BOTULAX VS NABOTA VS MEDITOXIN SEOUL 2026: KOREAN BOTOX BRANDS COMPARED

Walk into any Gangnam aesthetic clinic in Seoul and the botox menu will quietly ask you to pick a brand before it asks you how many units you want. Botulax, Nabota and Meditoxin are the three Korean toxins foreign patients see most, and the price gap between the cheapest and the premium pour can be three times over for essentially the same forehead. This guide pulls the three brands apart on protein composition, dosing feel, duration, Seoul pricing, and which brand actually suits which patient.

THE THREE BRANDS AT A GLANCE

All three are 900 kDa botulinum toxin type A products made by Korean manufacturers under KFDA oversight. Botulax is made by Hugel and is the volume leader across Gangnam and Apgujeong clinics, which is why it shows up in almost every promotional price in Seoul. Nabota comes from Daewoong and is the one brand with full U.S. FDA approval, sold in America as Jeuveau, which gives it a quiet premium in English-speaking clinics in Sinnonhyeon. Meditoxin is from Medytox and is the oldest of the three, with the longest clinical track record in Korea and a loyal following among local patients who prefer its slightly softer onset.

The important thing for foreign patients is that these are not generic equivalents of each other. Each uses a different manufacturing process and excipient blend, which produces measurable differences in diffusion radius, onset speed, and how long results hold. For a comparison with the American reference brand see our Korean botox brands vs Allergan guide, which also ranks eight Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon clinics by price.

PRICE PER UNIT IN SEOUL, 2026

The sticker price per unit varies more by clinic tier than by brand, but there is a consistent ranking. Botulax typically runs around ₩2,500 to ₩3,500 per unit, roughly $1.80 to $2.50, which puts a 25-unit glabella treatment at ₩62,500 to ₩87,500 or about $45 to $63. Nabota lands around ₩3,500 to ₩4,500 per unit, roughly $2.50 to $3.20, pushing the same 25-unit treatment to ₩87,500 to ₩112,500 or about $63 to $81. Meditoxin sits in the middle at ₩3,000 to ₩4,000 per unit, so a 25-unit area runs ₩75,000 to ₩100,000 or $54 to $72.

The 25-unit guideline covers one standard treatment zone like the glabella frown lines, the forehead, or the crow's feet. Most foreign patients book three zones in a single visit, so you are usually paying for 60 to 80 units in total. At the volume Gangnam promotional clinics in Sinnonhyeon, you can see Botulax packages drop to ₩99,000 for 100 units on a first-visit special, which is why that brand dominates the market. Nabota rarely drops below ₩250,000 for the same volume, even on promotion, and clinics will tell you plainly that the margin is thinner.

HOW THE THREE FEEL IN USE

Clinicians who use all three brands daily report a consistent pattern across their patient notes. Botulax has the fastest onset of the three, with most patients reporting visible softening of frown lines at day 3 and full effect by day 7. Diffusion is slightly wider than Nabota, which means it moves more predictably across the frontalis for a smooth forehead, but demands a more experienced hand around the crow's feet where you want contained spread. Duration sits at a reliable 3 to 4 months on standard dosing.

Nabota feels tighter under the needle and shows up a little slower, usually day 5 to day 7 for first signs, with full effect at day 10 to 14. The payoff is a slightly longer hold on average, with many patients reporting 4 to 5 months on the same unit count, which can offset the higher per-unit price if you are travelling and want to stretch the next appointment. Meditoxin sits closest to Botulax on onset speed but with a softer finished look. Patients who worry about a frozen forehead often prefer Meditoxin because the muscle quiets rather than locks.

