Which Insurance covers do Self-Employed Make-Up Artists need?

Self-employed make-up artists need to protect their business like every other business because they face risks that can lead to unexpected losses. In the absence of insurance, they could struggle financially if they suffered a loss. Some larger losses might even result in their businesses becoming bankrupt.

To an extent, make-up artist insurance is no different to any other type of business insurance. It includes property insurance which protects your business assets, liability insurance which protects you against compensation claims, legal expenses insurance which protects you if you become involved in certain types of legal action and personal accident & sickness insurance which protects your income if you cannot work.

However, a standard business insurance policy does not fully cover a make-up artist because their profession is unique, so there are a number of cover extensions which make-up artists need.

Property insurance

Property insurance covers your business property against losses due to accidental damage or theft. You should insure your business premises if you have premises, as well as insuring your stock and equipment. You should also make sure that your computer equipment is properly covered.

Liability insurance

There are several varieties of liability insurance. All of them cover any compensation claims made against you, as well as covering the associated legal costs and expenses which are incurred to deal with the claims.

Employer’s liability insurance deals with compensation claims if they are made by one of your employees. You are legally required to have this type of insurance if you employ anyone.

Public liability insurance covers claims made against you by third parties. This type of insurance is not required by law, but compensation claims can cost in excess of £250,000 to settle so you should not consider public liability insurance to be optional.

Products liability insurance is similar, but it covers claims arising from defective products that you have sold or supplied rather than covering compensation claims arising from something you have done or failed to do. Again, this type of insurance is not required by law but because compensation claims can be expensive, you should not consider products liability insurance to be optional.

Legal expenses insurance

Legal action is almost always expensive and the legal fees quickly mount up. It can also involve extremely complicated legal arguments.

Legal expenses insurance covers your legal fees if you become involved in legal action, such as:

• criminal charges
• contractual disputes
• employment tribunals
• tax/VAT investigations

As well as covering your legal fees, legal expenses insurers also help by dealing with the legal action on your behalf, leaving you free to concentrate on your business.

Personal accident insurance

If you cannot work due to an injury or an illness, personal accident insurance covers your lost income.  A weekly benefit is payable while you are temporarily off work, or a lump sum is payable if your injury or illness means you will never be able to return to work as a make-up artist.

Treatment risk cover

Make-up artists require treatment risk cover because standard public liability insurance policies do not cover compensation claims which arise due to professional activities. Any claims which arose from the provision of make-up services would not be covered. Treatment risk cover means that the public liability insurance is extended to include cover for such claims and it is vital if you are a self-employed make-up artist.

Financial loss cover

A standard public liability insurance policy will only cover compensation claims which involve property damage or injuries. Compensation claims that involve purely economic losses are not be covered.

A model could claim compensation if they had lost income due to their make-up not being right, even though they hadn’t been injured, or film producers and photographers or could lose money if that model was not available. If you have financial loss cover, such claims would be covered.

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Darragh Timlin

With over 25 years’ experience, Darragh is an expert in all things insurance. Starting his career in commercial property underwriting, Darragh has worked for a number of global insurers and is now Managing Director of Salon Saver, part of the wider Henry Seymour Group.

All articles by Darragh Timlin