Espoo cosmetic clinic shut down over suspected use of illegal botulinum toxin products

A cosmetic clinic in Espoo has been ordered to immediately cease operations after Finland’s National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (LVV) discovered serious patient safety violations, including the use of unlicensed medicinal products, Yle reports.

During an unannounced inspection, LVV found that Nordicshape clinic had administered treatments using substances without market authorisation. Inspectors also uncovered products labelled as cosmetics that contained medicinal ingredients, such as anaesthetics.

“The use of unlicensed medicines or products containing medicinal substances poses a severe risk to patient safety, as their actual contents cannot be verified,” said Heidi Staudinger, chief inspector at LVV.

The inspection, conducted jointly with the Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea) and the Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes), revealed multiple breaches. Botulinum toxin injections—commonly used for wrinkle reduction and jaw tension—were performed without proper medical supervision. Finnish regulations require a physician to oversee dosage, injection sites, and be present during administration due to potential life-threatening side effects, such as muscle paralysis.

Further violations included improper storage of medicines in unlocked areas, lack of temperature monitoring, and the use of expired drugs. Clinic staff administering injections lacked verifiable training, while medical equipment on-site had incomplete or missing documentation and maintenance records.

Fimea suspects the clinic’s owner of illegally importing and using unlicensed botulinum toxin. Though no illegal substances were found during the inspection, witness statements strongly suggested their prior use. The clinic’s managing director reportedly failed to acknowledge the severity of the deficiencies or commit to corrections.

LVV has ordered Nordicshape to halt all operations until further notice.