The short answer
- All three are botulinum toxin type A and work by the same mechanism: they temporarily relax the muscle that creases the skin. None is a different category of treatment.
- The differences are nuances, not a quality gap. Dysport has slightly faster onset and more spread; Xeomin carries no complexing proteins; Botox is the most studied reference product.
- Units are not interchangeable. Dysport is dosed on its own scale (roughly 2.5 Dysport units to 1 Botox unit), so comparing brands on price per unit is misleading.
- Compare price per area, never per unit. Per area all three sit around AED 800–1,400 for a single zone, and the gap between them is modest.
- The injector matters more than the brand. A skilled, DHA-licensed physician gets an excellent result with any of the three. Check that the product is a UAE-approved brand and that the person injecting you is licensed.
Walk into three Dubai clinics and you may be offered three different toxins: Botox at one, Dysport at another, Xeomin at a third. The marketing around each can make it sound as though you are choosing between very different treatments. You are not. The honest version is duller and more useful: these are three brands of the same class of drug, and the choice between them changes your result far less than most people assume.
This guide sets them side by side on the things that genuinely differ — how fast each starts working, how much it spreads, how it is dosed and what it costs — and is clear about the one place people are routinely misled, which is price per unit. If you want to know instead which brands are officially registered here and how to avoid a counterfeit, that is a separate question we cover in the approved Botox and filler brands guide.
Why they are more alike than different
Botox, Dysport and Xeomin are all botulinum toxin type A. Injected in small, controlled amounts, each one temporarily blocks the nerve signal that tells a muscle to contract. When the muscle stops pulling on the skin, the dynamic lines it was creating soften. That mechanism is identical across all three. So is the list of things they treat: frown lines, forehead lines, crow's feet, and off-label uses such as a masseter jaw-slimming treatment.
What differs between them is formulation detail. The active neurotoxin is essentially the same protein; the brands differ in the accessory proteins packaged around it, the size of the complex, and the exact potency of a "unit." Those details produce small, real differences in onset and diffusion, which we will get to. But none of them makes one product a leap ahead of the others. If you have read that one of these three is dramatically superior, that claim is usually coming from someone selling it.
This is the opposite situation to choosing between a toxin and a filler, which really are different tools for different jobs. If that is the decision you are weighing, start with the Botox vs fillers guide first, then come back here once you know a toxin is what you need.
The three toxins side by side
Here is where the genuine differences sit. Read the onset and spread columns as tendencies, not guarantees; individual response varies and a good injector adjusts technique to the product.
| Toxin | Onset | Spread / diffusion | Typical duration | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botox onabotulinumtoxinA · Allergan / AbbVie | 5–7 days, full effect ~14 days | More localized, precise | ~3–4 months | The reference standard; precise areas where controlled placement matters. |
| Dysport abobotulinumtoxinA · Galderma | 2–3 days, often the fastest | Diffuses a little more widely | ~3–4 months | Larger, flatter areas such as the forehead; people who want to see movement settle sooner. |
| Xeomin incobotulinumtoxinA · Merz | Similar to Botox, ~3–5 days | Similar to Botox | ~3–4 months | A "naked" toxin with no complexing proteins; a theoretical edge for long-term, frequently treated patients. |
The pattern is clear once it is laid out. Duration is broadly the same across all three at roughly three to four months for glabellar lines, which is what the product labels report. Dysport's faster onset and slightly wider spread are its main distinguishing features: the spread can be an advantage across a broad forehead and a disadvantage in a small, precise zone like a gummy smile or lip flip, where you want the effect to stay exactly where it was placed. Xeomin's calling card is what it lacks — the complexing proteins that surround the active toxin in the other two.
"No complexing proteins" is often marketed as if it guarantees you will never build resistance. It does not. Forming neutralising antibodies to modern cosmetic toxin is genuinely uncommon at facial doses, whichever brand you use. The naked-toxin argument is a reasonable, cautious point for someone treated frequently over many years, not a reason for a first-timer to pay more or worry.
Why units do not compare across brands
This is the single most important thing to understand before you compare quotes, because it is where clinics can make one toxin look cheaper than it is without saying anything untrue.
A unit of Dysport is not a unit of Botox. The two products are measured on different potency scales. As a working rule, it takes roughly 2.5 units of Dysport to do the job of 1 unit of Botox. Xeomin, by contrast, is dosed approximately 1:1 with Botox — a unit of Xeomin is close to a unit of Botox.
So picture two clinics. One quotes Botox at AED 45 per unit. The other quotes Dysport at AED 20 per unit. On the surface the Dysport clinic looks close to half the price. But if your forehead needs, say, 15 units of Botox, the equivalent Dysport dose is around 37 units. At AED 20 each that is roughly AED 740 — against about AED 675 for the Botox. The headline per-unit number told you almost nothing about what you would actually pay.
