It has been nearly three years since Botox in a bottle went viral, with people swearing that with consistent use, this product was gonna freeze their muscles, just like Botox, and get rid of fine lines and wrinkles. So why haven't we seen any actual results? I want to preface this video by saying this is not an advert for Botox. I don't think people have to get it done. It's completely up to you or that we should all be worrying about the way our face looks. But this video is more so to prove or debunk certain product claims that brands are trying to sell us. Let's go back to 2020. When skincare was taking over the Internet. It was Covid. So we were all looking after our faces just that little bit more. And when this Botox in a bottle trend actually started. Starting with what is Botox in a bottle? It sounds impossible because it kind of is. The Ordinary's Argireline Solution 10% went viral with

everybody calling it Botox in a bottle. Now, I first thought this was just another one of those viral trends of people making up product claims that the brand itself doesn't even claim. When really, The Ordinary do refer to it as a replacement for injectable Botox. So what is Argireline? Well, according to Lipotec, who pretty much invented this ingredient and who own the trademark for Argireline, they say it's the first anti-wrinkle hexapeptide with a botulinum toxin mechanism of action. Long story short, it claims to paralyze muscle in the same way Botox does. Argireline is Acetyl Hexapeptide-8. So what are peptides? According to Paula's Choice, who I think put it perfectly, Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as building blocks of proteins such as collagen, elastin, and keratin. All things that deplete as we hit our mid

20s, leading to fine lines, wrinkles, and looser skin. And when peptides are applied topically, they can help rebuild collagen and elastin in our skin, making it firmer and retain moisture in our skin, making it more hydrated. Being one of the most popular skincare brands, I would say, in the world to date, and usually one of the first skincare brands to introduce its consumers to really new, exciting, and innovative skincare ingredients, The Ordinary, of course, had to be the one to go viral with its Botox in a bottle. Where's the proof? Where is the proof? The term Botox in a bottle has been flown around like for decades, I would say. But then when you kind of look at The Ordinary's clever usage of the term, a non-injective solution for dynamic lines, you kind of realize that they're not actually claiming their product does work like Botox. Dynamic lines are lines that

are created by muscle movement. So expression lines, basically. What I don't have, because I have Botox. They never claim that it actually targets the muscle itself. So these people making claims that they can barely move their muscles in their face are kind of getting a placebo effect because of their misunderstanding of how the product works. But what we are seeing with a lot of the results is a difference in the fine lines on the face. So, yeah, the lines where you get some dynamic movement, mainly around the eye area, we're seeing those lines being plumped out, not a lack of muscle movement. As I mentioned, this viral product is over three years old now, and there isn't a single video that I could find, correct me if I'm wrong, that showed a Botox-like effect of paralyzing muscles. And the power Botox has to not only smooth out those fine lines, but also prevent them. We are going to take a look at the

science and the evidence of Argireline in a bit. But first of all, I wanted to do my own before and afters. I wanted to do my own results. So I asked my best friend Richard if he would help me with an experiment. Richard is the same age as me, 34. He is the founder of the Diversity Standards Collective and a parent. Richard was the perfect candidate for this for me, because he has fine lines where you'd expect to see fine lines of somebody who is his age, and really any age, fine lines on the forehead and around the eyes. Expression lines that we all have if we move our face, basically. Unlike me, he's never had Botox before. He's never had filler. So I wanted this virgin, injection-free face. The aim was to have Richard use the Argireline solution for one month. However, it actually turned into just over two months, and he used up the whole bottle of product.

So before this experiment started on the 10th of December, I sat him down in front of the camera so we could see what his fine lines looked like. The lines created when he makes facial expressions: frowning, overly smiling, moving those facial muscles. Basically, all the facial expressions my injector makes me make when I get Botox. What I like about Richard's skincare routine is it is consistent. He's not like me. He doesn't chop and change every couple of months. So by changing nothing in this routine but introducing one new product, it made this a pretty fair experiment. So on the 10th of September was his first time using this product, integrated it into his routine, using it twice a day until the bottle ran out. On the 24th of September, 2 weeks later, we just did a little check-in, mainly to see how the product usage was going, and I will say what I noticed is his skin did look more hydrated. That was kind of it at this stage.

