In our age of aesthetic overhaul, it seems everyone is either getting Botox or at least contemplating it. The latter camp may soon dwindle: earlier this year, the European Commission approved Boey, a new, short-lived botulinum toxin that allows patients to “preview” the effects of Botox without the months-long commitment. Its “try before you buy” appeal may be intentional: much like fast fashion, Boey seems intended to lower the barriers to entry for one stubborn cohort: first-timers.
Developed by the pharmaceutical giant, Allergan, which is behind the Botox brand, Boey is essentially the same proposition, in everything but speed. While most wrinkle-relaxing injections use type A toxins, this is type E, meaning you see results much quicker, in as little as eight hours instead of days. It also breaks down faster, in two to three weeks rather than three to four months.
“It’s like Botox without buyer’s remorse,” says Brett*, a fashion PR in his thirties, who has never tried the toxin. “I’ve always been worried about not looking like myself, going too far and not being able to afford the maintenance. I’d be much more likely to try Boey... You can see how you look with it, without feeling like you’ve really changed something.”
Although cleared for use in the European Economic Area, Boey requires separate UK approval post-Brexit, which is expected within the next year or so. But practitioners are already intrigued. “Allergan built it for people curious about injectables but nervous about committing to a long-lasting result,” explains aesthetic doctor Dr Alicia Gonzalez-Fernandez. “Boey brings people into the clinic who would never have booked Botox. If they like the result, Botox becomes the natural next step. One they’ll keep coming back for.”
Much like hiring a bridesmaid dress from By Rotation, Boey allows you to soften a frown for an occasion, or photo-op, without committing to an altered face for the next quarter.
While the Botox is normalised in the UK, with some 900,000 treatments carried out each year, the practitioners I speak to highlight an enduring fear of “Botox face”, characterised by frozen, unnatural facial expressions. This is largely the result of poor technique or overuse, though complications, such as ptosis, where the eyebrow or eyelid droops, can take months to wear off. With Boey, you could experience the same side effects, but they would fade much quicker. Logic prevailing, experts suggest it could also be cheaper than longer-acting forms of the toxin, further enticing a young, gen Z demographic. (Botox currently costs between £150 and £350 per syringe in the UK).
Still, it’s not just gen Z that is the priority. Aesthetic doctor and K-beauty expert Christine Hall, who works at Knightsbridge’s prestigious Taktouk Clinic, says that the group she sees most often are people in their thirties and forties who have been contemplating Botox for years, but have never booked a treatment. “A short-duration option like Boey lowers the stakes enough for them to try it.” She also expects more men to be interested, adding that they tend to be more cautious about looking “done” and worried about cosmetic work being noticed in the office.
There’s also the “rent-a-face” element. Much like hiring a bridesmaid dress from By Rotation, Boey allows you to soften a frown for an occasion, or photo-op, without committing to an altered face for the next quarter. It’s something that Brett describes as “intentional”. “I like how you can use it around key moments in your life, rather than feeling like you have to commit to ongoing and costly upkeep.”
And perhaps it offers a solution to Hollywood’s epidemic of frozen faces, where Botox overuse has seemingly left actors struggling to emote. While she has denied cosmetic surgery, Anne Hathaway’s glossy forehead in The Odyssey copped criticism for being incongruous with the tale’s Ancient Greek setting. Similarly, viewers bemoaned Margot Robbie’s lack of expression in the (supposedly) more torrid scenes of this year’s Wuthering Heights and Millie Bobby Brown’s frozen face in the final season of Stranger Things. It’s something that Dr Brenda Jaliman, who has been injecting Botox since 1992, predicts will become in demand at her New York clinic. “It will be helpful for actors who want a neurotoxin for a limited time, but want or need to have full facial expression during filming.”
Boey won’t cost the £40 you’d spend on a manicure, even if its effects wear off in the same time it takes your gels to grow out.
But it’s hard not to see the mercenary thinking behind this launch. While we don’t know how Boey will be marketed in the UK, its “low commitment” hook will undoubtedly be key. Positioning it as akin to a manicure or a blowout for a special occasion risks making beauty maintenance routines even more expensive and unattainable. Boey won’t cost the £40 you’d spend on a manicure, even if its effects wear off in the same time it takes your gels to grow out. What the brand really wants is conversion: hooking first-timers on the results, and turning them into lifelong customers, who on average spend between £600 and upwards of £1200 per year on maintenance.
Beyond this, the majority of the practitioners I speak to don’t see it revolutionising the industry. “I’m curious to see if Boey will earn a place in my practice,” says Dr Gonzalez-Fernandez. “The bigger worry I come across is Botox not lasting long enough. A lot of my patients are switching to longer-lasting versions despite the added cost. They’re busy, and want their money to be well invested.” She also points out that, for now, its use is limited to “moderate to severe” frown lines between the eyebrows.
Critically, however, there is a fallacy in the idea that its lightning-fast lifespan somehow makes it low stakes. Boey does not leave more room for error; it simply shortens how long any results last. The anatomy remains the same, and so do the risks. “Psychologically, it may lessen the margin of entry, but clinically I’ll be careful with that thinking,” Dr Hall warns. “It’s not a product that makes a poorly trained injector safe. If anything, I'd worry that ‘it's only temporary’ could make some people less careful about who they go to.”
This is worth bearing in mind given the unprecedented botulism [a potentially fatal bacterial illness] outbreak in the UK last year, which led to 41 hospitalisations and was linked to unlicensed “fake Botox” used in unregulated procedures. “If anyone offers you Boey in the UK right now, it’s unlicensed,” concludes Dr Gonzalez-Fernandez. “Wait for the real thing, from an appropriately qualified medical professional, through a proper pharmacy.”