Botox in Korea (2026): Prices by Brand, Units per Area and What to Check Before You Book

Botox in Korea is cheap by Western standards, but the price depends on which toxin goes into the syringe. In Seoul clinic listings we checked on 29 October 2026, one wrinkle area (forehead, frown lines or crow's feet) with a Korean-made toxin cost about ₩11,000 to ₩77,000, or US$8 to US$57, and 50 units for the jaw cost about ₩32,000 to ₩88,000 (US$24 to US$66), VAT included. Germany's Xeomin cost roughly two to six times a basic Korean toxin at the same clinics, and Allergan's Botox more again. Wrinkle results start within days and fade over three to four months. A slimmer jaw takes weeks to show.

How much does Botox cost in Korea?

Korean clinics price Botox two ways. Wrinkle treatment is sold per area, and one "area" means the forehead, the frown lines between the brows or the crow's feet. Jaw, shoulder and calf treatment is sold by the unit, most often in 50- or 100-unit packages.

Dollar figures below use the European Central Bank reference rate for 28 October 2026, ₩1,340.47 to US$1 (Frankfurter/ECB), rounded. Every price was listed as VAT-included except Reberry's, which adds 10% at the desk, so we've added it for you.

Wrinkle Botox (one area unless stated), listed 29 October 2026

Jaw (masseter) Botox, listed 29 October 2026

The Gangnam Unni booking app's own jaw Botox guide, updated 15 October 2026, gives similar averages per session: ₩15,000 to ₩30,000 for 50 units of other Korean brands, ₩40,000 to ₩60,000 for Coretox and ₩90,000 to ₩120,000 for Xeomin. For 100 units it lists ₩40,000 to ₩70,000, ₩80,000 to ₩100,000 and ₩180,000 to ₩240,000 (UNNI guide).

A few things the tables can't show. Most app prices are promotions. JPhil and Ayun showed discount labels of about 44% to 49%, and first-visit prices usually apply once per person. Reberry's own page gives different figures for the same item in different sections (₩110,000 and ₩129,000 for 50 imported jaw units, for example), so get the final number in writing. Allergan's Botox appeared on only one of the five menus we checked, and Dysport on none.

The pattern holds across clinics. Xeomin cost roughly two to six times an unnamed Korean toxin for the same area and about one and a half to two times Coretox. At Ayun, Allergan's Botox cost about six times the Korean option and about twice Xeomin.

Which toxin brands do Korean clinics use?

In Korea, botox (보톡스) is the everyday word for any botulinum toxin, the way people say Kleenex for tissues. A menu line reading "Korean Botox" or just "domestic" (국산) means a Korean-made toxin, usually without the brand name.

Cheaper isn't automatically worse, and dearer isn't automatically better. What matters is that you know which product you're getting, how many units, and that you see the box.

How many units do you need for each area?

The US label for Allergan's Botox Cosmetic gives standard doses for the areas it's approved for (prescribing information, revised October 2024):

The jaw isn't on that list. Masseter treatment is common in Korea, but it isn't an approved use of Botox Cosmetic in the US. Korean clinics usually quote 50 or 100 units for both sides together. Gangnam Unni's guide suggests about 40 to 50 units for a moderate muscle and around 100 for a well-developed one, and Reberry gives 50 to 100 units for the jaw and 100 to 200 for the trapezius (shoulder) muscle.

One catch. The label says Botox Cosmetic units can't be compared to or converted into units of any other botulinum toxin product. So "50 units" only means something next to the brand name, and the cheapest price per unit isn't the cheapest result.

Wrinkle menus in Seoul are usually sold per area without a unit count. Ask how many units the area price includes.

How long does Botox last, and when will you see results?

For frown lines, the Botox Cosmetic label says the muscles start to relax one to two days after injection, the effect builds over the first week and it lasts about three to four months. It also says doses more often than every three months haven't been studied. Reberry tells patients to expect wrinkle results within three to seven days.

The jaw is slower. Reberry says the face starts to look slimmer after two to four weeks in one section and four to six weeks in another, because the muscle has to shrink. A 2022 review of masseter studies found the effect usually peaks about three months after one session and may last 6 to 12 months, with repeat sessions often needed to keep it (Kundu et al.). Reberry gives three to six months between treatments as a general guide, varying by product.

For a trip, that means you'll see your wrinkle result before you fly home but probably not your jaw result.

What are the side effects, and how much downtime is there?

Downtime is short for most people. Reberry says swelling or redness can last one to three days and small bruises three to five, and asks patients not to touch the area for four hours and to skip hard exercise, saunas and alcohol on the day. Ayun's listing asks patients to stay out of saunas for about a week.

