional logo designer. 

You’ll also need to determine tone of voice and a brand personality if you want a strong brand that people will recognise.

This leads us nicely into our fifth cost…

5. Marketing Efforts 

Once you have your brand, you’ll need to look into what marketing efforts you’d want to use for getting your business out there. You might find that with the right word-of-mouth exposure and a strong (free) social media effort by yourself (and your close network), that you don’t need to spend on marketing.

That said, if you want to reach even more people, it’s certainly worth setting aside a budget for paid adverts, search engine optimisation, newspaper posts, roadside posters and paid social media, to help boost awareness of your business. 

These marketing costs could cost you between £50 to £5000 a month, depending on how far you want to go and how big your marketing budget is. 

6. Equipment/Supplies 

The last, and probably most significant (and essential) cost will be your equipment and supplies. This includes all of the machines, tools and consumables you’ll need to carry out your treatments to keep your business alive!

You Can Clinic is one of the UK's leading providers of pharmaceutical supplies, stocking all major aesthetic products as well as starter packs and emergency kits. You can shop via our Faces Shop here.

The exact cost of equipment and supplies will of course depend on the types of treatments you’re offering.

To start with, we recommend perhaps only offering a couple core treatments initially, so that you’re not faced with huge upfront costs. But this is of course completely up to you. 

Aesthetics equipment will generally include things like treatment machines, a chair/couch, worktops, a rolling tray/trolley, sharps waste bins and overhead lights, for example. These could typically amount to anything between £2000 - £6000.

The supplies you’ll need to invest in will be things like prescription products (toxins, dermal fillers, topical creams etc.), disposables (needles, syringes and antiseptic wipes), and, of course, PPE, like gloves, masks and cleaning supplies. These can amount to anything from £500 - £2000.

There we have it! We hope this blog has given you a clear understanding of the costs involved in starting an aesthetics business in the UK.

Are you interested in training in the aesthetics industry? Check out our articles on Botulinum Toxin, Weight Management and Dermaplaning Training Courses.

And to speak to a member of our team, get in touch via email on courses@youcanclinic.com.

Written by Kate, for You Can Clinic.