The rules at a glance
Botox is a prescription drug and a registered trademark. Each platform and country treats the word differently.
| Where | Saying "Botox" in the ad or on the page | Bidding on "Botox" as a keyword |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads, US and Canada | Allowed, in line with local law | Needs Google certification |
| Meta (Facebook, Instagram) | Promoting a prescription drug needs LegitScript certification plus Meta's authorization | Not applicable |
| US law | Allowed if true and not misleading (FTC Act) | Not applicable |
| Canada law | Name, price and quantity only. No benefits, no before-and-after | Not applicable |
Google Ads: ad text is fine, keywords are not
Google's prescription drug list includes "botox," "botulinum toxin," "dysport" and "xeomin." For campaigns in the US, Canada or New Zealand:
"While you don't need to be certified in order to use prescription drug terms in ads and landing pages, you must be certified in order to keyword-target these terms." (Google Ads policy: Restricted drug terms)
The certification examples Google gives are online pharmacy, addiction services, telemedicine, health insurance and pharmaceutical manufacturer, and it warns: "Do not apply for a category that does not match your business model" (Google).
What that leaves:
- Keep "Botox" in the ad text and landing page if your local law allows it.
- Bid on the treatment, not the drug: words such as "forehead lines," "frown lines" or "wrinkle treatment" are not drug names.
- If an ad was disapproved, Google's options are to edit it, apply if you qualify, or appeal (Google). Landing page fixes are in Google Ads disapproved.
Meta: prescription drug ads need certification
Meta's policy says advertisers can't run ads that "promote prescription drugs unless they are actively certified by LegitScript or have gone through Meta's internal review process" (Meta: Drugs and pharmaceuticals). The internal review route is for drug manufacturers; everyone else needs LegitScript first, then Meta's authorization. Approved ads must target only the US, Canada or New Zealand and people 18 or older, and must tell people to consult a licensed health professional or get a valid prescription.
Meta's page names online pharmacies, telehealth providers and drug manufacturers. It doesn't say whether a clinic's injection offer counts as promoting a drug. If a Botox ad is rejected under this policy, an ad about the treatment and result area, without the drug name, sits outside the drug policy's wording.
Meta's health and wellness policy still applies: cosmetic procedure ads must target people 18 or older, and can't contain "statements of inferiority about physical appearance." Its July 22, 2026 update removed the old ban on side-by-side photos of wrinkle treatments such as Botox; the current text allows cosmetic procedure ads "depicting before and after transformation" for people 18 or older. More on before-and-after photos in med spa ads.
The brand name: Dysport and Xeomin are not Botox
"BOTOX" is a live registered US trademark owned by Allergan, Inc. (USPTO). Using it as a generic word for any neurotoxin, as in "Botox (we use Dysport)," names a product you don't inject.
Per-unit prices across brands mislead for a second reason. The FDA-approved label says:
"Potency Units of BOTOX Cosmetic cannot be compared to or converted into Units of any other preparations of botulinum toxin products" (DailyMed: BOTOX Cosmetic label)
So "$10 a unit" means different things for different brands. Name the product you use, and price it on its own terms.
Who enforces Botox ads in the US
The FDA's prescription drug ad rules in the statute are written for the drug's "manufacturer, packer, or distributor" (21 U.S.C. 352(n)).
A clinic's own ads fall under the FTC Act, which applies to "any person, partnership, or corporation" spreading a false ad for drugs or services (15 U.S.C. 52). An ad is false if it is "misleading in a material respect," including when it leaves out facts about the consequences of use (15 U.S.C. 55). State medical board rules may add to this; check your state.
Canada: name, price and quantity only
Botox Cosmetic is a prescription drug in Canada (Health Canada Drug Product Database). The regulation:
"If a person advertises a prescription drug to the general public, the person shall not make any representation other than with respect to the brand name, the proper name, the common name and the price and quantity of the drug." (Food and Drug Regulations, C.01.044)
Health Canada names Botox directly: "No direct or indirect reference can be made to its therapeutic use and/or benefits." It lists the common problems as procedure videos, before-and-after pictures, pictures hinting at what the drug treats, and testimonials about its benefits (Health Canada).
This covers clinics. Health Canada says anyone promoting a specific health product is subject to the law, including health care providers. It also says the law does not apply to advertising of services, but "if you promote specific products on your website, you must comply" (Health Canada). Google allowing the word in Canada doesn't change this: its policy permits drug terms only "in accordance with local laws and regulations" (Google). Provinces can add their own rules for health professionals.
Example
A US med spa bids on "botox near me"
The keyword is disapproved without certification. Moving bids to "frown lines treatment" and keeping "Botox Cosmetic" in the ad text fits Google's US rule.
A spa advertises "Botox $11/unit" but injects Dysport
The ad names a brand the spa doesn't use, and the units aren't comparable. The fix: "Dysport, $X per unit," with the real price.
A Toronto clinic posts before-and-after Botox photos on Instagram
Health Canada lists before-and-after pictures as a Botox marketing problem. An ad saying "Botox Cosmetic, $X per unit" stays within name, price and quantity.
Different for you?
- Selling GLP-1 weight loss shots too: semaglutide ads.
- Before-and-after photos and other health rules: med spa ads.
- Meta limits your pixel events: Meta ads for clinics.
- Want the ads run inside these rules every day: Paid Ads Agent.