New Study Reveals Patients Are Lacking Awareness of Neurotoxin Ingredients

Amidst skincare companies incorporating some of the most powerful skin ingredients on the market right now, including PDRN, peptides and collagen boosting agents, the water has gotten murky with all of them claiming to do the same but with very different ingredients, purification processes and formulations. This has sparked education from brands and attentive research from patients; however, the same caution does not extend to neurotoxin ingredients for patients, a new study finds. 

Neurotoxins like Daxxify, Letybo and Botox, to name a few, currently lead in the non-surgical aesthetics market [1], and while these are FDA-approved medical treatments, lending a level of trustworthiness and efficacy with a regulation process in place, these injectables—echoing similar intentions, have widely different purification and ingredient profiles, and may yield distinct results depending on the skin type its applied to. 

Despite similar results, neurotoxins like Botox, Daxxify, and Letybo differ in ingredients, purification methods, and how they interact with your skin.Courtesy of Flamingo Images at Adobe StockTalker Research, on behalf of Revance, released survey results suggesting there’s a lack of knowledge for neurotoxin ingredients, in comparison to the consciousness patients possess when determining what's in their SPF and serums. Talker Research is a market research and public polling company that works with brands and agencies to gather insights. They surveyed 2,000 U.S. adults aged 30–54 who currently receive, or intend to receive a neurotoxin treatment for frown lines within the next six months.

Presented in a Sept. 23 press release, Talker's survey reveals that 91% of respondents are more ingredient-aware today than in the past. Fewer than half, though, could recall any one ingredient in an available neurotoxin treatment on the market and 53% mistakenly believe all neurotoxin formulations are "more or less the same."

Skincare and supplements have made ingredient transparency routine, says Krysha Mallari, a board-certified nurse practitioner at Body+Beauty Lab, but neurotoxins are often presented without much explanation. Many patients are surprised to learn that bacteria are the source of several trusted medicines, she adds. Insulin, for example, is produced with E. coli, and vaccines, such as tetanus, are created from inactivated bacterial proteins. 

Not all neurotoxins are the same, although they share the same core mechanism. This medical product is derived from bacteria, as Mallari explains, specifically clostridium botulinum, a form of food poisoning. In its purified form, it is used cosmetically for wrinkles. With this in mind, brands purify and stabilize neurotoxins in diverse ways, which can affect how the product performs.

“Some companies strip away most of these proteins, leaving only the active molecule, while others retain them, which matters because accessory proteins may influence how the immune system responds,” Mallari says. “A ‘purer’ formulation may reduce the chance of developing resistance over time.”

Most respondents did not recognize that human or animal-based ingredients are common in many treatment formulations, while 36% said they chose their current frown line treatment because it was "the most obvious option.” About  32% were unaware that alternatives exist. 

"Understanding these differences empowers patients to make informed choices and helps providers match the right product to the right treatment goal," Mallari says, highlighting the need for more patient education. “The more the industry invests in research, education and clear communication, the more trust patients will place in these treatments."

Patients may, admittedly, value skincare ingredients more so than ones in injectables with assumed medical trust, but 61% said they'd switch to a different frown line treatment based on its formula. "Consumers have become increasingly ingredient-savvy when it comes to what they put on and in their bodies and it's time that same curiosity extends to aesthetic treatments," stated Jeff Bedard, founder of Revance.

References:

1-https://www.medestheticsmag.com/products/article/22942753/neurotoxins-lead-nonsurgical-aesthetic-market