Professional conduct, ethics, data protection and client care
Professional conduct, ethics, data protection and client care
This domain tests the standards expected of a beauty professional: consent, confidentiality, GDPR, insurance, scope of practice, boundaries, equality and complaint handling.
Core rules
- Work only within your training and insurance. Refer medical, eye, nail and skin conditions you are not qualified to diagnose or treat.
- Obtain valid, specific and informed consent before touching a client; consent can be withdrawn at any time.
- Confidentiality is a legal and ethical duty. The UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 require lawful, fair and transparent processing, data minimisation, secure storage and a lawful basis.
- Clients have rights of access to their records; respond within one month, usually free of charge. Do not alter records after a request.
- Keep records accurate, legible, dated and signed; store securely and retain according to your insurer's guidance.
- Maintain professional boundaries: no social-media sharing of client images without written consent; no discriminatory treatment; no financial or personal exploitation.
- Have a clear complaints procedure; acknowledge promptly, investigate honestly and learn from it.
Worked example
A client asks for a copy of her consultation records and for her before-and-after photos to be deleted. You provide the records within one month and delete the images from phone and cloud, confirming in writing. You do not refuse, charge an unreasonable fee, or keep images for the portfolio without consent. The reasoning is that access and erasure are data-subject rights, and image consent must be specific.
Traps
Discussing clients on social media; photographing without written consent; treating a minor without appropriate consent; claiming to cure a skin condition; keeping records indefinitely without justification.