Glabellar lines
Glabellar lines are the vertical or oblique frown lines between the eyebrows. They become more visible when the corrugator and procerus muscles draw the brows inward and downward. Botulinum toxin can reduce this muscle-driven component, but it does not directly treat every contributor to a line that remains visible when the face is at rest.
Glabellar lines are the broadest shared U.S. aesthetic indication among currently represented botulinum toxin products. That shared label area does not make the products interchangeable, unit-equivalent, identically dosed, or approved for the same additional facial areas.
Current U.S. aesthetic label scope
Section titled “Current U.S. aesthetic label scope”| Product | Glabellar lines | Other facial areas in the current U.S. label |
|---|---|---|
| BOTOX Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) | Yes, in adults | Lateral canthal lines, forehead lines, and platysma bands |
| DYSPORT (abobotulinumtoxinA) | Yes, in adults younger than 65 years under the current label wording | None |
| XEOMIN (incobotulinumtoxinA) | Yes, in adults | Horizontal forehead lines and lateral canthal lines, individually or as part of upper-facial-line treatment |
| JEUVEAU (prabotulinumtoxinA-xvfs) | Yes, in adults | None |
| DAXXIFY (daxibotulinumtoxinA-lanm) | Yes, in adults | None; its additional U.S. indication is therapeutic cervical dystonia, not another facial-line area |
| LETYBO (letibotulinumtoxinA-wlbg) | Yes, in adults | None |
“None” means no other aesthetic facial area is named in the current U.S. label. It does not establish what may be approved in another country, studied in trials, or used outside the U.S. label. The broader U.S. FDA indication matrix separates aesthetic and therapeutic indications across the represented product graph.
Dynamic and resting lines require different interpretation
Section titled “Dynamic and resting lines require different interpretation”| Component | What it means |
|---|---|
| Dynamic line | Becomes prominent during frowning as the brow-depressor muscles contract |
| Resting line | Remains visible without active frowning and may also reflect skin structure, repeated folding, and other non-muscular factors |
| Brow position | Reflects the balance between muscles that elevate and depress the brow, not the glabellar muscles in isolation |
A reduction in line severity at maximum frown is therefore not the same outcome as complete removal of a resting crease. U.S. pivotal studies typically use standardized severity ratings made by investigators and subjects at defined facial expressions and time points.
Type E is a separate regional product context
Section titled “Type E is a separate regional product context”Boey (trenibotulinumtoxinE) should not be inserted into the U.S. type A matrix. Health Canada recorded a June 22, 2026 notice of compliance, and AbbVie announced European Commission approval on July 17, 2026 for a specified adult glabellar-line indication in the European Economic Area. In the United States, AbbVie reported that FDA issued a Complete Response Letter for the biologics license application on April 23, 2026; Boey is not FDA approved.
These decisions apply to the trenibotulinumtoxinE product, not to type E as a universal clinical category. Its units, studied onset, duration, formulation, and regional indication cannot be transferred to type A products or generalized to every possible type E preparation. See Botulinum toxin type E for the maintained regional status record.
Anatomy and safety interpretation
Section titled “Anatomy and safety interpretation”The treatment area lies close to muscles that elevate the upper eyelid and shape brow position. Unwanted local weakness can contribute to eyelid ptosis, brow ptosis, asymmetry, or an expression change. Some current labels also discuss dry eye and other ophthalmic effects associated with botulinum toxin treatment around the upper face.
Facial asymmetry, pre-existing eyelid or brow droop, skin and soft-tissue characteristics, prior procedures, and the way the muscles recruit during frowning can all change interpretation. Class-wide warnings about distant spread of toxin effect also remain part of the prescribing information, even though the intended effect is local.
See How anatomy changes botulinum toxin interpretation, Unit interpretation, and Safety and adverse-effect interpretation.
Related topics
Section titled “Related topics”References
Section titled “References”- U.S. National Library of Medicine. BOTOX Cosmetic prescribing information 🔗.
- U.S. National Library of Medicine. DYSPORT prescribing information 🔗.
- U.S. National Library of Medicine. XEOMIN prescribing information 🔗.
- U.S. National Library of Medicine. JEUVEAU prescribing information 🔗.
- U.S. National Library of Medicine. DAXXIFY prescribing information 🔗.
- U.S. National Library of Medicine. LETYBO prescribing information 🔗.
- Health Canada. Drugs and medical devices authorized from April 1 to June 30, 2026 🔗.
- AbbVie / Allergan Aesthetics. European Commission approval for Boey 🔗.
- AbbVie. U.S. BLA update for trenibotulinumtoxinE 🔗.