Whether you love or hate the heatwaves, either way you will be facing the same issue - how should you safely store your stock and products you work on? Heat does more than make products uncomfortable to use. In professional environments, high temperatures can alter viscosity, accelerate oxidation, affect preservatives, destabilise active ingredients and increase the risk around flammable liquids. As a general rule, cosmetics and professional products should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place, ideally at a stable room temperature between 15°C to 25°C which is the preferred range for cosmetics, gel polish and UV gels, with heat and temperature fluctuations being key causes of formula degradation.

The scandal that began with a single failed SPF test in Australia has left consumers questioning the bottle on their bathroom shelf. We asked Frances van der Velden, founder of Australian brand Airyday, how a sunscreen brand earns that confidence back, and why the country with the world's strictest sunscreen rules is where the lessons are being learned.

A laser burn complaint comes in. The clinic pulls the device file to send to the insurer. That is when a growing number of UK practitioners are finding out that the device they have been using is not what they thought they bought. By the time the insurer's coverage decision arrives, the practitioner is already exposed personally, and the protection they thought was in place turns out to be conditional on paperwork that does not actually exist.

Constant clock-checking tells a client you would rather be elsewhere. Here is how experienced practitioners stay on schedule without ever appearing to watch the time.

If you spend any time on the business side of TikTok, you'll have seen the videos. A creator wandering through a Guangzhou showroom, sweeping the camera across rows of laser machines, hydrafacial trolleys and cryolipolysis units. Prices flashed up that are a fifth, sometimes a tenth, of what you'd pay a UK distributor. It's good content but for any practitioner who acts on it, it is also some of the most expensive advice on the platform.

Spend enough time in aesthetics and one pattern becomes difficult to ignore. Women make up much of the workforce, much of the patient base, and much of the commercial energy behind the sector, yet that reality has not always been matched by who holds authority at the top.

Emma Elliott shares a practical guide to future-proofing business growth, drawing on more than 30 years of experience in brand building, communications and consultancy to outline the key areas founders and senior teams should review, from branding and website compliance to marketing strategy, PR, retail costs and long-term scalability.

Anna Dobbie explores why the clinics that promise less often leave the strongest impression, and what aesthetic practitioners can learn from expectation management done well.

Keeping your pricing fair but profitable is a delicate balance. But with rising costs, many salon owners are considering price increases, but how do you do this without upsetting your loyal clientele? Benjamin Shipman, co-director of The Hair Movement in Sidcup, says you need to value your worth and not undersell your expertise and knowledge. 

For aesthetic clinics, the legal risk around a treatment complaint is no longer confined to a poor outcome, a difficult consultation or a missing signature on a consent form. The pressure is widening. Patients are arriving better armed, faster to escalate and more able to package dissatisfaction into a polished complaint. At the same time, many clinics are operating through looser care models, with separate prescribers, visiting injectors, device operators, remote consultations and outsourced follow-up. That combination is creating exactly the sort of liability picture insurers do not like.

Walk into most clinic receptions on a Tuesday at 2pm and you’ll often spot treatment rooms sitting idle, payroll and rent ticking over, and a bookings diary that looks strong for the next fortnight but hazy beyond that. Subscriptions are one of the cleanest ways to turn that uncertainty into something you can plan around, because they convert episodic, promotion-driven demand into recurring revenue tied to long-term care habits.

In her latest column, industry strategist Katie Hughes-Dawkins unpacks what brand recovery really demands in aesthetics when turnover, controversy, or a shaky launch has left confidence on the floor. Moving beyond surface-level PR, she argues that perception is earned through proof, consistent standards, and leadership that puts the brand, the team, and partners ahead of personal visibility, especially when the industry is watching closely and talking quietly. From the “halo effect” of credibility to the hard necessity of addressing history rather than pretending it never happened, the piece is a clear-eyed guide to rebuilding trust through behaviour, not declarations, and using grounded excitement, education, and clinical performance to reopen conversations that may have been closed.

Client acquisition tends to drift when it is treated as occasional marketing, rather than a commercial process with owners, inputs, and weekly targets. In 2026, the clinics that grow steadily are typically the ones that operationalise acquisition as a simple pipeline: a clear offer, consistent lead flow, fast conversion to consultation or booking, and a retention loop that turns clients into referrers. The tactics have not radically changed, but expectations have. Clients compare you against frictionless online booking, transparent pricing, strong reviews, and professionals who communicate with clinical clarity.

In this festive season masterclass, aesthetic industry leader Katie Hughes-Dawkins draws on more than twenty years of clinic and commercial experience to show why Q4 should be your most profitable quarter, not your most stressful. She uncovers the most common mistakes clinics make at Christmas, from last minute marketing and empty gift shelves to overwhelmed teams and missed January revenue, and walks you through exactly how to fix them with smart treatment packages, early diary management, strategic digital campaigns and simple in-clinic tweaks that boost both retail and patient loyalty.

December is the most commercially charged month in the salon calendar, with fuller books and a clear appetite for gifting. Beauty is a natural beneficiary. Recent category analysis from Finnish personalised digital beauty experiences company Revieve, shows a marked swing toward skincare during the holiday period. This data also includes a notable uplift in skincare average order value and engagement with routines in December versus the rest of the year. That pattern signals a clear opportunity for therapists to pair professional treatments with curated at-home care and giftable sets. 

Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget 2025 landed today with a clear political message about “fair and necessary choices”, but for hair, beauty and aesthetics it feels more like a mixed bag of extra costs with only patches of relief.

London’s beauty retail rarely sees a first-time entrant stake such a confident claim. Aroma-Zone has opened a two-storey flagship at Westfield White City, designed to showcase an expert-led, affordable, and inclusive model that has reshaped the French market. We sat down with CEO Sabrina Herlory Rouget on the night of the grand opening to explore why London, why now, and how the brand plans to translate its community-driven success across the Channel.

Circadian is a measurable way to support physiology in rooms where people lie still for long periods while therapists concentrate on fine motor tasks. The science is clear that light reaching the eye does more than help us see. It entrains the body clock, shifts alertness, and alters sleep pressure through intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells that respond most strongly to short-wavelength light. The international CIE S 026 standard now lets designers specify these non-visual effects using melanopic metrics that sit alongside familiar lux, glare and colour rendering values.

The minibar is one of hospitality’s most overlooked revenue opportunities. For decades it has offered the same predictable selection: miniature bottles of spirits, a couple of mixers, and a chocolate bar that could be bought for a fraction of the price at the nearest shop. Yet with alcohol sales declining and wellness now a priority for travellers, it is time to ask why the hotel minifridge has not evolved.

Our columnist Katie Hughes-Dawkins shares her blueprint for building a sustainable, successful aesthetic business, urging practitioners to cut through industry noise, focus on brand identity over personal branding, delegate strategically, and create a clinic that thrives independently of its founder.