And then on the 2nd of November, just before we were going away for his birthday, we had another little checkup, and again, no real difference in his muscle movement. Again, I would say his skin looked generally well-hydrated, fine lines were definitely less noticeable. And then it was a few weeks later that we went to go and get the Botox. So I think it's safe to say that from these videos, no, this product didn't work like Botox in a bottle, at all. What I will say is his fine lines look a little less obvious, and his skin looks generally nice and hydrated. Something I could really actually notice in person. So, over just two months of using up a whole bottle of this Argireline solution, what were the results? So whilst these viral TikTok videos show people struggling to move their face, struggling to move their muscles, it's safe to say our experiment and the actual evidence may show that

may have just been a placebo effect. After all, according to studies available and actual ingredient claims, this is an effective Peptide. It can't paralyze the muscle in the way Botox does. And I think we all know that. The studies that we currently have on Argireline shows that this Peptide is very, very good at reducing the appearance of fine lines. Much like every other Peptide. These studies that we have available overall showed that whilst this is a great Peptide to decrease the depth of fine lines and wrinkles, this is not an ingredient to use if you're looking for longer term anti-aging effects or structural aging of your skin. Unlike Retinol or Vitamin C, for example. This is more on par with plumping, hydrating, and moisturizing ingredients. And in order to see results, you have to keep using this consistently forever. When you stop, results will stop too. Unlike other Peptides, some studies have shown that Argireline

may be able to actually enter deeper into the skin, but it still can't reach deep down into the muscles to paralyze, let's say. And that's maybe why The Ordinary themselves say it's good for fine lines around the eyes, because the skin around there is so thin. So current literature and current results that we have don't show that this is really Botox in a bottle, but more an advanced Peptide, which is still amazing. We find this in a lot of the old-fashioned anti-aging skincare, with products that plump out the skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines, usually ingredients like Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid. And before Retinol became big, that was the big secret that people just weren't labeling on their products. So as a thank you for doing this experiment for me, Richard wanted to try Botox. I was like, yeah, fine, let's do it. Botox is the brand name for Botulinum Toxin.

It's a bacteria that, in very small and concentrated doses, block those nerve signals that Argireline claims to block. That makes your muscles contract, making the muscles completely relax and kind of paralyzing them. If you compare my Botox forehead to Richard's movement, that's exactly what it does. I can't create those wrinkles. I cannot create those fine lines, and it smooths everything out. And this is temporary, of course. And depending on your lifestyle choices, this can last anything from as little as two months up to six months. I've had Botox last about nine months before. It's important to note that there is a lot of hatred for Botox as a cosmetic procedure. But long before that, Botox was used medically for a number of reasons, mainly for neuromuscular disorders, migraines, overreactive bladders. So it is a well-studied and fine-tuned machine. And when it does come to injecting Botox in

your face, you do want to do your research and make sure you're not just getting a 2 for 1 offer on Facebook Marketplace. Find somebody who is truly qualified with rave reviews. So I took Richard to my favorite place, Danica Payne Aesthetics, to see my favorite injector, Danica Payne. I wanted Richard's first time having Botox to be amazing. I wanted everything to go right and go through the proper procedure. You have to go through to get Botox. He, of course, had to have a consultation to get a prescription for Botox, make sure he was the right candidate for Botox. J: How are you feeling? R: Yeah, good. J: Yeah. We're getting prescription done. R: I'm not going to lie. A couple of days ago, I was quite nervous because obviously, we've been doing The Ordinary stuff for, like, well, eight weeks, and I

don't feel like much has changed.
J: Yeah. R: And you see the dramatic things that Botox can do. The other day, I had a dream that I was going to wake up and I was literally going to feel like stone. J: You're going to feel like that.
R: I'm not really... Subtle Botox, I don't think you're really aware that people have it. J: No. That's what they're good at here, is it feels and looks subtle.
R: Yeah. J: But you will find that, like, because it takes, like, a good two weeks to properly settle in, it'll feel more gradual, so it won't feel like an overnight, all of a sudden you can't move your face, kind of thing. R: I think also when you tell people, when I've been telling people, I'm going to have Botox, like my boyfriend,

