Reports · CQC sector reports · Oct 2026
The State of Aesthetic Clinics in England
An analysis of the 514 private aesthetic and cosmetic clinics registered with CQC in England: how fast the sector has grown, how many have been inspected, and what the ratings show.
The numbers
514 private aesthetic and cosmetic clinics are registered with the CQC in England. There is no aesthetics category on the register: clinics register as doctors or dentists, so Bridgehead identified them from each location's name, provider, brand and website, then checked the list by hand. The boundary of the sector is a judgement, and other methods would draw it slightly differently.
The sector has grown quickly and been inspected slowly. 65% of today's clinics registered since January 2022. 288 (56%) have never been inspected or assessed, and only 211 (41%) hold a current rating.
Never inspected or assessed
288 of 514 clinics.
Clinics registered in 2025
Including clinics since closed, against 40 in 2019.
Clinics hold a rating
41% of the register: 199 Good or Outstanding, 12 below Good.
How they are rated
- Outstanding2 · 0.9%
- Good197 · 93.4%
- Requires improvement11 · 5.2%
- Inadequate1 · 0.5%
When they were last seen
- Never inspected or assessed288 · 56.0%
- 5 or more years ago56 · 10.9%
- 3 to 5 years ago141 · 27.4%
- 2 to 3 years ago4 · 0.8%
- Within 2 years25 · 4.9%
Key findings
Registrations in 2025 were the highest in the series
96 clinics registered in 2025, more than twice the 40 in 2019 (both counts include clinics since closed). Registrations jumped in 2020 and have stayed above their 2019 level since.
56% have never been inspected
288 of 514 clinics. Among clinics registered in 2025 the figure is 99%, and in 2023 it is 76%.
Fewer than half hold a rating
211 are rated (41.1%): 197 Good, 2 Outstanding and 12 below Good.
Safe and Well-led are the weakest domains
7.6% of rated clinics are below Good on Safe and 7.1% on Well-led, against 0.9% on Caring.
London has three in ten clinics
151 clinics (29.4%) are in London, and 61 are in Westminster alone.
Two chains, then hundreds of independents
Lasercare (47 sites) and sk:n, under Lorena Cosmetics (31), hold 15% of clinics. 92% of the 399 providers run a single site.
Chain clinics are inspected more often than independents
35% of chain clinics have never been inspected, against 60% of independents.
The gap is new clinics, not old ratings
Only 11% of clinics were last inspected more than five years ago, against 57% of NHS GP practices.
Figures are Bridgehead’s analysis of the CQC’s published register and ratings, as at 6 November 2026. Below Good means a rating of Requires improvement or Inadequate. Services that have closed are excluded. The full report sets out the method, the regional and council tables and the sources.
The series
The same data, cut by sector
- The State of Care Homes in England40% of care homes not inspected in five years, or ever
- The State of Home Care in England62% of home care agencies not inspected in five years, or ever
- The State of Primary Care in England60% of NHS GP practices not inspected in five years, or ever
The State of Adult Social Care in England covers every adult social care service together, and the sector reports index compares the four side by side.
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