Home permanent make-up studio

Adults wanting low-maintenance brows, lips or eyeliner, including people who have lost hair through illness or who want to save time on daily make-up.

A set price per treatment, plus a paid top-up session a few weeks later, and colour boosts every year or two for returning clients.

• Steady hand and an eye for detail
• Good hygiene habits
• Friendly, reassuring manner with nervous clients
• Basic social media and photo skills for before and after images

• Councils usually require registration or a licence for cosmetic tattooing, and rules vary by area, so check before you take clients
• Treatment and public liability insurance specific to permanent make-up
• Check with your landlord, mortgage lender or council whether you can run clients from home
• Strict hygiene, patch tests, consent forms and age checks, and checking that pigments comply with current UK rules
• Consider a hepatitis B vaccination, as the work involves breaking the skin
• Results take time and skill to get right, and unhappy clients can damage your reputation quickly

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £2,000 to £8,000, depending on how you equip your treatment room. Treatment and public liability insurance specific to permanent make-up is worth including in your budget.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around £800 to £4,500, depending on how many clients you see. The estimates assume at least about 10 hours a week. Results take skill to get right, and unhappy clients can damage your reputation quickly.

Councils usually require registration or a licence for cosmetic tattooing, and rules vary by area, so check before taking clients. Also check with your landlord, mortgage lender or council whether you can run clients from home.