%20(4).png)
To mark International Women’s Day, Hamilton Fraser has published a new guide celebrating the women who have helped shape the aesthetics industry and continue to drive it forward.
From pioneering practitioners and influential educators to successful clinic owners and industry leaders, women have played a central role in the evolution of aesthetic medicine. The guide reflects on their impact, explores the challenges women still face in the sector, and looks ahead to how female leadership will continue to shape the future of aesthetics.
Across the UK aesthetics industry, women have long been a driving force behind innovation, patient care and clinic leadership. Today, they represent a significant proportion of practitioners and clinic owners across the sector.
Research suggests that around 78% of practitioners working in aesthetics are women, with an even higher proportion across the beauty and wellbeing sectors. At the same time, the UK aesthetics market continues to expand rapidly and is forecast to be worth £5.4 billion by the end of 2026.
While women make up a large proportion of the global healthcare workforce, aesthetics is one of the sectors where they are also increasingly influencing leadership, innovation and the direction of the industry.
From establishing patient-centred consultation models to building successful clinic businesses, female practitioners have helped define the modern aesthetics landscape.
The aesthetics sector in 2026 looks very different to the one Hamilton Fraser first began working with in 1996.
In the early days, non-surgical aesthetic treatments were relatively limited in scope and public awareness was low. Procedures such as botulinum toxin and dermal fillers were only beginning to emerge, and the sector lacked formal professional frameworks.
Reflecting on this in a recent episode of the Aesthetics Business Cast, Hamilton Fraser founder and CEO Eddie Hooker explained that treatments were once largely associated with celebrities or the very wealthy. Over time, increased media coverage and patient awareness helped bring aesthetics into the mainstream.
Many of the early adopters of aesthetic treatments were clinicians working in nursing, dermatology, dentistry and general practice – professions with strong female representation.
Women also played a key role in establishing standards and professional frameworks within an unregulated sector. In the late 1990s, a small group of nurses began developing competencies and best practice guidance for aesthetic procedures.
Despite women forming the majority of the workforce, leadership positions across healthcare have historically been dominated by men.
Globally, women make up around 70% of the health and social care workforce, yet hold only around 25% of senior leadership roles.
However, the aesthetics industry is increasingly challenging this pattern. Today, several key UK professional organisations are led by female leaders, including:
Greater representation helps make sure that decision-making reflects the reality of the profession, where both the majority of practitioners and patients are women.
However, representation gaps remain in areas such as speaker platforms and key opinion leader (KOL) programmes.
Dr Shirin Lakhani comments:
“The aesthetics profession is dominated by women, both as practitioners and patients, but leadership and key opinion leader roles don’t always reflect that balance. Improving representation at those higher levels will ultimately benefit the entire industry.”
Industry organisations such as Women in Aesthetic Medicine (WIAM) are actively working to address these gaps by encouraging brands to support female experts through mentorship, leadership programmes and speaker opportunities.
Female practitioners have also influenced the way aesthetic medicine is delivered.
Over the past decade, there has been a shift away from purely cosmetic outcomes towards a more holistic approach to wellbeing and healthy ageing.
Many clinics now incorporate treatments and consultations focused on:
Women’s health in particular is becoming an increasingly important area of focus within aesthetics.
Women in their 40s and 50s make up a large proportion of aesthetic clinic patients, and practitioners are often among the first professionals patients speak to about menopause-related symptoms.
Dr Shirin Lakhani explains:
“Having female voices involved in these discussions helps shift the priorities, because as women we understand what other women are going through.”
The growing role of aesthetics in menopause support has been championed by organisations such as Menopause in Practice (MIP).
Founder Charlotte Body has been instrumental in bringing conversations around menopause and women’s health into the aesthetics industry through events, education and community initiatives.
She says aesthetic practitioners are uniquely positioned to support patients:
“Practitioners build long-term relationships with their patients and are trusted with conversations about confidence, wellbeing and ageing. That puts them in a powerful position to help women feel heard, understood and supported.”
Hamilton Fraser has partnered with Menopause in Practice since its first event and has introduced a policy extension to support clinics offering menopause-related consultations and advice.
Although women dominate the workforce, many practitioners face unique challenges when running clinics and building careers in the sector.
Professional development, mentorship and access to education remain key to supporting women in leadership roles.
Through partnerships, CPD events, podcasts and educational guides, Hamilton Fraser continues to support practitioners with the resources they need to develop their businesses safely and responsibly.
As the aesthetics sector evolves, female leadership will remain central to its development.
Emerging trends such as regenerative aesthetics, longevity medicine and integrated healthcare models are likely to reshape the industry over the next decade.
At the same time, regulatory reform across the UK will place increasing emphasis on professional standards, practitioner qualifications and patient safety.
Women already leading clinics, organisations and education initiatives will play a key role in shaping how the industry moves forward.
As Dr Shirin Lakhani reflects:
“It’s really important for women in this industry to support and raise each other up. When practitioners share advice and celebrate each other’s successes, it creates a much stronger and more positive professional community.”
Read the full guide: The women who shaped aesthetics: looking back, moving forward.
To find out how Hamilton Fraser can support your business with specialist insurance and industry guidance, contact our specialist team or get an online quote today.
%20(1200%20x%20675%20px)%20(650%20x%20400%20px)%20(300%20x%20300%20px)%20(650%20x%20500%20px).png)
.png)