The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (BABTAC) has expressed its dissatisfaction and distrust of the new Habia registers launching later this month.

Sector skills body Habia has develop a professional register for the spa, nails and beauty industries to help raise professional and quality standards and boost consumer confidence.

An independent technical group and Habia's forums developed a set of universal standards to underpin the standard.

BABTAC says the registers, which involve therapists paying an annual fee of £35 (€41, US$56), have the potential to “undermine the industry" and "could be viewed as a simple money-making scheme.”

The beauty, nails and spa register will be based on the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) model. REPs is run by Habia's parent company SkillsActive and currently has more than 30,000 members.

BABTAC has identified a number of concerns with the register such as potential conflict of interest with existing services offered by Habia; at present, Habia is responsible for standard-setting for qualifications and training and maintaining National Occupational Standards.

“Introducing a fee-paying register has the potential to negatively impact on standards, reducing them in order to facilitate more ‘eligible’ registrants,” says BABTAC.

Kelly Ramsay, marketing manager, BABTAC says: “The registers have left too many stones unturned and we are advising our members to avoid paying the additional fees for little or no gain.

“We are more than willing to discuss this with HABIA and look at an all-encompassing approach, alongside other industry parties; however until that point, we cannot and will not support an unchartered service which has a high risk of damaging the industry.”