Insurance for cosmetologists and beauticians

Professional liability insurance, sometimes called errors and omissions insurance (E&O insurance), is insurance coverage for claims against businesses that provide professional and personal services – including beauty-based businesses like yours.

When is it important to have professional liability insurance as a cosmetologist or beautician? The short answer is as long as there's litigation risk – which is always. Examples of when cosmetologist insurance would come in handy include these scenarios.

• Treatment gone wrong: A beautician waxes a customer’s eyebrows, and their skin gets severely irritated. The customer has to cancel a modeling job and go to the doctor to get treatment, so they sue the beautician. Professional liability insurance may protect you if such a claim is made.
• Equipment malfunction: A stylist accidentally uses a defective curling iron that damages a client’s hair. The client sues for negligence and the cost of hair restoration. Professional liability insurance may protect you in a situation like this.

Professional liability insurance covers the unique risks facing your business, from alleged improper treatments to negligence. Protect yourself and your business against these risks with cosmetologist insurance.

General liability insurance, sometimes called commercial general liability (CGL), could protect your business from another person or business’s claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs, and damage to property.

A client may sue you for slander stemming from the things you or your staff say, property damage due to an accident that may truly be no one’s fault. That’s why it’s a good idea to arm yourself with cosmetologist liability insurance before taking on any new clients or booking any new appointments.

Having this kind of coverage is beneficial in many instances, such as these.

• Damage to your client's property: A hairdresser is asked to perform on-site services for the bridal party of a wedding at the client's home. While there, her curling iron malfunctions and starts a small fire. The client sues for damages to her home and mental distress. General liability insurance may protect the hairdresser against this type of third-party claim for property damage, up to the policy’s limits.
• Personal injury: A makeup artist goes to a bar after work with some friends. After a few drinks, she begins talking in a false and unflattering way about a famous client. The comments are overheard by friends of the client. They talk, and the client subsequently sues the makeup artist for slander. General liability insurance may protect the makeup artist against third-party claims of defamation and slander.
• Bodily injury: A customer cuts their foot on a piece of glass from a nail polish bottle that had fallen off the counter and broken in your shop earlier that day. The customer’s foot gets infected and they end up in the hospital for treatment. General liability insurance could protect you against third-party claims for bodily injury, and related medical costs, up to the policy’s limits.

In a business with as much client interfacing as Beauty and Wellness, the risk of third-party claims arising is far from zero. Getting general liability coverage protects both you and your business against such risk. Learn more by requesting a Hiscox quote.

Learn about how much general liability insurance costs.

A business owner’s policy, commonly referred to as a ‘BOP,’ combines general liability insurance with coverage for your own business property. As a cosmetologist or beautician, you use a variety of tools and equipment in your work, and if these important tools are damaged or stolen, you can’t do your job.

The enhanced coverage provided by a BOP could protect you in a situation like this. Suppose you are traveling to a wedding venue to do hair and makeup for a bridal party. After you are done, you leave your equipment in the car and go to a nearby restaurant to eat. All your gear is stolen from your car. Your BOP may cover the cost to replace the stolen equipment and get you back to work.

Learn more about a business owner’s policy.

If you use a computer, send and receive email, or accept credit cards or other digital forms of payment, you could be vulnerable to a cyber attack. Hackers are getting bolder than ever, and any size business is at risk.

Cyber security insurance could protect you if, for example, your computer is hacked, you are locked out, and a ransom is demanded to restore your data. It could also help if your customer database, including sensitive information, is compromised.