Pakistan's cosmetic boom outpaces oversight

Dawn reported that Pakistan's cosmetic procedures market is expanding quickly, with industry estimates putting annual growth near 40pc, yet oversight has not kept pace. Major health and securities bodies did not dispute the post-Covid rise in aesthetic clinics, but the country still lacks unified rules for licensing practitioners, approving procedures or monitoring products. Industry estimates of 200,000 regular clients and 10,000 practitioners would imply one practitioner for every 20 clients.

The president of the PMDC, Prof Rizwan Taj, said a panel dedicated to aesthetic medicine would regulate the sector and handle complaints. That draft has cleared Law Division queries but awaits formal notification from the ministry. Meanwhile, the Sindh Healthcare Commission has registered only 26 aesthetic facilities so far, and its director Zainab Hasan said a registration and licensing drive is under way alongside an anti-quackery campaign. Enforcement against unlicensed practitioners and substandard products remains hampered by the lack of a notified scope of practice and a competency assessment framework.

The Sindh Revenue Board said cosmetic and plastic surgery services have fallen under Sindh sales tax since July 2016, with 350 providers registered and average monthly sales tax of Rs80m. Its chairman, Dr Wasif Ali Memon, cited 40pc revenue growth in FY26 despite cash-based transactions and misclassification of businesses. The SECP does not classify aesthetic companies separately, so it could not supply sector data.