FillerFace does not currently supply botulinum toxin. We are applying for the MHRA wholesale dealer's licence and registering a pharmacy with the General Pharmaceutical Council — the two approvals that between them let a supplier hold prescription-only medicines and supply them lawfully to practitioners and against prescriptions. Until both are granted there is no toxin on this site to buy. Clinics ask us about it every week, so in the meantime this is the guide we would want every practitioner to have read: how toxin supply actually works in the UK, who may lawfully receive it, why the 2025 botulism cases happened, and what to ask any supplier before you order. If you want to hear when we are approved, tell us, and open an account now so you are already verified.
"Botox" is a brand; the product is a prescription-only medicine
Patients say Botox the way they say Hoover. Botox is one brand of botulinum toxin type A; the category is botulinum toxin, and every product licensed for aesthetic use in the UK is a prescription-only medicine (POM) under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. That single fact decides everything about how it is bought. A POM can only be supplied against a prescription, or to a practitioner entitled to hold it, and it cannot be advertised to the public. Any website that lets you add botulinum toxin to a basket without a prescription or practitioner verification is either supplying it illegally or selling product that is not licensed here at all — and often both.
The brands licensed for aesthetic use in the UK
As at the UK Health Security Agency's August 2025 outbreak report, the botulinum toxin products licensed for aesthetic use in the UK are:
- Alluzience
- Azzalure
- Bocouture
- Botox
- Letybo
- Nuceiva
- Relfydess
If the name on the vial is not on that list, it is not licensed for aesthetic use in the UK, whatever the site selling it says about the factory it came from. Licensed is not the same as genuine, either: licensed brands are counterfeited, which is why the supply chain — not the label — is the thing to check.
How supply works, step by step
- A prescriber sees the patient. Doctors, dentists and independent-prescriber nurses and pharmacists can prescribe botulinum toxin. Every one of their regulators — GMC, GDC, NMC and GPhC — requires an in-person consultation before prescribing for cosmetic purposes. Remote prescribing of cosmetic toxin is not permitted.
- The medicine is supplied against that prescription. For a named patient, a pharmacy dispenses it. Prescribing doctors and dentists can also hold stock for use in their own practice, bought from a wholesaler.
- The wholesaler holds an MHRA licence. Anyone supplying medicines to clinics or pharmacies by way of wholesale needs a Wholesale Dealer's Licence (WDA(H)) from the MHRA, a named Responsible Person, and inspected Good Distribution Practice: temperature-controlled storage, batch traceability, verified sourcing. This is the licence we are applying for. Supplying against a prescription for a named patient is pharmacy work, which needs a pharmacy registered with the GPhC and a responsible pharmacist — we are applying for that too, so both routes will be covered.
- Non-prescribers work with a prescriber. A practitioner who cannot prescribe does not buy toxin on their own account. The prescriber assesses the patient, prescribes for that patient, and the product is supplied on that basis.
- Cold chain to the chair. Toxin is stored at 2–8°C, in date, and traceable to a batch. A supplier who cannot show you storage records and sourcing is not a supplier you want.
Two further rules apply in England: the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021 makes it an offence to administer botulinum toxin or dermal filler to anyone under 18 for cosmetic purposes, and a national licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures is being developed under the Health and Care Act 2022. The government confirmed its plans on 7 August 2025 — toxin and filler treatments under a local-authority licensing scheme — but no regulations have yet been brought into force.
What the 2025 botulism cases changed
Between 4 June and 6 August 2025 the UK Health Security Agency confirmed 41 cases of iatrogenic botulism in England following aesthetic botulinum toxin treatments. 32 people were admitted to hospital and 8 needed intensive care. Cases came from five English regions, with the largest cluster in the North East. The common factor was the product: investigations found that most patients had received botulinum toxin not licensed for use in the UK. In the cases where the setting was recorded, almost half the treatments had been carried out in the practitioner's own home.
The advice that followed, from UKHSA and the MHRA, was aimed at patients but reads as a supplier checklist: confirm the product is licensed for use in the UK, confirm the practitioner is qualified to use it, and report suspected unlicensed products through the Yellow Card scheme. For a clinic, the practical version is simple. Buy only licensed brands, only from a supplier that can show you its MHRA licence, and keep the batch records.
Questions to ask any toxin supplier
- What is your WDA(H) licence number, and who is your Responsible Person? It is on the MHRA register; check it.
- Which brands do you supply, and are they UK-licensed packs? Parallel-imported or overseas packs are a warning sign.
- How do you verify who you supply to? A licensed wholesaler will ask for your registration and, where required, a prescription. A supplier that asks for nothing is the problem, not the convenience.
- How is it stored and shipped? Temperature-monitored storage and cold-chain delivery, with records.
- Can you trace a batch? If there is ever a recall or a reaction, this is what protects your patient and you.
Where FillerFace stands
We supply the rest of the professional aesthetic menu — dermal fillers, skin boosters, polynucleotides, exosomes, PDO threads — from UK stock with next-day delivery. We do not supply botulinum toxin today, and we will not list it until the MHRA licence and the GPhC registration are both granted. When they are, toxin will be supplied the way the rules above describe: to verified practitioners entitled to receive it, licensed UK brands only, cold chain and batch traceability throughout. No prices, no basket, no shortcuts.
If that is the supplier you want for toxin, register your interest and we will tell you when we are approved. If you are not yet a FillerFace customer, open an account now; verification is the slow part, and it will already be done.
FAQ
Is Botox prescription-only in the UK?
Yes. Botox and every other botulinum toxin licensed for aesthetic use in the UK is a prescription-only medicine. It can only be supplied against a prescription or to a practitioner entitled to hold it, and it cannot be advertised to the public.
Can I buy botulinum toxin online in the UK?
Not without a prescription or practitioner verification. A site that lets anyone add toxin to a basket is supplying it unlawfully, selling product that is not licensed in the UK, or both. The 2025 botulism cases were linked to exactly this kind of product.
Can a nurse buy botulinum toxin?
A nurse independent prescriber can prescribe it after an in-person consultation. A nurse who is not a prescriber works with a prescriber, who prescribes for the named patient; the product is then supplied on that prescription.
Which botulinum toxins are licensed in the UK?
For aesthetic use: Alluzience, Azzalure, Bocouture, Botox, Letybo, Nuceiva and Relfydess, per UKHSA's August 2025 list. Anything else is not licensed for aesthetic use here.
Does FillerFace sell Botox?
Not yet. We are applying for the MHRA wholesale dealer's licence and registering a pharmacy with the GPhC, and will not list botulinum toxin until both are granted. Register your interest to be told when it is.