Over S$1.9 million beauty prepayment losses reported in 1st half of 2026, nearly 18 times more than year before: CASE
Most complaints were about beauty businesses failing to honour contractual obligations, such as after sudden closures.
In the first half of 2026, consumer complaints against the beauty industry in Singapore surged to 1,124, marking a significant spike from the previous year. The Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) reported that these complaints were largely attributed to beauty businesses abruptly shutting down, leaving consumers unable to use their prepaid packages. The losses from these prepayment packages amounted to over S$1.9 million, nearly 18 times higher than the S$108,000 recorded in the same period a year earlier.
A notable case was the sudden closure of the Wan Yang chain of massage and foot reflexology parlours in November 2025, resulting in over S$137,000 in losses for unutilised prepaid packages. The closure of Royal Secrets Wellness beauty salon and spa in February 2026 also led to prepayment losses exceeding S$1 million, with one person reporting a loss of approximately S$50,000.
Nearly four in every ten complaints CASE received against the beauty industry were related to businesses failing to honour contractual obligations. Additionally, about 15.3 per cent of complaints involved alleged unethical sales tactics, while 13.8 per cent cent concerned delayed, refused, or withheld refunds.
Melvin Yong, CASE President, expressed deep concern over the sharp rise in beauty-related prepayment losses, highlighting the risks consumers face when making large upfront payments, especially when businesses close suddenly. To mitigate these risks, Yong advised consumers to avoid large advance payments where possible and consider paying per use or in smaller instalments.
In terms of other industries, electrical and electronics complaints slightly decreased from 571 in the first half of 2025 to 530 in 2026, with most involving defective products or non-conforming goods. Motorcars complaints also dropped from 573 to 488, with a majority related to privately owned car purchases and car-sharing services.
Travel complaints increased by 19.3 per cent to 192 in the first half of 2026, largely due to delays and refusals in processing refunds amid recent air travel disruptions. Lastly, renovation contractor complaints were down slightly by 1.5 per cent, mainly due to dissatisfaction with service quality and contractors failing to honour obligations.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
