Brazilian butt lifts should be banned in UK amid ‘wild west’ industry, MPs say

Brazilian butt lifts should be banned in the UK, MPs have said, as a report found a lack of regulation had led to a “wild west” of cosmetic procedures being carried out in garden sheds, hotel rooms and public toilets.

The women and equalities committee (WEC) said high risk procedures such as non-surgical buttock augmentation should be outlawed immediately, and a licensing system for lower risk treatments was urgently needed. People with no training can carry out potentially harmful procedures, putting the public at risk, the group of MPs added.

A nine-month inquiry by the committee also found ministers were not moving quickly enough to tackle the risks posed to Britons and recommended they “accelerate regulatory action”. The lack of timely action was “fostering complacency in self-regulation” within the industry, they cautioned.

“High-harm procedures such as the liquid Brazilian butt lift (BBL), which has resulted in fatalities, should be banned immediately without further consultation,” the report said. “A licensing system for lower-risk procedures, in which only those suitably qualified can perform them, should be introduced within this parliament.”

The MPs added: “The government is not moving quickly enough in introducing such a system. At present, individuals without any formal training can carry out potentially harmful interventions, placing the public at risk.”

Currently, there is no regulation as to who can perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as injectables, including fillers or botulinum toxin injections – often referred to as Botox – laser therapy or chemical peels.

“This has led to a ‘wild west’ in which procedures have reportedly taken place in Airbnbs, hotel rooms, garden sheds and public toilets, leading to many individuals experiencing serious harm,” the report said.

During the inquiry, one woman, Sasha Dean, told how she was admitted to intensive care with sepsis and kept in hospital for five weeks after a BBL went wrong. A BBL is a non-surgical buttock augmentation where dermal fillers are injected to increase volume and shape the buttocks.

The committee also heard how Alice Webb, 33, a mother-of-five from Gloucestershire, died after a liquid BBL in September 2024.

MPs on the committee suggested that more people were turning to cosmetic procedures because of body image issues driven by social media and face-editing technologies. They raised concerns over the impact of influencers “normalising” high-risk procedures.

Alice Webb was 33 when she died after a BBL procedure. Photograph: Gloucestershire Police/PA

The WEC chair, Sarah Owen, said: “Procedures that are deemed high risk such as liquid BBLs and liquid breast augmentations, which have already been shown to pose a serious threat to patient safety, should be banned immediately. There is no need for further consultation and delay.

“A licensing system for non-surgical cosmetic procedures should be introduced within this parliament.

“The government is not moving quickly enough in introducing a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures and should accelerate regulatory action.

“Currently, individuals without any formal training can carry out potentially very harmful interventions and often do so in unsafe environments. This ‘wild west’ of procedures is placing the public at risk.”

Owen added: “Regulation has not kept pace with the sector’s expansion. In 2013, the head of the NHS warned that a person having a non-surgical cosmetic intervention has no more protection than someone buying a toothbrush.

“Over a decade later the only thing that has changed is the number of people suffering life-changing and life-threatening injuries.”

The Department of Health and Social Care said it would consider the report and “respond fully in due course”.

A spokesperson said: “This government is taking action to crack down on cosmetic cowboys and root out dangerous treatments. Our tough new measures will ensure only qualified healthcare professionals will be able to perform the highest-risk procedures. For anyone considering a cosmetic procedure, please check the provider’s qualifications and insurance - and avoid treatments that appear suspiciously cheap.”