How many times have you read the word “tariff” in the past week? Hundreds? Yeah, same. Tariffs are basically the only thing news outlets are talking about, and for good reason—the impacts will be felt worldwide. If you somehow didn’t know, President Donald Trump recently announced plans to impose tariffs on our country’s global trade partners: a universal 10 percent plus higher rates on specific locations. (Tariffs are taxes paid to a government on imported goods.) The news sent the stock market into chaos and fueled more recession concerns, as well as speculation about which industries will be hardest hit. It’s not just coffee, wine, cars, iPhones, and beauty products facing potential price hikes; injectable treatments like Botox and filler could eventually be impacted, too.
Why? Almost all injectable treatments are manufactured overseas; for example, the dermal fillers Restylane and Sculptra are made in Sweden and neuromodulator Xeomin originates in Germany. Letybo, the newest FDA-approved neuromodulator on the block, comes from South Korea, as does Jeuveau, another neuromodulator.
And then there’s Ireland. It’s probably not the first place you picture when you think about injectables, but the town of Westport is the only place where Botox is made. (Westport is home to just over 5,000 people and is about 150 miles from Dublin. The Botox factory sits right at the edge of town.) The Botox made in Westport is shipped to 96 countries around the world, including, of course, the United States. “Whether you’re in Hollywood or acting in London’s West End, your Botox is 100 percent guaranteed Irish,” Westport town architect Simon Wall previously told Allure.
Thus, after these widespread tariffs are implemented, you might see the effects at future dermatologist appointments—and we’re not just talking about a smoother forehead or fuller lips. It’ll show up on your credit card statement, too. For example, imports from South Korea face a 26 percent tariff rate, and goods from the EU, including Germany and Ireland, will be subjected to 20 percent tariffs. In the past, pharmaceuticals have been protected from tariffs; as noted by CBS News, the Trump administration has “excluded pharmaceuticals from retaliatory tariffs”… for now.
And as we know from being bombarded by constant news updates, these import taxes would cause widespread cost increases for the consumer on a plethora of products we source from overseas. Though Roy Kim, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in San Francisco, doesn’t foresee an immediate significant price increase for neurotoxins, he’s hoping that negotiations will be settled by the time he orders his next batch. “It becomes an issue if, because of tariffs, they increase my wholesale pricing, which means I have to charge patients more money.”
