4 August 2026
In England, it has been a criminal offence since 1 October 2021 to give someone under 18 botulinum toxin or a dermal filler for cosmetic reasons, and the government's planned licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures will extend that 18-plus rule to the wider range of treatments it covers. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed the extension in its August 2025 response to the scheme's consultation, so clinics offering treatments beyond toxin and filler need to plan for the same age floor once the scheme takes effect.
The law today: Botox and filler are already banned for under-18s
The Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021 came into force on 1 October 2021 and made it a criminal offence in England to administer, or arrange for someone else to administer, botulinum toxin or a dermal filler by injection to a person under 18 for a cosmetic purpose. The only exception is treatment approved by a doctor and delivered by an appropriately regulated healthcare professional for a genuine medical need, such as certain dermatological conditions. Conviction carries an unlimited fine, and the offence applies both to whoever administers the treatment and to anyone who arranges for it to happen. The Act covers England only, and Wales and Northern Ireland have separately considered but not adopted matching legislation.
What the new licensing scheme adds
In its August 2025 response to the consultation on licensing non-surgical cosmetic procedures, the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that licensed procedures under the new scheme should be restricted to those aged 18 and over, unless the treatment is approved by a doctor and carried out by a healthcare professional. That widens the existing toxin and filler age floor to cover the full range of procedures the scheme will license, including treatments such as chemical peels and skin boosters that currently carry no statutory minimum age in England. The government has framed this explicitly as bringing other treatments into line with the existing age restriction on botulinum toxin injections.
How the red, amber and green risk tiers work
The scheme sorts procedures into three risk tiers. Green tier procedures, judged lowest risk, can be carried out by any licensed practitioner. Amber tier procedures, judged medium risk, require a non-healthcare practitioner to hold a licence and work under the oversight of a named regulated healthcare professional. Red tier procedures, judged highest risk, such as liquid Brazilian butt lifts, are reserved for regulated healthcare professionals and fall under CQC regulation rather than local authority licensing. The proposed 18-plus rule applies across all three tiers, so a green tier treatment will carry the same age floor as a red tier one once the scheme is in force.
What clinics and practitioners should do now
The licensing scheme was not yet in force as of August 2026. The August 2025 document was a response to the design consultation, and further work on training standards, insurance and the detail of red tier restrictions was still to follow. Even so, do not wait for commencement to tighten your own practice: confirm your age verification process at the consultation stage, document it in your notes, and check whether any current treatment of under-18s for genuine medical reasons already needs a doctor's sign-off. Treat this as a live compliance area rather than a settled one, and revisit your policy once the government publishes further detail on implementation.
Common questions
Is it illegal to give someone under 18 Botox or fillers in the UK?
In England, yes, for cosmetic purposes. The Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021 makes it a criminal offence to administer, or arrange for someone else to administer, botulinum toxin or a dermal filler by injection to a person under 18 for cosmetic reasons, unless a doctor has approved the treatment for a genuine medical need. Wales and Northern Ireland have not adopted matching legislation.
Will the new licensing scheme change the age rules for treatments like chemical peels or skin boosters?
Yes. The Department of Health and Social Care's August 2025 response to the licensing consultation confirmed that the scheme's green, amber and red tier procedures should be restricted to those aged 18 and over, unless approved by a doctor and delivered by a healthcare professional. That extends the existing toxin and filler age floor to treatments that currently have no statutory minimum age.
Is the under-18 rule for the wider licensing scheme already in force?
Not yet. The Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021 is already law and in force. The wider licensing scheme's 18-plus rule for other procedures was confirmed as government policy in the August 2025 consultation response, but the scheme itself was not yet in force as of August 2026, with further consultation and detail still to come.
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