Salon and beauty
advertising rules.

A barber in Gosford and a skin clinic in Double Bay don't play by the same rules. Everyone has to meet the Australian Consumer Law. On top of that, anyone advertising prescription medicines, or any registered health practitioner, has the TGA and Ahpra to answer to.

The ACCC's guide for personal services, which uses hairdressing and beauty examples, makes a point worth remembering: an ad is judged by its likely audience, and for beauty services that may include people concerned about body image. Claims that would be harmless puffery elsewhere get read more strictly here.

The ACCC has been looking hard at this. In its December 2023 sweeps, 81% of 118 influencers made posts that raised concerns, and beauty products were among the sectors with the most potentially fake or misleading reviews.

The ACCC says it's against the law to create fake reviews or arrange for others to do it, and that reviews from family, staff or paid people mislead when the connection isn't stated. Incentives must apply whatever the review says, and be disclosed. Google goes further and bans incentives for reviews outright, and asking selectively for positive ones.

So 'leave us 5 stars and get 10% off' breaks both. 'We'd love your honest review' is fine. If you pay or gift a creator to post about your salon, make that clear in the post.

For hair, nails, lashes and brows, before and after photos are fine as long as they're real and typical. Advertising standards say ads mustn't show body shapes or features that are unrealistic or unattainable through healthy practices, and an image edited that far can breach the code even without a rule on retouching.

Cosmetic treatments are different. The TGA says before and after photos aren't prohibited, but mustn't refer directly or indirectly to a prescription-only substance. If the result obviously came from an injectable, the photo is advertising the injectable. Registered practitioners also need real images without misleading edits, and a warning that results vary.

Most cosmetic injectables contain Schedule 4 substances, and the TGA says these can't be advertised to the public. That covers brand names, generic terms, acronyms, nicknames and hashtags. The TGA's webinar names 'anti-wrinkle injections' and 'dermal fillers' as examples, and lists products such as Profhilo, Sculptra, Radiesse, Juvederm and Restylane as covered, even where they're registered as medical devices.

Price lists for them are a problem too: the TGA says price lists for prescription medicines are limited to retail pharmacies, and a cosmetic clinic is unlikely to qualify. So are public booking systems that let people pick a prescription product from a menu.

What you can advertise is the consultation. The TGA's own examples include 'If you would like to talk to a health professional about your wrinkles, our qualified health professionals can help'. Salons that host a visiting injector should note the TGA's line that business owners are responsible for the content of social media pages they create or manage.

Nurses, doctors and dentists doing cosmetic work have their own rules. Ahpra's guidelines for non-surgical cosmetic procedures took effect on 2 September 2025 and apply to all regulated professions. They strengthen the ban on influencer testimonials and ban advertising aimed at under-18s.

A law firm summary of the guidelines adds that higher-risk procedures advertised on social media must be labelled 'adult content', under-18s get a seven-day cooling-off period, and every cosmetic injectable prescription needs an in-person or video consult. Cosmetic surgery has had its own advertising guidelines for medical practitioners since 1 July 2023, covering websites and social media.

On Facebook and Instagram, Meta says ads for cosmetic procedures must be targeted to people 18 or older.

Vouchers are big business at Christmas and Mother's Day, and the rules are clear. Gift cards bought since 1 November 2019 must be redeemable for at least 3 years, with the expiry date prominently shown and no fees after purchase. There are exceptions, such as cards sold at a genuine discount or given away in a temporary promotion. The NSW Government gives the same 3-year rule.

Watch packages too. The ACCC's guide describes a laser hair removal voucher sold with six months to use it, without saying the sessions needed waiting periods that made that impossible.

And 'no refunds' signs: consumer guarantees can't be excluded, even by agreement. A clear deposit and cancellation policy is fine. A blanket 'no refunds' isn't.

NSW first, because that's where I am. Hairdressing is regulated: NSW law prohibits unqualified people from working as hairdressers for a fee, the usual qualification is a Certificate III, and a Fair Trading officer can ask to see it. So 'qualified stylists' needs to be true of everyone on the floor, apprentices aside.

Waxing, manicures and pedicures, and cosmetic tattooing are skin penetration procedures, and NSW Health says the premises must be registered with the local council. UV solariums are illegal for beauty businesses, so 'tanning' in an ad should mean spray tans.

Lasers are where the states differ. ARPANSA says cosmetic lasers are regulated in Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia, and IPL only in Tasmania. NSW, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and the NT have no licence, so a Sydney clinic advertising 'licensed laser technicians' is claiming something that doesn't exist. Name the training instead.

Paste a caption, menu or voucher wording, and tick what applies.