You are using an outdated browser and your browsing experience will not be optimal. Please update to the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Install Microsoft Edge

October 3, 2025

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

Subscribe to Updates

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.

Related Professionals

Industries

Consumer Products

Life Sciences

Technology

Practices

Antitrust and Competition

Regulatory Affairs

Location

RELATED INSIGHTS​ 

November 1, 2022
Background Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act 2019 (‘PDPA’) is the country’s first unified data privacy legislation for personal data protection. Coming at a time when people around the world are increasingly aware of the risks and negative consequences of their personal data being compromised, the PDPA seeks to align with international standards, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (‘GDPR’). Prior to the enactment of the PDPA, privacy rights were recognised in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand. Beyond this, the handling of personal data was governed by specific regulations for a handful of sectors, such as telecommunications, financial institutions, securities, and life sciences. The PDPA was announced in the Royal Gazette of the Kingdom of Thailand on 27 May 2019, with an exemption for the enforcement of its requirements in relation to the collection, use, disclosure, and transfer (‘process’ or ‘processing’) of personal data, as well as its provisions on data subjects rights. After some delays caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, the PDPA finally came fully into force on 1 June 2022. Unlike most legislation in Thailand, the PDPA has an extraterritorial aspect whereby data controllers and data processors outside Thailand may be subject to the PDPA if the processing activities they undertake fall under the criteria prescribed in the PDPA. The basics The PDPA defines personal data as any data pertaining to a living natural person that enables the identification of that person, whether directly or indirectly, such as phone number, address, email address, or anything else that might enable the data subject’s identification. The PDPA applies to personal data in any form, whether digital or otherwise. The PDPA introduces two main roles relating to the handling of others’ personal data: the data controller and the
Read More
October 21, 2022
On September 21, 2022, the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) held another public hearing on the draft Royal Decree on Digital Platforms and its sub-regulations. This updated draft Royal Decree on Digital Platforms (which is subsequent to a previous round of updates last year) is anticipated to be the final draft before it is proposed to the king for endorsement. Thereafter, it will be published in the Government Gazette and will become effective 240 days after the publication date. The key issues under the latest draft royal decree are as follows: Exemption for certain regulated businesses. The current draft royal decree exempts business operators that are regulated by the Bank of Thailand or the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as digital platforms operated by government agencies for noncommercial purposes, from the application of the royal decree. Nevertheless, these business operators must ensure that their digital platform has transparency, fairness, and standards which are not less than those required under the Royal Decree. Definition of digital platform. According to the public hearing, the definition of a digital platform has been amended to exclude digital platforms that are used to offer the goods or services of a digital platform provider or its affiliate acting on its behalf, regardless of whether the offering of such goods or services is made to a third party or the affiliate. Appointment of a local contact. Instead of appointing a local representative with no limit of liability, the current draft royal decree only requires offshore digital platform providers to appoint a local contact to coordinate with the ETDA. The local contact must not operate any business in Thailand under the Foreign Business Act. Notification of the ETDA. Digital platforms as defined under the royal decree must notify the ETDA of certain information—such as the name
Read More
October 20, 2022
On October 1, 2022, the Vietnamese government promulgated Decree No. 71/2022/ND-CP (“Decree 71”) amending and supplementing Decree No. 06/2016/ND-CP (“Decree 06”) on the Management, Provision, and Use of Radio and Television Services. Decree 71 will take effect on January 1, 2023, at the same time as the new Cinema Law. Decree 71 is the result of the government’s long-time attempt to regulate the cross-border provision of “over-the-top” (OTT) television services, which deliver TV content to viewers over the internet, bypassing the traditional broadcast, cable, and satellite platforms, as well as to reinforce the requirements for content on demand. The key issues of Decree 71 are set out below. 1. Expanded Scope of Application Decree 71 expands the scope of Decree 06 to clearly cover OTT video-on-demand (VOD) services by amending some definitions: “Radio and TV services” is redefined to mean “services which provide intact domestic program channels and foreign program channels, on-demand radio and TV content [newly added], and value-added service content to users over radio and TV transmission and broadcasting infrastructure. Radio and TV services can be provided directly to service users without the use of storage or delay devices (online radio and TV services), or upon the specific request of subscribers (on-demand radio and TV services).” “On-demand radio and TV content” is newly defined to include “films, domestic programs, and foreign programs.” Films (phim in Vietnamese) follow the definition under the Cinema Law, and in this context include movies/feature films as well as what would be considered “TV shows” or “TV series” (e.g., scripted comedies and dramas) in other countries. Domestic and foreign “programs,” on the other hand, follow the definition of radio and TV programs under Article 3.10 of the Press Law: “a collection of news and articles in spoken or visual press about a topic
Read More
October 14, 2022
Interest in organic farming, soil health, and regenerative agriculture has increased rapidly in recent years, and the demand for biological and organic fertilizers has accordingly undergone dramatic growth. Biological fertilizers contain specific levels of microorganisms (such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria); organic fertilizers similarly contain microorganisms and typically come from animals and plants, such as livestock manure and crop residues. Although responsible fertilizer use is still necessary to prevent unintended effects, these “living fertilizers” can boost yields and promote plant productivity without many of the adverse environmental effects and safety concerns of chemical fertilizers. This makes them highly sought after for organic farming, and prized by agricultural operators looking to promote soil health as a bedrock of sustainable agricultural practices. As the global trade for organic and biological fertilizers has scaled up, producers and agribusiness companies have expanded organic and biological fertilizer offerings to new markets. Not only do different countries have their own regulations for fertilizers in general, but they also often have specific requirements and rules for biological and organic fertilizers. This guide provides fertilizer producers and traders with an overview of the legal landscape for these fertilizers in three major Southeast Asian markets so that businesses can make their fertilizers available and foster sustainable agricultural practices in the region. The full Biological and Organic Fertilizers in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam guide can be downloaded through the button below.
Read More