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Botox Vs Botox Cosmetic: What is the difference?

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 12, 2025.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

Botox and Botox Cosmetic are the same drug (onabotulinumtoxinA) made by the same parent company, AbbVie. The key differences are in their FDA-approved uses, marketing, and vial strengths.

Botox:

  • FDA approved for various medical conditions
  • Treats issues like chronic migraines, excessive sweating, overactive bladder, cervical dystonia, eye muscle disorders including strabismus, and muscles spasms and stiffness
  • Often covered by insurance for medical conditions
  • Can be injected into the muscle, intradermally (into the skin dermal layer), or into the bladder wall depending on the condition being treated
  • Typically used in higher dosages than Botox Cosmetic
  • Available in 100 Unit or 200 Unit vials.


Botox Cosmetic:

  • FDA-approved specifically for appearance (aesthetic) purposes
  • Temporarily improves the look of frown lines, crow’s feet lines, forehead lines, and platysma bands (vertical bands connecting the jaw and neck).
  • Usually not covered by insurance
  • Only injected into specific facial or neck areas
  • Generally used in lower dosages than Botox used for medical treatments
  • Available in 50 Unit or 100 Unit vials.

While they contain the same active ingredient, the “Cosmetic” label is primarily a marketing and regulatory distinction to separate aesthetic from medical uses.

Related questions

Ingredients

The ingredients in Botox and Botox Cosmetic are the same.

  • Active ingredient: onabotulinumtoxinA
  • Inactive ingredients: human albumin and sodium chloride.

Vial strengths

  • Botox is available as 100 Units or 200 Units vacuum-dried powder in a single-dose vial for reconstitution and injection.
  • Botox Cosmetic is available as 50 Units or 100 Units vacuum-dried powder in a single-dose vial for reconstitution and injection.

Manufacturer

Abbvie makes Botox and Allergen Aesthetics (an Abbvie company) makes Botox Cosmetic.

References
  • Botox Prescribing Information. https://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/botox_pi.pdf
  • Botox Cosmetic Prescribing Information. https://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/botox-cosmetic_pi.pdf
  • Botox Package Insert. https://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/botox_medguide.pdf

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