Introducing the SCIM™ Framework

Skin Competency & Integrity Modules (SCIM™) – A National Education Standard for Skin

In the UK today, many people working with skin are trained by product brands or unregulated providers. Others hold qualifications that include anatomy—but not barrier science. And most routes into skin work still treat it as a service, not as what it is: a vital organ.

The Skin Competency & Integrity Modules—SCIM™—propose a new way forward.

SCIM™ is a national education overlay that builds on existing qualifications from Level 3 to Level 7, providing clear, health-aligned training in skin science, barrier support, and real-world influences. It doesn’t replace vocational or academic routes—it enhances them.

This is the foundation for credible, preventative, person-centred skin care.

✅ What SCIM™ Covers

From Level 3 to Level 7, SCIM™ delivers structured training in:

• Skin biology, anatomy, and pathology

• The role of the skin barrier and microbiome

• Lifestyle, environmental, and product-based skin triggers

• Cosmetic chemistry and safe product sourcing

• Early recognition and red flags

• Referral confidence and professional accountability

• NHS literacy, public health messaging, and ethical guidance

Each level deepens understanding—ensuring that professionals working with skin actually understand it.

Who It’s For

SCIM™ is designed for:

• Beauty and skin therapists working from Level 3 upward

• Practitioners using advanced modalities (e.g. microneedling, laser)

• Health and wellbeing professionals in NHS, pharmacy, or charity settings

• Future skin-focused roles in public health or community care

• Anyone seeking to provide trustworthy, non-diagnostic skin guidance in a regulated setting

It can be delivered by approved colleges, universities, NHS Trusts, and quality-assured private institutions—with clear oversight and national inspection.

How SCIM™ Connects to the Bigger Picture

SCIM™ is not a qualification in itself. It’s a nationally defined education standard that can be overlaid onto existing qualifications—giving professionals clarity, progression, and recognition.

And as the industry evolves, there’s a bigger question on the table:

Could this framework become the academic foundation for a future BSc degree in skin health and therapy?

The Skin Well® thinks it could. But for now, SCIM™ is here to offer something we’ve never had before: a shared national standard for skin education, built around science, safety, and public trust.