Your legal obligation
Why dermaplaning technicians need a COSHH assessment
The products used alongside dermaplaning treatments - including cleansers, toners, chemical exfoliants, serums, and aftercare creams - frequently contain substances that fall within COSHH regulations. Many contain alpha and beta hydroxy acids, retinoids, vitamin C derivatives, and sensitising preservatives that need to be assessed for the risks they present during handling and application. || For dermaplaning technicians, COSHH exposure includes skin contact with products during treatment preparation and aftercare, potential inhalation of sprays or highly volatile products, and repeated contact with the same substances throughout the working day. || COSHH regulations apply to self-employed technicians just as to employees. You are required to identify the hazardous substances in your product range, assess the risks they present, and document the controls you have in place.
The real problem
Many dermaplaning practitioners do not realise how many of their products fall under COSHH
It is common for dermaplaning technicians to focus the compliance effort on the blade element of their work and overlook the COSHH requirements for the products they use. Skin preparation products, chemical peels used in combination treatments, and many aftercare products contain ingredients that need to be assessed. || A COSHH assessment that only lists product names without addressing the hazardous components and exposure routes will not satisfy an insurer or professional body. The assessment needs to be specific about what you use, why it presents a risk, and what you do to manage that risk. || CompliantDocs generates your assessment from the products you tell us you use, producing COSHH documentation specific to your dermaplaning practice.
90 minutes
How long most dermaplaning technicians spend trying to complete a COSHH assessment from scratch before giving up or producing something they are not confident in. Our service produces it in minutes.
Your trade, specifically
The risks and requirements specific to your work
Dermaplaning technicians work with surgical-grade stainless steel blades, typically 10mm or 15mm fixed or disposable blades, to exfoliate facial skin and remove vellus hair. The primary COSHH hazard involves exposure to biological contaminants including blood, body fluids and skin debris during the scraping motion across the face. Pre-treatment solutions contain chemical irritants such as salicylic acid or glycolic acid at 2-10% concentrations, applied to soften skin before dermaplaning. Post-treatment products including vitamin C serums, hyaluronic acid solutions and SPF preparations may contain preservatives like phenoxyethanol or methylisothiazolinone. The workplace involves prolonged standing at client height, repetitive blade handling with risk of laceration to fingers and hands, and aerosol generation of skin particles during the scraping process. Poor ventilation in salon or mobile treatment rooms concentrates airborne particulates. Clients with compromised skin barriers, active infections, or dermatological conditions require additional risk controls. Cross-contamination risks occur during blade disposal and between consecutive client treatments. Proper COSHH assessment must address biological hazard classification, chemical exposure pathways via skin contact, and engineering controls including blade sharps disposal systems and extraction ventilation requirements specific to this invasive skin treatment technique.
The cost of getting it wrong
What happens without proper documentation
Operating without proper COSHH Assessment documentation exposes you to serious legal and financial consequences. The HSE issues Improvement Notices requiring immediate compliance, typically with 28-day deadlines. Failure to comply triggers Prohibition Notices that halt your business entirely. Prosecution under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 results in unlimited fines, with recent dermaplaning salon cases exceeding 15,000 GBP. Personal liability means you, as the sole trader, face director-level prosecution and potential custodial sentences in serious cases. Insurance companies reject claims if you lack documented risk assessments, leaving you personally liable for client compensation if injury occurs from chemical burns or blade lacerations. Clients suffer chemical dermatitis from undeclared irritants in pre-treatment solutions, or acquire infections from improper cross-contamination protocols you cannot evidence as controlled. Building a compliant business protects your reputation, your income, and your liability. CompliantDocs done-for-you pack eliminates these risks for 47.99 GBP, delivered in minutes, whereas HSE fines and consultant fees cost thousands and consume weeks.