he's like, oh, no, I don't want you to have it. I want you to be able to smile. I want to see these things. And I'm like, what you've told me about it is, that's still going to happen.
J: Yeah, you're not going to be like... And Richard's right. There's a real stigma around how Botox and fillers can make you look, and that's mainly because we are constantly exposed to terrible botched Botox jobs. Luckily, Danica is a multi-award-winning injector who I've put my trust in for over three years now. So he is in very good hands. Richard found the whole process pretty painless. In his own words, there really is no downtime with Botox. Richard had a bit of swelling, which, to be honest with you, I never get. But by the time we had finished up, the swelling was completely gone. It was probably about 20 minutes.

And after roughly two weeks or so, Richard was asked to go back to see Danica for a checkup, just to make sure everything was going well. Botox can take up to two weeks before you really see the results, the full results. And unfortunately, because of how busy me and Richard are, especially coming to this time of the year, I wasn't able to get him back here in the studio. So I went to London about five weeks later to go and capture his facial expressions. The Botox had fully settled in, and I hadn't seen Richard since the day he got Botox. And I could see an immediate difference. What I will say about the footage is that the natural lighting we have here is very different to my studio lighting. What this natural lighting does is really smooths out his skin, so you don't see the few fine lines that are kind of there, but also not really. The Botox has smoothed out his fine lines and

really decreased those crow's feet around his eyes, too. As you can see from the start of the experiment, two months after using Argireline, and five weeks after having actual Botox, the difference is very evident. Not only does Botox deal with those deeper lines, but it also prevents those finer lines from being able to form. Danica did explain to Richard that it may take a few sessions before he sees any difference in those like eleven lines, between his eyebrows. But all in all, the difference is very obvious. The Ordinary isn't the first brand to claim that they have a product that is Botox in a bottle, but because of how things go viral nowadays on TikTok, claims like this spread on there like wildfire. Like it's crazy. I honestly feel like it's a pretty harmless thing to call your product. That does help with fine lines. But I feel like it's misleading for two main reasons. Reason one, it doesn't work like Botox.

Whilst it may help with the appearance of your skin, on the surface level, it's not a preventative measure like Botox can be. Two, there are a million and one products with very good ingredients that can do exactly what this Botox in a bottle does. Peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin. All products that are going to plump out those fine lines with consistent use. All these products make these claims and do the same thing without misleading you by using trigger words like Botox. That's not to say that Argireline Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 isn't a super interesting Peptide that is leading the way for potential Botox in a bottle type products, but it's not quite there yet. It's still exciting though. Also, if they had managed to bottle Botox, it would be way more than £8, even if The Ordinary was selling it. However, if you are looking for a product

that contains an amazing peptide that hydrates the skin, is going to give you that glow. Helps with collagen synthesis, elastin. Then The Ordinary's Argireline solution 10% is a great choice. If you want Botox results, get Botox or don't, do neither. It's up to you.

BOTOX In A Bottle VS ACTUAL Botox! The Ordinary’s Argireline Solution 🤔

Helloooooo everybody! My names James Welsh, former stylist and Skincare ENTHUSIAST. On my channel, I like to take a deeper dive into what we use on our skin. Discussing a range of topics from the ingredients in our skin and hair products, to the outlandish claims brands make. Busting myths and testing skincare

As an Editorial and Advertising graduate, I also like to dive into the world of digital retouching and photo manipulation in cosmetics and influencer advertising, to see how brands lie to sell their products.  Exposing filters, blurred skin and other misleading techniques influencers use....like facetune! 
So please subscribe if you like hair, skincare and some fashion content! And feel free to ask any questions! 

The email below is for business enquiries only and are answered on behalf of myself.

BOTOX In A Bottle VS ACTUAL Botox! The Ordinary’s Argireline Solution 🤔

BOTOX In A Bottle VS ACTUAL Botox! The Ordinary’s Argireline Solution 🤔

Scripts