Beauty therapists must NOT give Botox, say experts – after illegal jabs leave 38 fighting for life and watchdog is accused of failing to act

Drug safety chiefs were warned last year about rogue beauty therapists injecting illegal Botox-style products but failed to act before the jabs hospitalised dozens.

The procedures, carried out by beauticians using unlicensed versions of botulinum toxin, left 38 people across the North East, North West, East of England and Midlands seriously ill with paralysis-like symptoms and breathing difficulties.

The alarming outbreak this month has exposed ‘gaping holes’ in regulation, claim senior doctors now calling on the Government to ban medically unqualified practitioners from administering cosmetic injections.

Dr Steven Land, a Newcastle-based expert in aesthetic medicine, said he first raised concerns in November 2023 with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

‘Our only surprise is that this didn’t happen sooner,’ he said. ‘I was getting WhatsApp messages and emails every week from people selling knock-off toxin—illegal, unlicensed products that you can buy online with no checks.’

Dr Land said he provided the MHRA with names, phone numbers, pricing information and screenshots of practitioners openly advertising cut-price anti-wrinkle jabs using unlicensed botulinum toxin.

He added: ‘When I followed up in April, they told me the matter would be dealt with ‘in due course’. Nothing happened. If action had been taken when I raised the alarm, dozens might not have ended up in hospital.’

MHRA was asked to comment. Due to the severity of the situation, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced this month it had launched an inquiry. The practitioners involved are said to be cooperating, although no further detail has been given.

Dr Land said two beauty therapists operating in his area had been identified as the primary source of the outbreak. Both had used a Korean-manufactured product called Toxpia.

‘Neither had any medical qualifications— just basic beauty therapy training—and both were injecting clients in salons and private homes using the same unlicensed product,’ he said.

‘We believe they were buying this toxin online and administering it with no clinical oversight.’ HJ Corporations Co. Ltd, the maker of Toxpia, was approached for comment.

More than seven million people in the UK undergo cosmetic treatments—including Botox and fillers—each year and demand is growing. The industry is now worth an estimated £3.6billion.

Yet in Britain, anyone can legally offer cosmetic injections regardless of medical training—a situation many doctors have long condemned. A recent study by University College London found that two in three procedures are carried out by non-medics, including hairdressers and beauty therapists.

Dr Christopher Rowland Payne, president of the Royal Society of Medicine Section of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery, said: ‘The current situation is quite terrifying. It is irresponsible for the Government to allow this to continue.

‘Britain is the odd man out in Europe in allowing non-medics to perform these procedures.’

Dr Rowland Payne, who gave evidence to the women and equalities committee on the issue, also highlighted the stark differences in training between medics and non-medics offering Botox.

‘Doctors, dentists and nurses are highly regulated and must follow ethical practice. We are taught scientific principles, understand physiology and pharmacology, and are trained to diagnose and manage complications.

‘By contrast, some therapists may attend a two-day course and walk away with a certificate claiming they’re trained to carry out medical procedures including Botox and filler injections and laser treatments. And currently, that’s perfectly legal.’ 

Consultant plastic surgeon Jeyarama Srinivasan, spokesperson for the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), echoed the call for reform.

‘These are medical interventions that require professional knowledge and expertise. Unregulated settings, including clients’ homes, are especially risky. The sale of such products online, often with no safety checks, further endangers patients.

‘We at BAPRAS and other professional bodies have long called for tougher regulation. We hope these incidents will finally spur action.’

Botulinum toxin—the active ingredient in Botox—is one of the most powerful poisons known, being found in soil and contaminated food. 

‘When consumed, it can cause botulism—a potentially fatal illness that leads to muscle paralysis and respiratory failure.

Its potency is staggering: gram-for-gram, botulinum toxin is estimated to be 100,000 times more toxic than cyanide.

Experts stress that the risk is not with approved brands—such as Botox, Azzalure, Bocouture and Nuceiva—but with counterfeit or unlicensed versions used by untrained individuals.

Toxpia is not licensed for use in the UK though industry insiders say it is available to buy online.

In 2023, the Government launched a consultation on new rules for the aesthetics sector and Health Secretary Wes Streeting suggested this month a crackdown was imminent.

During the interview on ITV’s This Morning on July 15, Mr Streeting was played a clip featuring Dane Knight, whose partner Alice Webb, 33—a mother of five – died last year following a so-called ‘liquid BBL’—injections of filler to enlarge the buttocks. Her death was the first linked to the controversial treatment in a UK clinic.

‘I would hate to see another family go through that,’ said Dane. ‘More kids burying their mum. Another partner burying their partner.’

Victims of the current botulism outbreak have also spoken publicly about their ordeal.

Kaylie Bailey, 36, from Peterlee, County Durham, was left fighting for her life and now wears an eye patch after developing paralysis and losing the ability to breathe.

She had paid £75 for cut-price anti-wrinkle jabs from beautician Gemma Gray—who has since admitted the product caused widespread harm but claimed it was a ‘nationwide problem’.

‘I remember lying on the bed thinking “I’m dying”,’ added Ms Bailey, who spent three days in intensive care with botulism. ‘We’re having to live with what she [the beautician] did to us. I nearly died because of it.’