The Botox Cosmetic label lists these as the most common side effects in its trials:

• Frown lines: drooping eyelid in 3% of patients.
• Crow's feet: eyelid swelling in 1%.
• Forehead lines: headache in 9% and a lowered brow in 2%.

The label also carries a boxed warning that any botulinum toxin can spread beyond the injection site and, rarely, cause swallowing or breathing problems. It notes no definitive serious reports of this at the labelled cosmetic doses. Get medical help straight away if you have trouble swallowing, speaking or breathing after treatment.

Jaw Botox has its own common problems. Gangnam Unni's guide lists bruising, swelling, soreness when chewing and a temporarily weaker bite, which mostly settle within one to two weeks. A review of masseter complications found most appear two to four weeks after injection and resolve within 12 weeks (Yeh et al.).

Tell the doctor first, and expect a delay or a no, if any of these apply:

• An allergy to any botulinum toxin product, or an infection where you'd be injected. Both are contraindications on the label.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding. The label says there's no adequate data in pregnant women.
• A nerve or muscle condition such as myasthenia gravis or ALS, or existing trouble swallowing or breathing. The label asks doctors to monitor these patients closely.
• Toxin injections anywhere in the past three months, including at home.

Can you become resistant to Botox?

Some people stop responding because their body makes neutralising antibodies against the toxin. It's uncommon in cosmetic use. A 2023 meta-analysis of Allergan's registration trials found 27 of 5,876 people (0.5%) developed neutralising antibodies across all uses. Among the 1,725 treated for frown lines or crow's feet, none still had them at the end of the studies (Jankovic et al.). A 2022 overview of 203 studies found antibody rates were nil to insignificant in cosmetic use and higher in medical uses that need large doses (Rahman et al., summary).

Korea is where the dose question gets real, though. Low prices make it easy to add jaw, shoulder and calf Botox and to come back often. An international expert panel wrote in 2022 that antibody rates may rise as cosmetic doses approach medical ones, that the true rate in cosmetic patients is probably underestimated, and that starting with a product of lower immunogenic potential may help when high doses are planned (Ho et al.).

You'll see Xeomin advertised in Seoul as "resistance-free" (내성 없는) and Coretox as "low-resistance". Products without complexing proteins are marketed on that basis, but no product can promise zero risk. What you can control:

• Keep a record of the brand, units, areas and date of every treatment, and show it to the next doctor.
• Avoid stacking top-ups. Gangnam Unni's guide says doctors may adjust the dose if you've had Botox in the previous three to six months.
• Think twice about large, repeated body doses. Trapezius treatment alone often uses 100 to 200 units.

How do you book Botox in Seoul from abroad, and what should the quote say?

Seoul clinics take bookings through their own websites, messaging apps or booking apps such as Gangnam Unni. Before you pay a deposit, get these in writing:

• The brand, not just "Botox" or "imported".
• The number of units, or what one "area" includes.
• Whether the price includes 10% VAT, numbing cream and a follow-up check.
• Whether the price is a first-visit or same-day offer.
• Who injects, and whether you'll see the doctor before the injection.
• Whether they'll open the vial in front of you. Ask to see the box and the product name before the injection.

Plan the jaw for early in the trip so the doctor can check you before you leave. Wrinkle Botox fits any day, but leave a day or two before photos in case of small bruises.

If you'd like to read a clinic's English treatment page before you message anyone, UH CELL Clinic, a lifting and anti-aging clinic in Gangnam, has a page on Botox in Korea that splits its menu into contouring (jaw, cheekbone and salivary gland), skin Botox for the forehead, frown lines and eyes, and body Botox for the trapezius, upper arms, calves and sweating. It doesn't list brands or prices on that page, so ask for both. Our guide to choosing a skin clinic in Gangnam covers the other checks.

Is VAT included, and can foreigners still get a tax refund?

Cosmetic procedures in Korea carry 10% VAT. Most app listings include it, while some clinic pages, Reberry's among them, add it at the desk.

Foreign tourists used to be able to claim that VAT back. The finance ministry's 2025 tax plan ended the refund on 31 December 2025 (Newsis, Korea JoongAng Daily), so Botox from 1 January 2026 doesn't qualify. Two bills would bring it back: one through 2027, sent to a National Assembly subcommittee in July 2026 (Hankyung), and one through 2029, introduced in August (Dailymedi). As of 29 October 2026 we'd found no report of either passing. Budget for the full price.

Can you combine Botox with other treatments on the same trip?

Yes, and many people do. Botox relaxes muscles. It doesn't tighten skin or add volume, so it's often paired with a lifting device or a skin booster. If sagging is the main concern, our comparison of Korean lifting treatments covers Ultherapy, Thermage and the rest, and our Rejuran price guide covers the most popular skin booster. Ask the doctor about the order and spacing when you book several treatments for one visit.