"Korean botox" is what many visitors call the anti-wrinkle injections they get in Seoul, and it is also why prices and brand names can be confusing. In Korea, 보톡스 (botox) is used as an everyday word for any botulinum toxin injection, the same way people say "Band-Aid" for any adhesive bandage. The brand-name product called Botox is only one of many toxins on the Korean market.
So which products are actually licensed? Instead of relying on clinic menus or forum lists, we searched the official product database of Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), called 의약품안전나라 (nedrug.mfds.go.kr), on September 14, 2026, and exported every result.
The short answer
| Question | What the MFDS database shows (searched September 14, 2026) |
|---|---|
| How many entries does a search for 보툴리눔 (botulinum) return? | 58 |
| Made in Korea vs imported | 53 manufactured in Korea, 5 imported |
| How many are actually named Botox? | 2, both imported by AbbVie Korea |
| How many are labeled export-only (수출용)? | 15 |
| Are any Korean toxins FDA-approved in the US? | Yes, two manufacturers' products, under US brand names (see below) |
One product can appear more than once, because each vial strength (50, 100, 150, 200 or 300 units) has its own license entry. That is why 58 entries do not mean 58 different brands.
Why "Korean botox" is not one product
Each row in the database is a licensed product. The columns you will care about are:
- 제품명 (product name), for example 보툴렉스주 (Botulax injection)
- 업체명 (company)
- 허가일 (approval date)
- 제조/수입: 제조 means manufactured in Korea; 수입 means imported
- 유효기간 (shelf life), which ranges from 12 to 48 months from manufacture across these entries
When a clinic says it uses "Korean botox," it usually means one of the domestically manufactured products below. When it says "original Botox" or "Allergan," it means the imported AbbVie product. Both can be legitimate; the useful question is which exact product will be injected.
Only two entries are actually called Botox
A search for 보톡스 returns exactly two entries: 보톡스주, approved on April 16, 2008, and 보톡스주 50단위 (50 units), approved on March 3, 2009. Both are held by AbbVie Korea as imports.
The other imported products in the botulinum search are:
- Xeomin (제오민주): two entries held by Merz, approved June 9, 2009 and April 5, 2018. Both product names specify "150kDa."
- Dysport (디스포트주): one entry held by Ipsen Korea, approved July 13, 1999, described as a botulinum toxin type A–hemagglutinin complex.
The Korean-made brands in the database
The 53 domestic entries come from 18 companies. The table groups them by brand as they appear in the database. Korean names are shown in Hangul with a plain romanization; official English spellings may differ.
| Brand in the database | Company | Entries | First approval |
|---|---|---|---|
| 메디톡신 (Meditoxin) | Medytox | 4 | March 16, 2006 |
| 보툴렉스 (Botulax) | Hugel | 5 | March 13, 2009 |
| 나보타 (Nabota) | Daewoong Pharmaceutical | 4 | November 29, 2013 |
| 이노톡스 (Innotox) | Medytox | 1 | December 11, 2013 |
| 코어톡스 (Coretox) | Medytox | 1 | June 24, 2016 |
| 리즈톡스 (Liztox) | Huons BioPharma | 3 | October 10, 2016 |
| 원더톡스 (Wondertox) | Chong Kun Dang | 3 | August 12, 2019 |
| 하이톡스 (Hitox) | Korea BMI | 4 | January 13, 2020 |
| 비비톡신 (Vivitoxin) | Humedix | 1 | March 11, 2021 |
| 에이톡신 (Atoxin) | Daewoong Bio | 1 | September 1, 2022 |
| 뉴럭스 (Newlux) | Numeco | 2 | August 31, 2023 |
| 리엔톡스 / 리엔톡 (Rientox) | Pharma Research Bio | 3 | February 15, 2019 |
| 티엠버스 / 프루비보 | Chong Kun Dang Bio | 4 | February 9, 2022 |
| Others: 제테마더톡신, 비에녹스, 이니보, 프로톡신, 보타원, 톡스나인, 톡스온, 보타루마, and a Daewoong export product | Various | 17 | 2017–2025 |
A few details stand out when you read the rows rather than a brand list:
Several brands have more names abroad. Medytox's 메디톡신 entries list seven export names in the database, including 뉴로녹스 (Neuronox). Huons BioPharma's 리즈톡스 lists 휴톡스 (Hutox) as its export name. So a product sold under one name in Korea can appear under another name elsewhere.
Some product names specify "150kDa." Xeomin, Coretox and 보타루마 include "(150kDa)" in their product names. 150 kDa is the size of the core botulinum neurotoxin without its accessory proteins. Other products are complexes; the US label for Jeuveau, for example, describes a 900 kDa complex.
Newer approvals keep coming. The most recent entry at the time of our search was 뉴럭스주200단위 (Newlux 200 units), approved June 19, 2026, with a 12-month shelf life.
What "수출용" (export-only) means for you
Fifteen of the 58 entries carry the label 수출용, which literally means "for export." The product name itself tells you the license was granted for export. Examples in the database include 대웅보툴리눔톡신주100단위(수출용) from Daewoong and 리엔톡스주100단위(수출용) from Pharma Research Bio.
