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October 3, 2025

Thailand’s Beauty Industry Gets a Makeover with New Contract Standards

On September 26, 2025, the Contract Committee under Thailand’s Consumer Protection Board issued a regulation that aims to standardize contracts and enhance consumer protection within the beauty and wellness industry. The Notification on Prescribing the Beauty Service Business as a Contract-Controlled Business B.E. 2568 (2025), which takes effect on January 24, 2026, requires business operators to use a prescribed standard contract in Thai and adhere to strict mandatory provisions and prohibitions.

These regulations apply to operators across all in-person and online service channels, including via digital platforms. “Beauty services business” is defined as the provision of services under an agreement allowing consumers to receive a series of treatments, either over a set number of sessions or within a set period. This includes massage, spa, other methods for cleanliness, beauty, or care of facial or body skin, and weight control and body shaping—including services offered electronically. The law excludes surgery, liposuction, and medical treatments performed by licensed practitioners.

The notification establishes the following key requirements:

  • Mandatory contract and formatting. All contracts with consumers must use the standard contract form, in Thai, with clear, readable text (minimum font size of 2 millimeters, no more than 11 characters per inch), and include all essential terms from the annexed form.
  • Contract execution. Contracts must be made in duplicate, with one copy given to the consumer at signing. For agreements concluded through electronic channels, the process must comply with the Electronic Transactions Act and use the same required terms.
  • Digital platforms. Business operators who provide services facilitated through a digital platform as an intermediary are ultimately responsible for ensuring the consumer receives a compliant contract.
  • Prohibited clauses. The law prohibits clauses that limit or exclude liability for damages to life, body, health, mind, or property resulting from breach of contract or a wrongful act; bind consumers to business operators’ rules without consent; allow unilateral changes to services or fees; permit termination without notice or cause; forfeit prepayments; prohibit termination or refunds; impose no-refund; policies; automatically renew contracts; or misuse personal data in violation of the Personal Data Protection Act.
  • Key required contractual terms. The standardized contract template imposes a mandatory structure requiring the inclusion of clear and specific terms designed to safeguard consumer rights. Business operators are obliged to adopt and implement the required information in their service agreements. The Contract Committee’s recent notification contains an extensive list of terms and details that must be included in contracts.

To stay compliant and protect consumer trust, business operators must update their contracts to the new standardized form, eliminate any prohibited clauses, and ensure that electronic and platform-based agreements fully adhere to the new regulations. Embracing these changes is essential for maintaining credibility and thriving in Thailand’s evolving beauty and wellness industry.

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