Estheticians perform procedures using dangerous tools and chemicals in busy, risky locations. A single lawsuit from an angry customer could destroy your career and put you out of business.
Whether you’re a medical esthetician, skin care specialist, waxing professional, or spa services provider, you need insurance coverage to protect you against the risks you face that could put you out of operation.
This article reveals the 6 best esthetician insurance companies and explains what you need to know about esthetician insurance to get the right coverage to protect your livelihood.
- 6 best esthetician insurance companies
- Are estheticians required to get insurance?
- What is esthetician liability insurance and what does it cover?
- Other insurance coverages estheticians usually need
- How much does esthetician insurance cost?
6 best esthetician insurance companies
- Simply Business: Best for estheticians who want an easy way to compare quotes
- InsurePro: Best for on-demand esthetician insurance coverage
- CoverWallet: Best broker to compare several quotes from reputable companies
- Next: Best online esthetician insurance buying experience
- NACAMS: Best for its members
- biBerk: Best for affordable esthetician insurance coverage
Simply Business: Best for estheticians who want an easy way to compare quotes
Simply Business isn’t a direct insurance provider. Instead, it’s a broker that helps estheticians and others get quotes from several reputable insurance companies.
PROS:
- It’s relatively easy to get several quotes from different insurers through Simply Business.
- Simply Business has an extensive online library to help you learn about business insurance coverage and how to prevent risks.
- Simply Business checks up on the insurers on its platform to ensure they’re reputable.
CONS:
- Third-party insurers handle policy underwriting, customer service, billing, and claims.
- Simply Business is owned by Travelers, a major insurer based in the United States. However, it’s based in the United Kingdom.
- You can’t file a claim through Simply Business. It must be done through your insurer.
Here’s a professional liability insurance quote for an esthetician from Simply Business. In this case, they provide us with one quote from Hiscox. But when we called them, we were able to discuss a few more quotes from other providers.
InsurePro: Best for on-demand esthetician insurance coverage
InsurePro is another insurance broker specializing in serving small businesses. The main differentiator is that you can get on-demand short-term coverage from InsurePro. You can get coverage for a few days, a few weeks, or just for a particular project. This will save you a lot of money.
PROS
- Get coverage for just a few days or for a particular project or the traditional annual policy.
- Fill out an online form, and InsurePro will get quotes from three reputable insurers from the 20 on its platform.
- The entire insurance application and buying process usually takes less than 15 minutes.
- InsurePro is a highly-rated insurance provider.
CONS:
- InsurePro is a relatively new insurance company.
- It may not be able to cover all businesses in all states.
- It may not offer all the coverages you may need.
CoverWallet: Best broker to compare several quotes from reputable insurance companies
Much like Simply Business, CoverWallet is an online insurance broker. It makes it possible for estheticians to get insurance quotes from several different companies at once. CoverWallet tends to work with more reputable and well-known insurance companies on their platform.
PROS:
- If you want affordable insurance coverage, CoverWallet can save you the time of contacting multiple insurers to compare costs.
- If you buy your insurance through CoverWallet, you can use its online tools to pay your premiums, file claims, and download your proof of insurance.
- Coverage through CoverWallet comes from top-tier insurers.
CONS:
- CoverWallet doesn’t always provide you with a quote online. Sometimes, you may have to call a representative to get your quote or permit them to contact you.
- You may pay more for your insurance than purchasing directly from an insurance company.
- You will not be able to make claims through CoverWallet. You’ll have to work with the insurer that provides your coverage.
Next: Best online esthetician insurance buying experience
Next is changing how estheticians purchase business insurance. NEXT’s mission is to provide business owners with coverage quickly so they can get to work fast.
PROS:
- Next is wholly focused on developing and delivering the ultimate online insurance experience.
- You can purchase a policy, file a claim or get a certificate of insurance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- Next is an online insurer. However, you can get expert help over the phone when you need it.
CONS:
- Next is a relatively new company with a limited history.
- Old-school estheticians may not like Next’s online-centered business model.
- Prices for coverage through Next aren’t always the lowest.
Here is the general liability insurance quote from NEXT for an esthetician. It is quite affordable at $16.67 per month.
NACAMS: Best for its members
NACAMS (National Association of Complementary and Alternative Medicines) offers occurrence-based insurance for more than 350 specialties in the beauty industry. You can take your insurance with you if you work in more than one location. There is no quote process: a year is $179, but you can make monthly payments of $14.58.
For this price, you get both professional liability insurance and general liability insurance, $2 million per occurrence and $3 million per aggregate. You also get:
- Product Coverage: $2 million
- Rental damage insurance: $100,000
- Identity Protection: $25,000
- Stolen Equipment coverage: $1000
They’ll also set you up with a website so you can promote your practice, and throw in a beauty magazine subscription for good measure. And they have excellent customer service reviews.
biBerk: Best for affordable esthetician insurance coverage
biBerk is a low-cost business insurance company. Even though you’re saving money on your esthetician business insurance, you can rest assured knowing you’ll still receive top-notch coverage and service.
PROS:
- biBERK can reduce insurance prices by almost 20 percent because it insures small businesses directly, with no intermediary or broker.
- biBerk is part of Berkshire Hathaway, a well-known and established company.
- Berkshire Hathaway has been insuring people and businesses for more than 75 years.
CONS:
- Despite biBerk’s reputation for being a low-cost insurer, it’s essential to get quotes from other companies to ensure you’re getting coverage at a fair price.
- Not the best insurer for complex coverage needs.
- You may not be able to get some of the niche coverages specific esthetician segments need.
Here is a sample esthetician quote from biBerk.
