Comparison

Daxxify vs Dysport

Both are botulinum toxin type A, and in the US both are approved for one cosmetic use only: frown lines. What separates them is the dose, what is in the vial, and how the duration was measured.
Written & medically reviewed by the Dermapedia team
At a Glance

Daxxify and Dysport are both botulinum toxin type A. In the United States, both are approved for one cosmetic use only: the frown lines between the eyebrows.

The difference people care about is how long each one lasts. Daxxify is the one marketed on a longer result. That claim comes from its own trials, and it was never measured against Dysport, so the two numbers you see quoted are not measuring the same thing. More on that below.

The doses are not comparable either. Daxxify uses 40 units for frown lines. Dysport uses 50. Neither number can be converted into the other, because each brand uses its own measuring system.

Daxxify
daxibotulinumtoxinA-lanm
Dysport
abobotulinumtoxinA

What it is

Botulinum toxin type A

Approved in the US in 2022 — the most recent arrival apart from Letybo.

Botulinum toxin type A

Approved in the US in 2009, and used in Europe for years before that.

What it is approved to treat

Frown lines, plus cervical dystonia

Cervical dystonia is a neck muscle condition. It was added in 2023.

Frown lines, plus cervical dystonia and spasticity

The cosmetic approval is written for adults under 65.

Both
Neither one is approved in the US for forehead lines or crow's feet. Injectors treat those areas anyway, which is legal and common, but it sits outside what the FDA reviewed.

The dose for frown lines

40 units, in 5 injections of 8 units
50 units, in 5 injections of 10 units
Both
A Daxxify unit and a Dysport unit are not the same size. Both labels say their units cannot be converted into any other brand's units. Compare the price of the whole treatment, never the price per unit.

What else is in the vial

A stabilising peptide, no albumin, and no helper proteins

Daxxify uses a small lab-made peptide to hold the toxin steady. It is the only one of the main brands with no human blood protein in it.

Human serum albumin and lactose

It may also contain traces of cow's milk protein.

How long it lasts

A published analysis of its trials reported a median of about 24 weeks

That is the median time until frown lines stopped being rated none-or-mild. Half the people treated still had none-or-mild lines at 24 weeks, judged by both the doctor and the patient.

The label says up to four months
Both
These two numbers are not the same grade of evidence. Dysport's four months is wording the FDA reviewed and approved onto the label. Daxxify's label states no duration at all — the 24-week figure comes from its maker's own pooled analysis of its trials. They also measured different things, and no trial has ever compared these two products directly.

Who should not have it

Anyone with an infection at the injection site, or a past reaction to a botulinum toxin
The same, plus anyone allergic to cow's milk protein
Both
Beyond these, tell your injector if you have any nerve or muscle condition — myasthenia gravis, Lambert-Eaton syndrome, ALS or a motor neuropathy. Every one of these products warns that people with those conditions can have a much stronger and more dangerous reaction to an ordinary dose. The same goes if you take an aminoglycoside antibiotic or another drug that affects the signal from nerve to muscle.

Who tends to be happy with it

Best for
People who dislike how often they return, and who are willing to pay more for the chance of a longer gap.
The mindset
You want fewer visits a year.
Best for
People who want a product with a long track record and wide availability.
The mindset
You would rather have the familiar option.
Both
If one of them has worked well for you, there is no strong reason to switch.

About the six-month number

Daxxify was launched on the promise of a longer result, and the number attached to it is usually six months.

Here is what that number actually is. In the company's two main trials, half the people treated still had frown lines rated none or mild at about 24 weeks. That is a real finding from a real trial. But it is not the same measurement as Dysport's "up to four months," and the two trials did not enrol the same kind of people or judge the result at the same moments.

Putting the two numbers next to each other looks like a comparison. It is not one. There has never been a trial that gave some people Daxxify and some people Dysport and then measured how long each lasted. Until that exists, anyone telling you Daxxify lasts two months longer than Dysport is doing arithmetic on numbers that do not belong in the same equation.

It is also worth knowing that the longer-duration promise did not carry the product commercially the way its maker expected. Daxxify's price was cut within about a year of launch, and the company was later sold.

What "no albumin" means, and what it does not

Daxxify is the only one of these products that contains no human serum albumin — a protein taken from donated human blood, used in the other brands to keep the toxin stable in the vial.

If that matters to you, it is a real difference and a fair reason to choose. What it is not is evidence that Daxxify is safer or works better. Albumin in the other products has a long safety record, and no study has shown a health advantage to leaving it out.

Worth asking before you book

  • What does the whole treatment cost? Not the price per unit.
  • Which brand are you using, and how many units?
  • Have you injected this area with this brand before?
  • What happens if one side looks higher at two weeks?

That last one matters. A small difference between the two sides is common and is usually settled with a few more units once the result has fully set. A clinic that includes that follow-up visit is worth more than one that is slightly cheaper.

Get emergency help now if

  • You have trouble swallowing, speaking, or breathing
  • You feel weakness spreading to muscles you did not have treated

Go to an emergency department or call 911. Do not wait for a call back. These are rare, but they are the symptoms named in the FDA boxed warning that every botulinum toxin product carries, deaths have been reported, and they can begin hours or even weeks after treatment.

Call your injector if

  • One eyelid or eyebrow starts to droop, or your vision changes
  • One side sits noticeably higher than the other at two weeks

If a vision change is sudden or severe, seek urgent care rather than waiting.

Questions people ask+
Which lasts longer, Daxxify or Dysport?Daxxify is the one marketed on a longer result, and its own trials support a longer result than a placebo. But no trial has ever compared Daxxify against Dysport directly, so there is no honest way to say how much longer, or whether it would hold up in a head-to-head. Treat the comparison as untested.
Is Daxxify stronger than Dysport?No. The unit numbers look different — 40 for Daxxify, 50 for Dysport — but a unit means something different in each brand. You cannot read strength from the number of units.
Why does Daxxify cost more?It was launched at a premium price on the basis of lasting longer. That price was reduced within about a year of launch, so what you pay now varies a lot by clinic.
Can I switch from Dysport to Daxxify?Yes. Your injector recalculates the dose, because the units are not interchangeable. Tell them what you had last time, how many units, and how long it lasted.
Is either one approved for forehead lines?No. In the United States, both are approved only for the frown lines between the eyebrows. Injectors do treat the forehead with them, which is legal, but it is off-label.
Can I have Dysport if I am allergic to milk?No. Dysport may contain traces of cow's milk protein, and a milk allergy is listed as a reason not to use it. Daxxify does not contain milk protein. Tell your injector about any food allergy before you are treated.
Does Daxxify contain human blood products?No. It uses a lab-made peptide to keep the toxin stable instead of human serum albumin. Dysport and most other brands do contain albumin.