Cosmetic treatments in Britain: From curiosity to confidence

Key findings: 

• 67% of Britons say cosmetic treatments are for both men and women, and the same share believe they’ve become more socially acceptable.
• 81% haven’t tried any cosmetic treatment, while 7% have used weight-loss drugs and 14% have had some form of cosmetic treatment excluding weight loss.
• Among those who’ve had treatments, 51% did so to improve their appearance, and 41% to boost self-confidence or self-esteem.

How health and beauty is seen, understood, talked about or presented has always changed with time.  New data from YouGov Health & Wellbeing Tracker 2025, covering weight-loss drugs as well as a range of surgical and non-surgical treatments, shows that attitudes toward cosmetic interventions are changing, with people more open to and curious about procedures that were once viewed as extreme or reserved for the wealthy.

What are these attitudes?

While cosmetic treatments once carried a sense of exclusivity or stigma, YouGov data shows most Britons are now more accepting or tolerant of them. Around two thirds (67%) agree that cosmetic treatments are for both men and women, and an identical 67% believe they have become more socially acceptable in recent years.

That acceptance still comes with caution. Seven in ten (70%) think such treatments can become addictive, while 64% say they would feel more uneasy about surgical than non-surgical procedures.

Views remain mixed when it comes to accessibility and purpose. Nearly half (46%) believe cosmetic treatments are only accessible to wealthy people, while about a third (32%) see them as a good way to improve self-image. Similar proportions (32%) think cosmetic treatments are as much for young people as for older adults.

Under two in ten (17%) say they are more trusting of the safety of cosmetic treatments than they used to be. Just 14% view them as an extension of their beauty or self-care routine, while a majority (60%) disagree.

Neutral views are common across several measures: 30% neither agree nor disagree that cosmetic treatments are a good way to improve self-image, 31% are neutral on whether they are as much for young people as for older adults, and 30% are undecided about trusting their safety more than before. Even on broadly accepted statements, neutrality persists — 20% neither agree nor disagree that treatments are for men and women.

What cosmetic treatments have Britons undergone?

Most Britons haven’t had any cosmetic treatment, with 81% saying they’ve never tried one, a figure that rises to 89% of men, compared with 74% of women.

Women are notably more likely to have had a treatment: 26% report having had cosmetic treatment, versus 11% of men, and 20% have had a treatment other than weight-loss drugs (compared with 8% of men). Weight-loss drugs have seen takers among 10% of women, 4% of men and 7% of Britons. 

Why do people get cosmetic treatments?

Among those who have used cosmetic treatments, the most common motivations centre on appearance and confidence: 51% say they wanted to improve their appearance and 41% aimed to boost their self-esteem.

Wanting to lose weight was a factor for 30% of the cosmetic treatment users, while 20% sought to look younger or reduce signs of ageing. Women are more likely than men to cite appearance (55% vs. 40%) and confidence (45% vs. 32%) as key reasons, whereas men are slightly more likely to mention being advised by a doctor (15% vs. 11%). Smaller shares report motivations such as improving fitness, relieving discomfort, or functional benefits, each at around 8–12%.

That divide underscores the broader dynamics of beauty and wellness in Britain: women are more likely to view cosmetic treatments as part of self-expression and confidence, while men approach them more as problem-solving or performance-oriented choices.

Why people chose their most recent cosmetic treatment?

Motivations for undergoing a cosmetic treatment differ dramatically depending on the type of treatment people most recently had. For those whose latest procedure involved weight-loss drugs, the decision is overwhelmingly functional: 70% say they used them specifically to lose weight, with meaningful shares also citing improving physical fitness (23%), mobility (16%), doctor’s advice (17%), or relieving pain or discomfort (12%). Self-image factors also play a role for this group, with 31% seeking to improve their appearance and 25% looking for a boost in confidence or self-esteem.

Among those whose most recent treatment was a non–weight-loss cosmetic procedure, motivations look very different. Their choices are rooted far more in appearance and self-perception, with 58% aiming to improve their appearance, 37% looking to boost self-confidence, and 20% wanting to look younger or reduce signs of ageing. Practical motivations are far less common here, with low mentions for physical fitness (2%), mobility (2%), or pain relief (5%).

Across both groups combined, the top overall motivations are appearance (47%), confidence (32%), and weight loss (29%), but the split between treatment types shows these categories serve fundamentally different purposes, from health-adjacent goals to aesthetic and emotional ones.

The data shows a country in transition: cosmetic treatments are no longer seen solely as luxury or taboo, but as tools that people use for very different reasons, from managing health and weight to enhancing confidence and appearance. Most Britons still haven’t tried a cosmetic treatment, yet attitudes are softening and motivations are diversifying. As curiosity grows and the landscape broadens to include everything from injectables to medical weight-loss drugs, cosmetic interventions are increasingly becoming a personalised part of how people navigate wellbeing, self-image and modern beauty culture in Britain.

Methodology

Data is drawn from a YouGov survey conducted between 22nd – 30th August 2025 – this is the first of a 4-wave tracker to be conducted quarterly over a 12-month period.

YouGov interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,993 UK 18+ adults, and an additional sample of 490 past users of cosmetic treatment(s) (a range of 14 cosmetic treatments were prompted, including weight loss injections and non-injectable weight loss drugs) weighted on age and gender to reflect the profile of cosmetic treatment users in the nat rep sample.

Attitude and usage figures in this article are based on the nat rep sample only; while reasons for using are based cumulatively on the nat rep and additional user sample.

Photo by Sam Moghadam on Unsplash