Are estheticians required to get insurance?
Estheticians are almost always required to have certain types of insurance protection against the risk of customer injuries or damage to their property. You may need insurance to:
- Work at a salon or spa. Owners often require you to show proof that you have general liability and other insurance.
- Hire employees. Most states require workers’ compensation coverage to bring workers on board.
- Drive for business purposes. Vehicles driven for work typically require commercial auto insurance coverage.
If you’re unsure what coverages your esthetician business needs, consult with an experienced business insurance agent or representative at one of the companies on our list.
What is esthetician liability insurance and what does it cover?
Esthetician liability insurance refers to the three coverage that most estheticians would need to protect themselves and their business: general liability, professional liability, and product liability coverage.
General liability insurance for estheticians
This is one of the most common coverages purchased by estheticians. General liability insurance covers primary risks faced by them. It provides financial protection if anyone (other than an employee) is injured on your business property or you or someone who works for you damages property that doesn’t belong to you while offering esthetician services. General Liability can help you pay for:
- Medical payments if someone is injured at your business location, for instance, if someone slips and falls on a wet floor.
- Property damage if, for example, an esthetician spills lotion on a client’s expensive sweater and ruins it.
- Legal fees and judgments if you’re sued over a covered injury or damaged property.
Learn more at the best general liability insurance companies
Professional liability insurance for estheticians
Professional liability insurance (also known as errors and omissions or E&O coverage) helps you defend yourself if you’re sued because you or someone who works for you makes a mistake while providing esthetician services. For example, if a client sues you because you used a skincare treatment that caused a severe rash, it could help cover legal and settlement costs. Professional liability insurance can help pay for:
- Professional negligence, whether claims are actual or alleged.
- Legal defense costs if you’re sued because you or an employee provide bad advice or services to a client.
- Legal judgments if you’re found guilty in court of providing poor or harmful services to a client.
Learn more at the best professional liability insurance companies for estheticians
Product liability insurance for estheticians
If you sell or distribute or use a product on your client, you should have product liability coverage. If a product harms someone or damages their property, they can sue you and product liability insurance will provide protection in these cases. It helps pay your legal, judgment, and settlement costs. The insurance also will pay for expenses associated with frivolous and nuisance lawsuits, which can be considerable.
The good news is that product liability coverage can be bundled as an add-on in a general liability or professional liability policy.
Learn more at the best product liability insurance companies and product liability insurance costs
Other insurance coverage estheticians usually need
In addition to the three liability coverages above, estheticians may need other policies as they grow and expand their business.
Commercial auto insurance for estheticians
If you or your employees drive vehicles to your client’s homes or to pick up supplies, you need commercial auto insurance. Personal car insurance doesn’t cover accidents or incidents when driving for work reasons. Commercial auto can help you pay for:
- Medical expenses if someone else is injured in a car accident and you or someone who works for you is found to be at fault.
- Collision repairs resulting from accidents.
- Rental reimbursement if you must rent a vehicle because yours is out of commission after an accident.
Learn more at the best commercial auto insurance companies
Workers’ compensation insurance for estheticians
Workers’ comp insurance can help pay for medical care, lost wages, disability, and much more resulting from a workplace injury or illness. Most states require business owners to purchase this coverage if they have employees. You can also get business owner’s coverage with your policy if you want to get this valuable protection for yourself. Workers’ comp can help pay for:
- Medical expenses if an employee becomes injured or ill for work reasons. For instance, they come down with carpal tunnel syndrome after years of providing nail services.
- Lost wages because an employee cannot work because of job-related illness or injury.
- Job retraining if a worker can no longer do their regular job.
Learn more at the best workers comp insurance companies
Commercial property insurance for estheticians
Commercial property insurance can help protect your esthetician’s business equipment, inventory, supplies, and even the building itself. If your business property is damaged because of a covered event, such as a burst water pipe, fire, extreme weather event, theft, or vandalism, property insurance can help with repair and replacement costs. It can also pay for lost business income if you cannot operate your esthetician business for a reason covered by your commercial property insurance. Commercial property coverage can help pay for:
- Damage to business equipment, inventory, and more resulting from fire, extreme weather, or anything else covered by your property insurance.
- Lost income if you’re not able to conduct business for a covered reason.
- Repairs to your business building if it’s the result of a fire, storm, burst pipe, or other covered events.
Learn more at the best workers comp insurance companies
How much does esthetician insurance cost?
The average cost of a $1M/$2M general liability insurance policy for estheticians is $24 per month, or $288 per year. Most estheticians pay from $15 to $75 per month for their general liability insurance policies.
In addition to general liability insurance, estheticians may need other coverage. Below are their average costs:
| Esthetician insurance coverages | Average costs |
| General liability insurance | $24 per month |
| Professional liability insurance | $27 per month |
| Product liability insurance | $13 per month |
| Commercial property insurance, including equipment | $46 per month |
These are just the averages. Your rates are different. Get several quotes from insurance companies that you are considering or working with a broker like Simply Business, InsurePro, and CoverWallet to compare several quotes to find the cheapest one for you.
Learn more at how much does esthetician insurance cost
Factors affecting esthetician insurance costs
Esthetician insurance quotes vary based on the risks that your business faces and other factors, including:
- The types of skin, hair care, and bodywork you do
- Where your salon is located
- Your payroll and the kinds of work your employees do
- Work experience
- Whether you use vehicles for work
- Previous insurance claims
- The insurer and how they calculate premium prices.
What’s important is that you get quotes from several insurers so you can compare them and select the one with the best combination of cost and coverage to meet your unique esthetician business needs.
