Korean Botox vs Allergan Botox Vista — What the Difference Actually Is
Almona Clinic · Tokyo
Botox in TokyoKorean Botox vs Allergan Botox Vista — What the Difference Actually Is
If you are looking into Botox in Tokyo you will quickly notice that clinics quote two very different prices, and that the cheaper one is usually described as “Korean”. We offer both, so we can tell you exactly what the difference is.
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Dr. Itsuki Nakayama · Medical Director, Almona Clinic
Both are used with the same technique by the same doctors.
This page sets out the facts — manufacturer, regulatory status, what each is approved for, and what we charge. We are not going to tell you that one is better than the other. Which one suits you is a decision to make with the doctor.
Side by side
The two products we use
| NABOTA | Botox Vista® | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Daewoong Pharmaceutical (Korea) | Allergan / AbbVie (U.S.) |
| Active ingredient | Botulinum toxin type A | Botulinum toxin type A |
| Approved in Japan | No — obtained by physician’s import | Yes |
| Approved elsewhere | Korea (MFDS) and the U.S. (FDA), sold there as Jeuveau® | Widely approved |
| Approved in Japan for the masseter | No | Yes — added August 2026 |
| Our price, fine-line areas | JPY 11,000 | JPY 28,000 |
| Our price, masseter | JPY 28,000 | JPY 40,000 |
| Chosen by | Most of our patients | Patients who want a medicine approved in Japan |
Everything else is the same: the same doctors, the same 34G ultra-fine needle, the same nitrous-oxide sedation, the same aftercare on LINE, and no separate consultation or injection fee either way.
August 2026
What changed in August 2026
This is worth knowing because it is recent and most pages have not caught up with it.
Until this year, injecting the masseter — the chewing muscle that makes the jaw look square — was an off-label use in Japan whichever product you used. In August 2026 the Japanese package insert for Botox Vista® was revised to add “masseter prominence in adults under 65” as an approved indication, after a domestic phase III trial in Japanese patients.
So for masseter treatment specifically there is now a difference in regulatory status between the two: Botox Vista® has an approved indication for it, NABOTA does not, because NABOTA is not approved in Japan at all. Our masseter Botox page goes through the treatment itself in detail.
Units
The units are not interchangeable
This trips people up more than anything else on this page, so it is worth being clear about.
Both products are measured in “units”, but a unit is defined by each manufacturer for its own product. Japan’s package insert states plainly that the potency is specific to the product, differs from other botulinum toxin products, and cannot be converted between them.
In practice that means:
- Comparing “40 units here versus 40 units there” tells you nothing on its own.
- A clinic quoting a low price per unit is not necessarily cheaper overall — it depends how many units are used.
- If you have been treated before, the useful thing to tell the doctor is which product and how many units, not just the number.
It is also why we quote a price per area rather than per unit. You know the total before you sit down.
Disclosure
Important information about unapproved medicines
Not approved in Japan. NABOTA, the Korean botulinum toxin type A product we use, has not been approved under Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act.
How we obtain it. It is imported by our physician under his own judgement, through the procedure set out in that Act (yakkan shoumei / import confirmation).
An approved equivalent exists in Japan. Botox Vista® (Allergan), which contains the same active ingredient, is approved in Japan and we offer it here. Its approved indications are expression lines between the eyebrows and at the corners of the eyes, and masseter prominence, all in adults under 65. (Package insert 4th edition, revised August 2026; approval numbers 22100AMX00398000 and 30800AMX00315000.) Use in other areas is outside the approved indications.
Safety information from other countries. NABOTA is approved by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where it is marketed as Jeuveau®. As a caution common to all botulinum toxin products, there have been reports of the effect spreading beyond the injection site, causing symptoms such as difficulty swallowing or breathing. If you have any such symptom, seek medical care immediately and contact us.
Relief system. Medicines obtained by personal import are outside the scope of Japan’s Adverse Drug Reaction Relief System. All treatment on this page is self-pay and not covered by Japanese public insurance.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Korean Botox safe?
“Korean Botox” is not one thing — several manufacturers in Korea make botulinum toxin type A. The one we use is NABOTA, made by Daewoong Pharmaceutical. It is approved by Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where it is sold under the name Jeuveau®. It is not approved in Japan, which is why we set out the required disclosure below. Whether that is acceptable to you is a decision the doctor will go through with you.
Is Korean Botox weaker, or does it wear off faster?
Both products contain botulinum toxin type A and both are dosed in units, but the units are not the same thing and cannot be converted between products. So a comparison like “40 units of one versus 40 units of the other” does not mean anything. In our own practice we do not find one consistently outlasts the other; how long a result holds depends far more on the muscle treated, the dose and the individual. Both typically last around three to four months.
Why is one so much cheaper?
Mostly the cost of the product itself. Botox Vista® is manufactured by Allergan and approved in Japan, and the acquisition cost is higher; NABOTA is imported and costs less. The difference in our prices reflects that, not a difference in how carefully the treatment is done — the consultation, the needle, the sedation and the aftercare are identical.
What about Xeomin, Dysport or Coretox?
Those are other botulinum toxin type A products made by other manufacturers. We do not stock them, so we will not compare them here. If you have had one of them before, tell the doctor — the previous product and dose are useful to know, even though the units do not translate.
Which one do most of your patients choose?
Most choose NABOTA, usually on price. Patients who specifically want a medicine approved in Japan choose Botox Vista®, and since August 2026 that is also the option with an approved indication for the masseter. Both are used with the same technique by the same doctors.
Can I switch between them?
Yes. Do allow at least three months between treatments, as the package insert requires, and tell the doctor what you had last time. What you should not do is have two different botulinum toxin products at the same time, or at another clinic while you are being treated here — the package insert warns against it.
If I had Korean Botox before, does that make me more likely to develop antibodies?
Antibody formation is a known possibility with any botulinum toxin product used repeatedly, and it is uncommon. The main things that reduce the risk are the same either way: keep at least three months between treatments and avoid unnecessarily high doses. If you notice the effect getting weaker each round, tell the doctor.
Consultation
Not sure which one to choose?
You do not have to decide before you come. Tell the doctor what matters to you — budget, regulatory status, or what you have had before — and you will decide together at the consultation. An English interpreter on our staff joins the consultation when available; otherwise we use a voice-translation tool.
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Ichigaya, Tokyo — 2 min from Ichigaya Station. By appointment only; closed on Wednesdays and over the New Year holidays. The booking page opens in Japanese — tap LANGUAGE at the top right for English. Self-pay (not covered by Japanese public insurance). Effects and how long they last vary from person to person.
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