Never compare toxin brands on price per unit. Because Dysport units and Botox units are not the same size, per-unit prices are not comparable numbers. Always ask for the price per treatment area, or per full treatment, and compare on that basis. Our Botox in Dubai price guide breaks down the per-area figures for each brand.
Comparing price the right way
Once you convert everything to price per area, the three toxins sit much closer together than the per-unit figures suggest. The table below shows the honest comparison: what one standard upper-face zone tends to cost with each product in Dubai in 2026.
| Toxin | Per unit (not comparable) | Per area (compare on this) | Unit-to-unit note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botox (Allergan / AbbVie) | AED 40 – 55 | AED 1,000 – 1,400 | The reference. 1:1 baseline. |
| Dysport (Galderma) | AED 20 – 35 | AED 900 – 1,300 | Roughly 2.5 units = 1 Botox unit. |
| Xeomin (Merz) | AED 30 – 45 | AED 900 – 1,300 | Roughly 1:1 with Botox. |
Read the per-area column and the gap between the three is modest — a few hundred dirhams on a single area, less than the difference between two clinics using the same brand. For most faces that is not a large enough saving to override which toxin the injector knows best and uses most. A treatment plan across two or three upper-face areas typically runs AED 1,800–3,200 whichever of the three you choose. For the full breakdown by area and brand, see the Botox Dubai pricing page, and for how injectables sit against every other treatment, the UAE aesthetic price guide.
How to actually choose
Given how close the three are, the decision usually comes down to a few practical points rather than a clear winner.
- Injector preference and volume. The most sensible default is the toxin your injector uses most. Dosing, dilution and placement are product-specific skills; someone who injects Dysport every day will get a better Dysport result than someone reaching for it occasionally. Ask which they use most and why.
- The area being treated. Dysport's slightly wider spread can suit a broad forehead and can be less ideal for a small, precise target. If your concern is a delicate zone, an injector may prefer the more contained spread of Botox or Xeomin. This is a fine-tuning point, not a dealbreaker.
- How often you are treated. If you have had toxin frequently for many years and feel results are shortening, the naked-toxin argument for Xeomin is worth raising. For a first-timer or occasional user it is not a meaningful factor.
- How soon you want to see it. If you are treating a few days before an event, Dysport's faster onset can be a small practical plus, though none of the three is instant and all keep developing over two weeks.
- Price, last. On the face the per-area difference is modest. Let it break a tie, not drive the decision. Choosing a toxin you are less suited to in order to save a few hundred dirhams is a poor trade.
The same logic holds whoever you are; men often need more units because of stronger muscles, but the choice between the three brands works identically, as the Botox for men guide covers in more detail.
Korean toxins and the "cheap toxin" question
Beyond the three big Western brands, Dubai clinics also use Korean-manufactured toxins such as Nabota (prabotulinumtoxinA). These are legitimate, FDA-approved products, dosed roughly 1:1 with Botox, and they sit lower on price for genuine manufacturing reasons rather than because they are inferior. A clinic using a registered Korean toxin and pricing it fairly is not a red flag.
What is a red flag is a price that falls below the cost of the product itself, or a toxin the clinic cannot name and show you sealed. Counterfeit and grey-market toxin does circulate in the region, and a suspiciously cheap "Botox" deal is exactly how it reaches patients. Two guides cover this safety angle in full: the approved brands guide for spotting what is genuinely registered here, and the dangers of cheap injectables guide for what goes wrong when the product is not what it claims to be. The rule that keeps you safe is not the brand name; it is a DHA-licensed physician, a named injector, and a sealed vial opened in front of you.
Why the injector matters more than the brand
If there is one thing to take from this comparison, it is that the toxin brand is a minor variable next to the person injecting it. Dosing decisions, where to place each injection, how much to relax versus preserve, reading your muscle strength and your face in movement — that skill is what separates a natural, refreshed result from a heavy or uneven one. It is not something any brand supplies out of the vial.
A skilled, licensed injector produces an excellent outcome with Botox, Dysport or Xeomin. An unskilled one produces a poor outcome with all three. So the productive questions at a consultation are not "which is your best toxin" but "which do you use most and why," "how many units for my areas," and "are you a DHA-licensed physician." Get those right and the choice between the three brands becomes the small detail it should be.
If you would rather not sort through this alone, that is what we are for. Tell us your concern and your area of the UAE, and we will match you with licensed clinics and honest quotes so you can compare on the right basis, per area, not per unit.