From August 1st onwards, Chinese mainland's largest property insurance company, PICC Property and Casualty Company Limited, will launch a dozen or so new insurance products, including "cosmetician job responsibility insurance," the first of its kind in the country for the cosmetics industry.

According to experts at the company's Xiamen subsidiary, according to the provisions of the "cosmetician job responsibility insurance," the policy is available to formally registered plastic surgery medical organizations and daily beautician companies and covers the cosmeticians or beauticians in these two types of companies who are at fault in causing bodily harm to clients when providing cosmetic treatment services. The insurance company will pay claims to victims, with each insured beautician or cosmetic organization insured up to a maximum of one million yuan (US$123,300) annually in claims.

Relevant personnel at the company said that consideration will be given to the mental damage caused by the insured cosmetic or beautician companies to victims during treatment and other concrete needs and the insurance policy can pay money for certain mental injury. At the same time, if cosmetic treatment leads to litigation or arbitration, the insurance company will commensurately provide compensation for legal fees.

(Chinanews.cn August 3, 2005)