PLI for Makeup Artists

Makeup Artist Public Liability Insurance

If you’re a freelance makeup artist then every aspect of your work will involve some level of interaction with members of the public. Due to the inherent risks involved with engaging with the public, this means you could potentially face a public liability claim at some point.  

The resulting legal fees and compensation payouts could end up putting you out of business – unless you have public liability insurance for makeup artists. 

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Isn’t this type of policy only for people who work in dangerous professions?  

It probably goes without saying that freelancers and business owners in dangerous professions have a higher risk of a public liability claim since there’s more chance of an accident occurring.  

But that doesn’t mean an accident is impossible when you’re a makeup artist.  

If someone is injured by your makeup chair, trips and falls over your equipment or bag, their car is damaged by your equipment, or you accidentally scratch the floor or paintwork in their building, then it is possible you could be sued. 

Hopefully, that never happens and you never have to make use of your public liability insurance policy, but it’s worth having this type of cover in place to protect you and your business even if you never have to use it. freelance make up artist insurance can give you the cover you need for peace of mind.

Do makeup artists have to have this type of public liability insurance? 

It’s not a legal requirement, no. 

It may well be a contractual requirement though, particularly if you hire a room (or even just a chair) to work on your makeup clients. The rental agreements in these cases will often stipulate that you have to have makeup artist insurance. 

Similarly, if you do makeup for photoshoots or movie sets you’ll probably be obligated to take out this type of insurance. 

Of course, even if it isn’t a contractual requirement it’s still a good idea because it’s relatively cheap and can help protect your business if something ever goes wrong and you’re held liable. 

How much does makeup artist public liability insurance actually cost? 

In most cases, this type of public liability insurance shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred pounds, which is quite reasonable when you consider that a public liability claim can sometimes amount to hundreds of thousands or even millions of pounds. 

But it’s not possible to work out exactly how much you’ll pay for this policy without comparing real quotes.  Your insurance provider will consider a range of risk factors that are specific to you and your makeup business. 

Your location, the nature of your business, your annual turnover, your years of experience and your history of public liability insurance claims will all shape your premium, so you’ll need to do a real comparison based on these risk factors. 

Is it true I’ll need £2 million of public liability cover for my makeup artist business? 

If you rent a room or a chair (or visit photoshoots or film sets) you’ll likely be expected to have either £2 million or £5 million of coverage. 

It is also possible to opt for a higher £10 million PLI policy if you want additional protection or to go with £1 million of coverage if your makeup business is very small and the place where you work doesn’t insist that you have a higher coverage level.  

What does makeup artist public liability insurance actually insure me against? 

Three of the most common risks that your makeup artist public liability insurance will protect you and your business against are as follows: 

• Third-party injury to a customer, visitor or another member of the public 
• Damage to a member of the public’s vehicle or building because of the activities of your business 
• Property damage or theft of any valuables or personal belongings of a member of the public 

In each case, your makeup PLI will only be relevant if you’re somehow liable for the accident or incident occurring. 

So it’s not just my own customers that are classed as members of the public? 

No, although your own customers will be classed as members of the public by this insurance policy, there are others that will fall into this grouping as well. 

Visitors, postal workers, couriers and delivery drivers will all be classed as members of the public, and if you rent a room or visit photo studios or film sets even the people who work in those locations might be covered if they’re involved in an accident and it was your fault.  

What about my employees? 

No, if your makeup business has employees they won’t be covered by your public liability insurance policy because they aren’t classed as members of the public if they work for you. 

You’ll need a separate employers’ liability insurance policy if you employ staff. 

Can you explain the typical exclusions I might find on a makeup artist public liability insurance policy? 

Yes, of course. 

As we already mentioned, your own employees won’t be covered by your public liability insurance, but there are usually other exclusions you can expect as well. 

For example, if an injury or damage is caused deliberately this won’t be covered, since it wasn’t accidental. 

Similarly, if an injury or damage occurs due to the consumption of alcohol or drugs this usually won’t be covered either.  

Finally, injuries or illness that occur because the customer has an allergic reaction to the cosmetics is unlikely to be covered by this public liability insurance policy either – in most cases, you will need product liability insurance and/or professional indemnity insurance for that. 

If the cosmetics stain my customer’s clothes will that be covered? 

Yes, possibly. If the cosmetics are accidentally spilled on your customer’s clothes and that causes permanent staining then that likely will be classed as a public liability issue and may well be covered. 

On the other hand, if the staining occurs during the normal course of the makeup treatment because you failed to take due care during the treatment then you might need a separate professional indemnity insurance policy for that since that incident is then more likely to be deemed professional negligence.