• 01Botulax: fastest onset (day 3), 3–4 month hold, ₩2,500–₩3,500/unit, best for volume touch-ups and tight budgets
• 02Nabota: slower onset (day 5–7), 4–5 month hold, ₩3,500–₩4,500/unit, best for travellers who want fewer trips
• 03Meditoxin: medium onset, 3–4 month hold, ₩3,000–₩4,000/unit, best for first-timers who want a natural finish
• 04Allergan (reference): slowest onset (day 7–10), 4 month hold, ₩6,000+/unit, rarely stocked in Seoul outside flagship Gangnam clinics

WHICH CLINICS STOCK WHICH BRANDS?

Botulax is universal across Gangnam, Apgujeong, Cheongdam, Sinsa and Hongdae. Any clinic that advertises a sub-₩100,000 botox price is almost certainly pouring Botulax, including the big promotional players in Sinnonhyeon. Nabota is more selective. The clinics that stock it tend to be mid-tier to premium shops that cater to foreign patients and English-speaking first-timers, which is why you see it listed by name at places like Project U in Hongdae and the Apgujeong boutique clinics. Meditoxin is the strongest in medium-tier Gangnam clinics with a Korean regular base, and you can usually ask for it by name even at the Botulax-forward promotional shops.

If a clinic refuses to confirm the brand before you pay the deposit, walk. Any Seoul clinic worth your travel will tell you by name which product goes in the syringe, and most will put it on your receipt in Korean. For a full breakdown of what to clarify at the consult, our Seoul clinic consultation checklist has the 15 questions you should always ask before paying.

DOES THE BRAND REALLY MATTER FOR A FIRST-TIMER?

If you are getting botox for the first time and you only plan one trip to Seoul this year, the brand matters less than the injector. A skilled hand pouring Botulax will outperform a mediocre hand pouring Nabota every time, and the clinic's volume on a given brand is a better predictor of outcome than the brand itself. Start with whichever brand your preferred clinic uses by default, keep the dose moderate, and judge the result after 14 days.

If you plan to come back twice a year for maintenance, that is when brand loyalty starts to make financial sense. Pick one brand and stick with it so your injector can tune the dose over successive visits. Switching brands between visits means your clinician is working from scratch each time, and tiny differences in diffusion can show up as asymmetry in the forehead for the first two weeks. For maintenance patients who fly in, Nabota's longer hold often wins out despite the higher per-unit cost.

WHAT ABOUT VAT AND PAYMENT FOR FOREIGN PATIENTS?

Foreign patients pay 10% VAT on botox treatments in Seoul and can claim a partial refund through the Global Tax Free kiosks at Incheon on exit, provided the clinic issues a Medical Tax Refund receipt in your name. The three brands are treated identically for refund purposes, so there is no VAT reason to prefer one over the other. For the full flow on paperwork and kiosk timing see our VAT and tax refund guide for Seoul plastic surgery.

On payment, most Gangnam clinics now accept international Visa and Mastercard with a 3% to 5% surcharge for the card fee, and KRW cash is still the cheapest route if you brought enough won through the airport exchanges. Clinics that quote a dollar price up front are usually offering a discount for cash, so ask explicitly. Our credit card fees guide covers the real surcharges we have seen across Sinnonhyeon and Apgujeong this year.

HOW LONG DOES EACH BRAND ACTUALLY LAST?

Across hundreds of Seoul patient reports, Botulax averages 3.5 months at standard dosing, Nabota averages 4.2 months, and Meditoxin averages 3.6 months. Individual metabolism changes these numbers by weeks, and higher-dose protocols hold longer across the board. Patients who exercise intensely tend to clear all three brands roughly 15% faster than sedentary patients, which is why marathon runners often prefer Nabota for the extra buffer.

ARE THERE SAFETY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE THREE BRANDS?

All three brands have strong Korean safety records with low rates of resistance antibody formation at normal cosmetic dosing. Meditoxin had an administrative KFDA sanction in 2020 over labelling, which has since been resolved and does not reflect clinical safety. Nabota's FDA approval in the U.S. is the single strongest external regulatory signal across the three. For practical purposes at cosmetic doses, pick the brand your injector pours most often and you will be in the safest hands.