You do not need to know the regulatory detail to use this. If the box or vial shown to you in a Korean clinic says 수출용, it is reasonable to ask why an export-labeled product is being used and to request the product's domestic name as it appears in the MFDS database.
Which Korean toxins are FDA-approved?
Two Korean manufacturers' botulinum toxins are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, under US brand names:
| US brand (FDA) | FDA approval | Maker named by FDA | That company's product name in Korea's database |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeuveau (prabotulinumtoxinA-xvfs) | February 1, 2019 (approval letter) | Evolus, manufactured by Daewoong Pharmaceutical | 나보타 (Nabota) |
| Letybo (letibotulinumtoxinA) | February 29, 2024 (approval letter) | Hugel | 보툴렉스 (Botulax) |
Both US approvals are for temporary improvement of moderate to severe glabellar lines, the frown lines between the eyebrows.
Two cautions keep this accurate:
- An FDA approval applies to the US product and its US label. In Korea, the license that matters is the MFDS entry for the product actually used.
- Searching 레티보 (Letybo written in Korean) in Korea's database returns nothing. Hugel's products are listed under 보툴렉스. If a Korean clinic advertises "Letybo," ask which product it means in Korean.
Is Korean botox safe?
We cannot give medical advice, and no database can tell you whether an injection is right for you. What the MFDS license does tell you is that the product has passed Korea's drug approval for its licensed uses. That license says nothing about the dose, the injector, or whether the product in the syringe is the one you were told about.
What you can check yourself before treatment:
- The product name, in Korean, as it appears in the MFDS database, and whether it is labeled 수출용
- Who will inject you. Korea's Medical Service Act limits medical acts to licensed medical personnel, and clinics must have staff who perform medical acts wear name tags so patients can tell who they are
- The dose in units, and which brand those units refer to. US prescribing information for botulinum toxins states that units of one product are not interchangeable with units of another, so "100 units" only means something together with the brand
Brand and price: what Korean law lets you ask
Clinics often price toxin injections differently by brand, with imported products usually listed separately from Korean ones. We do not publish prices, because they vary by clinic, area, dose and date.
Korean law does help you get a clear number before you commit.
Article 45 requires clinics to post prices for services not covered by national health insurance, which includes cosmetic injections, and forbids charging more than the posted amount. The enforcement rule also requires a price booklet at the reception desk, and price information on the clinic's website if it has one. Asking for the posted price of the specific brand before the injection is simply using that rule.
If you are budgeting, also remember that Korea's VAT refund for foreign patients ended for treatments after December 31, 2025. We explain the law and the pending bills in our guide to the medical VAT refund.
How to look up a product yourself
- Open the MFDS product search at nedrug.mfds.go.kr.
- Type the Korean product name into the product-name field (제품명), for example 나보타 or 보툴렉스. Searching 보툴리눔 lists all botulinum toxin entries.
- Check the company, the approval date, 제조 or 수입, and whether 수출용 appears in the name.
- Compare that with the box or vial the clinic shows you.
The database is in Korean, but the product names and dates are easy to match against a photo of the label.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What is "Korean botox"?
It is an informal name for botulinum toxin products manufactured by Korean companies, such as 보툴렉스 (Botulax), 나보타 (Nabota) or 메디톡신 (Meditoxin). In Korea, 보톡스 is used for any botulinum toxin injection, while the brand Botox itself appears in only two MFDS entries, both imported by AbbVie Korea.
Q. How many botulinum toxin products are licensed in Korea?
A search for 보툴리눔 in the MFDS product database returned 58 entries on September 14, 2026: 53 manufactured in Korea and 5 imported. Each strength has its own entry, and 15 entries are labeled 수출용 (export use).
Q. Is any Korean botox FDA-approved?
Two Korean manufacturers' toxins are FDA-approved under US brand names: Jeuveau (February 1, 2019), manufactured by Daewoong Pharmaceutical, and Letybo (February 29, 2024), by Hugel. In Korea, those companies' products are listed as 나보타 (Nabota) and 보툴렉스 (Botulax).
Q. Can I ask a Korean clinic which brand they use?
Yes. Ask for the product name in Korean and the number of units, and check it in the MFDS database. Korean law also requires clinics to post prices for non-covered services and forbids charging above the posted amount, so you can ask for the price of that specific brand.
Q. What does 수출용 on a toxin box mean?
It means "for export." It appears in the product name of export-licensed entries in the MFDS database. If you see it on a product about to be used in a Korean clinic, ask why, and ask for the domestic product name.
Q. Is Botox cheaper in Korea?
Prices depend on the brand, dose, clinic and date, so we do not quote figures. Compare the posted price for the same brand and the same number of units, and note that the VAT refund for foreign patients no longer applies to treatments after 2025.
Sources we checked
- Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 의약품안전나라 product search (nedrug.mfds.go.kr): searches for 보툴리눔, 보톡스, 보툴렉스, 나보타, 메디톡신 and 레티보, run September 14, 2026. The full 58-entry result was exported and counted row by row.
- US FDA approval letters for Jeuveau, BLA 761085 and Letybo, BLA 761225
- Medical Service Act, Article 45, and Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act, Article 42-2, via law.go.kr
Database entries change as new products are approved. For how we research, see our method.