Beauty and cosmetics
Specialist accountants for
beauty and cosmetics.
We act for salons, aesthetic clinics and product brands. Treatment income, retail sales and chair rental are each treated differently, and the VAT position is rarely as simple as the turnover suggests.
- Salons, clinics and product brands
- Treatment, retail and chair rental split out
- R&D claims on formulation work
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Salons, clinics and product brands.
A salon sells time, an aesthetic clinic sells regulated treatment, and a cosmetics brand sells product with stock behind it. They share a sector and very little else.
We have acted for all three, and the reporting is built around whichever applies, not around the sector name.
- Treatment income, retail sales and chair or room rental reported separately
- Stock and margin tracked where there is product to track
- Employed, self employed and rental arrangements reviewed for status
- R&D relief on formulation, stability and packaging development
Guides and demo packs.
Client case study
A write up of the work, with an interview covering what changed day to day.
R&D tax relief
What qualifies as research and development, and what a claim is typically worth.
Management accounts pack
A worked example of a monthly pack, so you can see the reporting before you commit.
You can see the progress you are making within your business, and adapt accordingly, rather than finding out at the year end.
What we do for beauty and cosmetics businesses.
Your team
A qualified accountant, a client manager and an accounts assistant. The same three people every time you call.
Compliance
Accounts, statutory records, VAT, PAYE and corporation tax, filed on time.
Reporting
Treatment, retail and rental income reported separately, with margin on each.
Payroll
Payroll for employed staff, with chair renters and self employed therapists kept apart.
Tax
VAT on treatment and retail, capital allowances on equipment, and R&D relief on formulation.
Software
Accredited partners with Xero, Sage, QuickBooks, Dext and KashFlow, with training for your team.
Reviews
What people say on Google.
Before Onyx we didn’t really have a clue where we stood from one day to the next. They helped us take financial control of the business — and gave us real insight into running it better.
Diligent, fast to respond, and they go the extra mile. They made us fully compliant and fixed errors I didn’t know were there. A very positive move from my previous accountants.
Eight years in, they still go well beyond compliance — strategic advice, quick answers, and a genuine eye on opportunities that benefit us.
Questions we get asked.
Are my chair renters employed or self employed?
It depends on the arrangement, not the label. Where the salon sets the hours, takes the money and supplies the product, HMRC is likely to treat it as employment whatever the contract says. Genuine rental, where the stylist sets their own prices and keeps their own takings, is treated differently. It is worth reviewing before an enquiry does it for you.
Is aesthetic treatment VAT exempt?
Only where it is medical care delivered by a registered practitioner for a health purpose. Purely cosmetic treatment is standard rated, and the line between the two is narrower than most clinics assume. A clinic doing both usually becomes partly exempt, which affects input VAT recovery.
Can a cosmetics brand claim R&D relief?
Formulation work, stability and shelf life testing, and development of packaging or delivery systems can all qualify where there was a genuine technical uncertainty. Reformulating to meet a new regulatory requirement often qualifies as well.
Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation.
No obligation, and a fixed written quote before you commit to anything.