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A range of skincare and aesthetic treatments are now being offered at six John Lewis stores
If you needed further proof that the injectables conversation has migrated from water cooler to brunch-fodder in recent years, hear this: you can now get your forehead frozen while you buy your bed linen.
This week, John Lewis announced a partnership with The Cavendish Clinic - a leading medical aesthetics company - which will make Botox, along with a range of other injectables and skincare treatments - available in stores across the UK.
Following a successful pilot last year, you’ll now be able to book in for a range of skincare and aesthetic treatments at six John Lewis stores – in Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Cambridge, Kingston and Peter Jones in London – with more to follow later this year.
It's an interesting move for the nation’s favourite department store – and one they haven’t taken lightly, says Jason Wilary-Attew, Head of Beauty at John Lewis.
‘We know there’s increasing awareness and demand among consumers for advanced beauty treatments and after careful consideration, we were keen to collaborate with a trusted, medical clinic brand which would deliver this service.’
As well as anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers (all doctor-administered and only available to over 25’s), you’ll also be able to access skin brightening treatments like Profhilo and Visoderm - both of which improve elasticity via boosting the skin’s natural levels of Hyaluronic Acid.
Elsewhere on the treatment menu you’ll find fat loss treatments from CoolSculpting, Microneedling and the now-cult HydraFacial – a powerful skin resurfacing treatment.
Asked about the significance of including injectables among the less invasive treatments, Wilary-Attew points out that it’s one that many other high street retailers have already taken.
‘We want injectables to be part of the overall holistic offering but we do recognise that externally it probably feels like quite a significant step,’ he tells WH.
‘I think there will be a bit of a murmur about it. But our competitors are already offering it so, in a way, we’re following them. But we’re doing it in our own way.’
The move has come in response to in-depth customer research and feedback demonstrating an increased interest in advanced beauty and skincare treatments; not to mention a global pandemic during which the closure of salons led to us all becoming DIY beauty therapists.
‘I think it’s just about making [injectables] much more accessible,’ adds Dr Matt James, a leading plastic surgeon, who founded The Cavendish Clinic in 2011.
‘The industry has been moving so quickly and it’s relatively unregulated. I think that lack of regulation has impacted upon the ability to deliver the trust that everyone is after.
‘But people trust John Lewis and we’ve been delivering these treatments for a long time, using full-trained doctors. So this is a huge step for the trust side of things. You need trained people who offer a spectrum of treatments, not just somebody doing it in a hairdressers.’
As with any aesthetic treatment, it comes down to personal choice. But any attempt to increase access to evidence-based treatments and qualified professionals is music is WH's ears.