What we could and could not confirm

This table shows how far our sources go. A lookup shows that a product is approved. It does not by itself prove that a particular vial or syringe is genuine.

Product	Check	What our sources support
Ultherapy device	Tap a phone on the NFC chip	Reported by Korean trade press (March 2026). No Merz page found.
Ultherapy tip (transducer)	Scan the QR code	Same trade-press report. No Merz page found.
Thermage tip	Enter the certification number from the tip box on the official site	One 2017 article. The current process is not confirmed.
Botulinum toxin	Search the brand in the MFDS drug database	Confirmed. The result shows the permit number.
Botulinum toxin	Hologram or serial-number check	No official Korean source found.
Filler	Check approval as a medical device on MFDS's device site	MFDS advice confirmed. The exact search path for fillers is not verified.
Filler	Hologram or serial-number check	No official Korean source found.

Ultherapy and Thermage

Ultherapy. Korean trade press (Dailypharm) reported that Merz Aesthetics Korea launched a "Touch Prime" campaign in March 2026. A patient taps a phone on the secure NFC chip attached to an Ultherapy PRIME device, with no app needed, to see whether the device is genuine. The same method is reported to work on existing Ulthera devices. The transducer (tip) carries a QR code, and scanning it opens the tip's authentication record in a browser. We found no Merz page that describes this. Company campaigns change, so ask the clinic to run the check in front of you and confirm the method with Merz Aesthetics Korea.

Thermage. A 2017 article in Medical Times reported that Solta Medical Korea's check worked this way: enter the certification number printed on the genuine tip box on the official Thermage website. It is the only source we found, and we could not read the official site, so we do not know whether this is still the process. Ask the clinic how a tip is checked today, or ask Solta Medical Korea.

Which tip and how many shots. In FDA device records, Thermage FLX tips are listed with a shot count (REP). The 4.0 cm² Total Tip comes with 300, 600 or 900, and the Eye Tip with 225 or 450. Ask which tip and which count the clinic will use. Our guide to how Korean clinics quote prices explains shots.

Botulinum toxin vials

Brand lookup. MFDS runs a drug database, 의약품안전나라 (nedrug.mfds.go.kr). Anyone can search approved medicines and biologics there by product name, company or ingredient. The result shows the permit number. You can use it to check that the toxin brand the clinic names is approved in Korea.
Lot release. Korean law requires designated biological products to get MFDS lot-release approval (국가출하승인) before they are sold or stored for sale. The approval follows a document review and testing. The database publishes lot-release and recall notices in its notices menu. Korean trade news reported in 2021 that a Korean toxin made by Hugel was approved for national lot release. We could not confirm from the law which products are designated, and we did not open the lot-release page. Ask the clinic whether its product has passed lot release.
A US warning, not a Korean rule. The US FDA warned about counterfeit Botox found in several US states in 2024. It says genuine Allergan cartons and vials read "OnabotulinumtoxinA". The counterfeits read "Botulinum Toxin Type A", showed 150-unit doses or had non-English text. The FDA advises asking the provider whether the product comes from an authorized source. This alert covers Allergan Botox sold in the US only. We did not find a Korean equivalent, so do not use it as a checklist for toxins sold in Korea.

Filler syringes

Fillers are regulated as medical devices in Korea, under the item names 조직수복용생체재료 and 조직수복용재료. A 2020 report of MFDS information said patients could check each product's approved use on MFDS's medical-device e-civil-service site by searching those item names. That site's address may have changed, and we could not open it.

MFDS also advises consumers to check that a medical device is approved or certified by MFDS, and the label carries the number. Its device information platform is 의료기기안심책방. We could not verify the current search path for fillers. Ask the clinic for the product name and the approval number on the box. Ask to see the entry for that product, or search for it yourself.

If you have side effects after a filler or another device, they can be reported to MFDS through the e-civil-service site (adverse event report) or by phone. This also comes from the 2020 report, so check the current address.

Questions to ask the clinic

Which product and maker will be used, and where is it made?
Can I see the unopened box and the label on the vial or syringe? Can I photograph the product name, maker, lot number, expiry date and any approval number?
Can you show me this product's approval entry in the MFDS database (toxin) or on MFDS's device site (filler)?
For Ultherapy: can you run the authentication check on the device and on the tip in front of me?
For Thermage: how do you check the tip, and which tip and shot count will you use?
Where does the clinic buy its toxin and filler? Is the supplier an authorized source?
How many units or cc will go into each area? Can I see the vial and the syringe being filled?

FAQ

How can I check that Ultherapy is genuine in Korea?

Korean trade press reported in March 2026 that Merz Aesthetics Korea lets patients tap a phone on the NFC chip of an Ultherapy PRIME device, and scan a QR code on the tip, to see an authentication record. We found no Merz page that describes this. Ask the clinic to run the check in front of you.

Can I check a Thermage tip online?

A 2017 article reported that Solta Medical Korea let patients enter a certification number from the genuine tip box on the official Thermage website. We could not confirm that this is still the process, because we could not read the official site. Ask the clinic how it checks a tip today, or ask Solta Medical Korea.

How do I check that a Botox brand is approved in Korea?

Search the brand in MFDS's drug database, 의약품안전나라 (nedrug.mfds.go.kr). It lists approved medicines and biologics by product name, company or ingredient, and the result shows the permit number. This shows that the brand is approved. It does not prove that a given vial is genuine, so also ask to see the packaging.

How can I check a filler in Korea?

Fillers are medical devices in Korea. MFDS advises checking that a device is approved or certified, and the label carries the number. Ask the clinic for the product name and the number on the box, then check the entry on MFDS's device information site. We could not verify the exact current search path for fillers.

Do holograms or serial numbers prove a vial is genuine?

We found no official Korean source on hologram or serial-number checks for toxin or filler packaging, so we cannot say. The FDA alert describes Allergan Botox in the US market only, not Korea. Ask the clinic to show the unopened box and the approval entry, and keep a photo of the label.

Sources

Statutes and MFDS pages were read on 29 October 2026. Trade-press reports describe campaigns that can change.

Genuine tips, vials and syringes in Korea: what you can check