If you run an aesthetics clinic, you've probably felt the tension. Patients search for "Botox" by name, and you want them to find you. But you've also heard that you can't advertise it, and you've seen other clinics' websites and social posts that seem to do it anyway.

When I build a website for an aesthetics clinic, this is one of the first conversations we have, so I thought I'd write down how I understand the rules and how I handle them. I'm a web designer, not a lawyer, and the final call on what your clinic publishes is yours and your prescriber's. But I've read the guidance closely, and I'll point you to it so you can check for yourself.

Why the rules exist

Botulinum toxin, of which Botox is one well-known brand, is a prescription-only medicine. In the UK it's against the law to advertise prescription-only medicines to the public. That comes from the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (regulation 284), and the same rule is in the advertising code that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) enforces, the CAP Code, at rule 12.12. The ASA points out it applies to other brands of botulinum toxin too, such as Vistabel, Azzalure, Bocouture and Dysport.

The reasoning is simple. Whether someone should have a prescription-only medicine is a decision for a qualified prescriber after a proper consultation, not something to be sold to them by an advert.

The ASA takes this seriously. Its Compliance team has sent an Enforcement Notice on it, focused on social media because that's where it was seeing the most breaches, and it says that if the rules are repeatedly and deliberately flouted it may involve the MHRA or your professional regulator.

What counts as "advertising"

More than most people expect. The ASA says rule 12.12 applies to all marketing material and advertising, including posters, leaflets and even your own website. That takes in your social media, paid ads and emails, and in my view your Google Business Profile too, though that last part is my reading rather than something the ASA spells out. It also covers indirect references. The ASA's guidance gives examples like "wrinkle-relaxing treatments" and hashtags such as "#brotox" and "#beautox" as ways of referring to Botox without naming it, and treats them the same way.

The narrow exception for websites

Here's the part that surprises people. The ASA's guidance says you can mention Botox on your website, but only in very limited circumstances.

As I read it, the principles are:

  • You're promoting the consultation, not the medicine. Your page should be about a consultation for, say, lines and wrinkles, with a qualified prescriber.
  • The medicine is one possible outcome. You can say a prescription-only treatment may be an option after the consultation, if you're suitable. References should be incidental, balanced and factual.
  • It shouldn't be easy to stumble on. The ASA's advice says there should be no reference to a prescription-only medicine on your home page, in logos, testimonials or hover text, and that small print at the bottom of the home page shouldn't mention it or link straight to a page that does. The references you do make shouldn't be given any prominence.

Can I show prices?

This is the question I'm asked most. The ASA's guidance says a price list can mention Botox as part of a broader range of treatments, if it's genuinely just a price list with no product claims or promotional content, and only after someone has clicked through your consultation pages. It also says that mentioning the price on your home page, or including a direct link to a prices page that mentions Botox, is unlikely to be acceptable.

So prices aren't automatically forbidden, but where they sit and how they're framed matters a great deal. The ASA's FAQs say price promotions on Botox, such as money off, time-limited offers, "buy two areas get one free" or refer-a-friend deals, are likely to breach the Code, even on your own website.

What about "anti-wrinkle injections"?

It depends on what else you offer. The ASA's advice is that if you only offer prescription-only treatments, "anti-wrinkle injections" is likely to be seen as an implied advert for them. If you offer both prescription-only treatments and others, such as fillers, it might be acceptable to use "anti-wrinkle injections" or "anti-wrinkle treatments" as a collective term for both, as long as nothing else suggests that "injections" really means Botox. Its own example of getting this wrong is "anti-wrinkle injections and fillers", because listing fillers separately implies the injections are Botox. It also advises against "wrinkle relaxing injections" in every case, because "relaxing" points to Botox.

Social media and paid ads

The ASA's guidance is clear that you're not permitted to mention Botox, directly or indirectly, in paid advertising or on your own social media channels. The website exception doesn't stretch to Instagram.

There are also rules about age. Since 1 October 2021, under the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021, it's been a criminal offence in England to give botulinum toxin, or a filler by injection for a cosmetic purpose, to anyone under 18, or to arrange or book it for them. Separately, since 25 May 2022, CAP Code rule 12.25 says ads for cosmetic interventions, surgical or non-surgical, mustn't be directed at under-18s through where they appear. In practice the ASA says that means not placing them in media where under-18s make up 25% or more of the audience.

How I handle it when I build a clinic's site

This is my standard approach, which the clinic's prescriber always signs off:

  • A consultation page, not a Botox page. The page is framed around the consultation with the prescriber, the conditions it can help you discuss, and what the consultation involves.
  • No brand name in page titles, descriptions, menus or the home page. Those are the parts that appear in search results and on the first screen, which is where "easy to stumble on" applies most.
  • If the generic name appears, it's factual and in the body of the page, in the context of "may be an option after a consultation, if you're suitable".
  • The only button is "Book a consultation".
  • No prescription-only treatments in offers, testimonials, before-and-after galleries or the site's promotional summary files.
  • An informational article can explain the treatment carefully, which is useful to patients and is where search visibility can come from without promoting the medicine.
  • Where prices are shown at all, it's a plain list, after the consultation, and I'll explain the ASA's position so the clinic makes an informed decision. Some clinics choose to show them and some don't. It's their call, made knowingly.

Does this cost some visibility for "Botox" plus your town? Possibly, and I'll be honest with you about that. But a clinic that's calm, clear and careful about prescription-only medicines is exactly the clinic most patients want to be treated by.

Where to check for yourself

The ASA publishes free guidance, and it's readable. Search the ASA website for "rules for advertising Botox" and their "Botox FAQs". If you're unsure about a specific page or post, the Committee of Advertising Practice runs a Copy Advice service that will look at it for you before it goes out. The standard service is free, with paid options if you need a faster answer. That's worth far more than a web designer's opinion, including mine.

This article is my plain-English reading of the published guidance as of September 2026. It isn't legal advice, and the rules and the ASA's approach can change. Your prescriber and your clinic are responsible for what you publish.

If you'd like to talk through how your own site handles this, or how a careful site can still bring people in, I'm happy to. I take on a few clinics at a time, and you can book a 15-minute call here:

Book a 15-minute call

Frequently asked questions

Can I mention Botox on my clinic website at all?

In limited circumstances, yes. The ASA's guidance allows a factual, incidental reference to it as a possible treatment following a consultation, if you're suitable. It shouldn't be on your home page, in hover text, small print or testimonials.

Can I list Botox prices on my website?

The ASA says a plain price list with no promotional content can include it, reached after the consultation pages, but not on your home page or through a direct link to a prices page. Its FAQs say discounts and offers on Botox are likely to breach the Code, even on your own website.

Can I post about Botox on Instagram?

No. The ASA's guidance says you shouldn't mention Botox, directly or indirectly, in paid ads or on your own social media.

Is "anti-wrinkle injections" a safe phrase?

Only if you also offer non-prescription treatments, use it as a collective term for both, and nothing suggests the injections mean Botox. If you only offer prescription-only treatments, the ASA advises against it.

Sources

Checked on 28 September 2026.