Yes, there are several different types of botulinum toxin products available, and “Botox” is just one brand name among five FDA-approved options for cosmetic use in the United States. All of them work by temporarily weakening muscles to smooth wrinkles or treat medical conditions, but they differ in formulation, how quickly they kick in, how long they last, and what they cost.
Five FDA-Approved Brands
The word “Botox” has become a catch-all term, much like “Band-Aid” for adhesive bandages. But Botox (made by Allergan) is technically just one product. The five brands currently on the market are Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, Jeuveau, and Daxxify. The first four have been around for years, while Daxxify is the newest arrival, approved for its notably longer-lasting results.
All five are based on botulinum toxin type A, which temporarily blocks nerve signals to muscles. There is also a type B product called Myobloc, but it’s approved only for medical use (specifically cervical dystonia) and isn’t used cosmetically. Types A and B both weaken muscles, but they differ in their molecular structure, how they’re prepared, and which conditions they treat.
How Each Brand Compares
Botox is the most widely recognized name, approved for over 20 indications in more than 75 countries. Cosmetically, it’s FDA-approved for moderate-to-severe frown lines between the eyebrows. On the medical side, it treats chronic migraines, excessive sweating, overactive bladder, cervical dystonia, upper limb spasticity, and eyelid spasms. Results typically appear in 5 to 7 days and last 3 to 4 months.
Dysport was approved in the U.S. in 2009 for cervical dystonia and frown lines. It tends to kick in faster, with results showing up in 2 to 4 days, and it lasts about 4 months. One important distinction: Dysport uses a different unit measurement than Botox. The conversion ratio is roughly 3:1, meaning you need about three units of Dysport for every one unit of Botox. This makes the per-unit price look cheaper ($4 to $6 per unit), but the total treatment cost often comes out similar.
Xeomin stands out because of what it doesn’t contain. While Botox and Dysport include extra proteins surrounding the active ingredient, Xeomin is a “naked” neurotoxin with those proteins stripped away. This has a practical benefit: Xeomin can be stored at room temperature for up to three years without refrigeration, while the others need cold storage. The lack of extra proteins may also lower the chance of developing resistance over time, since those proteins can trigger an immune response that makes the treatment less effective with repeated use. Xeomin’s results appear in 5 to 7 days, last 3 to 4 months, and it converts 1:1 with Botox units.
Jeuveau is marketed specifically as a cosmetic-only product, sometimes called “Newtox.” It’s only approved for frown lines, not medical conditions. Results show in 3 to 5 days and last 3 to 4 months. It’s positioned as a mid-range option, costing $12 to $17 per unit.
Daxxify is the game-changer for people who want fewer appointments. In clinical trials, the median duration of results was 24 weeks (about 6 months), compared to the 3-to-4-month window for other brands. That means many people could maintain their results with just two treatments per year instead of three or four. The tradeoff is price: Daxxify runs $15 to $25 per unit, though fewer sessions per year can offset the higher per-unit cost.
Units Are Not Interchangeable
One of the most important things to understand is that units across brands are not the same. Twenty units of Botox is not the same as 20 units of Dysport. Botox and Xeomin use a 1:1 ratio, meaning they’re dosed identically. Dysport requires roughly 2.5 to 3 times as many units to achieve the same effect. Your provider should adjust dosing based on which specific product they use, so switching brands mid-treatment requires recalculating rather than just swapping one for another.
Pricing in Practice
Average per-unit costs nationally break down roughly like this:
- Botox: $10 to $20 per unit
- Dysport: $4 to $6 per unit (but 2 to 3x more units needed)
- Xeomin: $10 to $15 per unit
- Jeuveau: $12 to $17 per unit
- Daxxify: $15 to $25 per unit
A typical frown line treatment uses about 20 units of Botox (or Xeomin), 50 to 60 units of Dysport, or 40 units of Daxxify. When you do the math on total treatment cost per session, the brands land closer together than the per-unit prices suggest. Factor in how many sessions you’ll need per year, and Daxxify’s premium price often balances out against three or four visits for other products.
Cosmetic vs. Medical Uses
Most people associate these products with wrinkle treatment, but Botox in particular has a long list of medical approvals. Chronic migraines, severe underarm sweating, overactive bladder, and muscle spasticity are all treated with botulinum toxin injections, typically under the Botox brand name. Dysport is also approved for cervical dystonia, and Myobloc (the type B product) is used exclusively for that condition.
Jeuveau is the only brand approved solely for cosmetic use. The others have varying levels of medical approval, though providers frequently use them off-label for conditions beyond their specific FDA clearances.
Which Type Is Right for You
The “best” option depends on what you’re prioritizing. If you want the longest time between appointments, Daxxify is the clear leader at roughly six months per treatment. If you’re concerned about developing resistance after years of injections, Xeomin’s protein-free formula may be worth considering. If faster onset matters to you, Dysport’s 2-to-4-day timeline edges out the others. And if cost per session is the main factor, Dysport and Xeomin tend to come in at the lower end once you account for unit differences.
All five products have strong safety profiles and produce the same basic result: temporary muscle relaxation that smooths lines or treats muscle-related conditions. The differences are real but relatively subtle, and many people try more than one brand before settling on a preference.