Personal appearance services like hairdressers, nail salons, beauty therapists and tattooists are regulated by the Public Health (Infection Control For Personal Appearance Services) Act 2003 (the Act).
Businesses that offer higher risk services, need to have a ‘higher risk personal appearance service’ licence, and operators need to have the following designated qualification to provide these services:
A higher risk personal appearance service involves any of the following skin penetration procedures, in which the release of blood or other body fluid is an expected result:
Additional information regarding services considered to meet the requirements of a higher risk personal appearance service is available in the following resources:
Examples of non–higher risk personal appearance services include:
Non-higher risk services still need to comply with the Act and the Regulation, including the Infection Control Guidelines, but they do not require a licence.
Cosmetic injectable and pain relieving gels are scheduled medicines and require suitably qualified health practitioners to prescribe and administer them. Ensure that you are meeting the legislative requirements for any product you purchase or use in your business.
Products obtained over the internet that are not registered or listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods may not meet Australian quality and safety standards. If they contain ingredients that are scheduled medicines, then they are subject to the same laws as registered or listed medicines with regard to who is authorised to possess and use them.