Celebrity esthetician Sonya Dakar is sued for $71,000 after client says she was left burned and permanently scarred

12 December 2025

Victoria Nelson. Credit : Victoria Nelson/TikTok (2)

A high-profile lawsuit filed this week in Los Angeles has thrust the glamorous world of celebrity skincare into harsh scrutiny after a former client accused renowned esthetician Sonya Dakar of fraud, unlicensed practice and causing severe injury. Victoria Nelson, an entertainment executive and long-time client, alleges that a 2021 chemical peel at Dakar’s Beverly Hills clinic left her with serious facial burns and permanent scarring, costing her years of pain, tens of thousands of dollars in treatments and emotional distress. The legal action seeks about $71,000 but also aims to spotlight what Nelson describes as a broader lack of transparency and accountability in the beauty industry.

Nelson’s lawsuit recounts how her relationship with Dakar began in 2019 when she, then 26, sought help for persistent acne. Over the next two years she became a regular at Dakar’s clinic, even describing Dakar as someone she trusted “like family.” It was during a routine visit in April 2021 that Nelson agreed to a chemical peel that she said was presented as a safe, non-irritating treatment. Instead, she says she felt intense burning immediately upon application of the solution and soon saw what she believed to be chemical burns on her cheeks, under an eyebrow and across her forehead. The experience left her both shocked and confused, as the pain and visible damage far exceeded what she had expected from a standard skincare procedure.

Rather than immediate medical referral, Nelson says Dakar assured her the burning would subside and encouraged follow-up treatments to help her skin recover. In her lawsuit she claims to have spent nearly $71,000 on treatments between November 2019 and November 2023, including additional sessions intended to repair the initial damage. She questions many of the charges on her accounts, saying she is “certain that she did not purchase anything” for some of the services billed. Nelson estimates she underwent close to 30 follow-up sessions including microneedling and other procedures some of which she believes were outside the lawful scope of an esthetician’s licensed practice.

The controversy over Dakar’s qualifications and the legality of her procedures deepened when Nelson’s legal team discovered that Dakar’s clinic license had expired in September 2021, shortly after the alleged injuries occurred, and was revoked by the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology in 2022 amid allegations of unauthorized use of medical-grade equipment. A new establishment license was issued in March 2024, but the board’s records show an active case connected to Nelson’s complaint is under review.

Nelson dropped a separate medical malpractice suit in 2024 after being told Dakar lacked insurance, but she now believes that insurance was in place and has filed this new claim to seek compensation and accountability. Beyond the financial compensation, her legal action includes allegations of fraud, unfair business practices and unlicensed practice of medicine. Nelson’s lawyers, along with the California Attorney General’s office, have also asked for regulatory scrutiny and potential revocation of Dakar’s esthetician and establishment licenses to prevent future harm.

Throughout the legal battle, Nelson has taken to social media particularly TikTok to share her experience with millions of viewers. Videos detailing her injury, her ongoing treatments and the emotional toll of living with visible scars have garnered millions of views and sparked intense public reaction. Those clips have resonated especially with young women who follow beauty influencers and seek skin treatments, prompting wider discussions about professional qualifications, transparency in the beauty industry and the risks associated with cosmetic procedures.

Sonya Dakar is no stranger to celebrity clients. Over the years her Beverly Hills practice has counted Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Lawrence and other well-known figures among its clientele, lending an aura of prestige and trustworthiness to her brand. Many followers have long viewed her as an expert in skincare, and her products and treatments have been marketed as elite solutions for common skin concerns. Yet Dakar’s celebrity reputation now sits at the center of a legal and regulatory storm that challenges the assumptions consumers make about expertise and oversight in the lucrative world of aesthetics.

Industry experts note that chemical peels and microneedling, while popular, carry inherent risks when not performed with strict medical oversight. Estheticians are typically licensed to perform surface-level cosmetic procedures, but more intensive treatments that penetrate deeper skin layers or require medical judgment are generally considered the domain of medical professionals. In California in particular, regulatory boards are tasked with ensuring that practitioners work within defined scopes of practice, and violations can lead to license revocation or disciplinary action.

Nelson’s lawsuit and the accompanying complaint to state regulators raise critical questions about how such practices are monitored and what safeguards exist to protect consumers. Her experience underscores a tension in the industry between the commercial allure of advanced skincare services and the very real possibility of harm when treatments go wrong. As regulators investigate the allegations and the lawsuit progresses through the courts, the case may lead to increased scrutiny of cosmetic treatments and could inspire calls for stronger enforcement of licensing standards.

For Nelson, the legal effort is both a personal quest for justice and a broader plea for systemic change. She has said she hopes her story will shed light on the importance of transparency and accountability in an industry where trust and appearances often carry as much weight as clinical competence. Whatever the outcome in court, the lawsuit has already sparked a deeper conversation about the balance between beauty and safety in an era where aesthetic treatments are both ubiquitous and increasingly powerful.