Radiesse and Juvéderm are the two filler names most often weighed against each other for the lower face and jaw, and they are not the same kind of product. Radiesse is a collagen stimulator that also fills at first; Juvéderm is a family of hyaluronic-acid gels that fill by their own volume. This page compares them on what can be checked as of 2 November 2026 — the materials, the FDA approvals, the randomized trials that set one class against the other, and what happens if a result needs to be undone. It takes no side and does not say which suits any face.
For the wider question of stimulators against hyaluronic-acid fillers, with Sculptra in the frame, see Sculptra vs filler. For Radiesse on its own — the particles, every approved indication and the safety record — see our Radiesse page; for two stimulators against each other, Sculptra vs Radiesse.
The two materials
| Radiesse | Juvéderm family | |
|---|---|---|
| Material | calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres (25–45 µm) in a glycerin and carboxymethylcellulose carrier | cross-linked hyaluronic acid gel, in several cross-linking technologies and densities |
| How it works | the carrier gives early volume and is absorbed; tissue response around the particles is credited with new collagen | the gel holds water and occupies space; volume is visible on the day |
| Lidocaine versions | Radiesse (+) | the "XC" products |
| Can it be dissolved? | no | yes, with hyaluronidase (off-label) |
| Visible on imaging | yes — the label says on CT, and possibly on plain X-ray | no comparable statement |
| Maker today | Merz Aesthetics | Allergan Aesthetics (AbbVie) |
What FDA approved, and when
Both names started on the same indication in the same year, then branched. The Juvéderm family grew by adding new gels under one PMA; Radiesse grew by adding sites and dilutions to one product.
| Date | Product | What was approved |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Jun 2006 | Juvéderm 24HV, 30, 30HV (P050047) | mid-to-deep dermal injection for moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds |
| 22 Dec 2006 | Radiesse (P050052) | moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds |
| 22 Oct 2013 | Juvéderm Voluma XC (P110033) | cheek augmentation for age-related midface volume loss, adults over 21 |
| 4 Jun 2015 | Radiesse | backs of the hands |
| 31 May 2016 | Juvéderm Volbella XC | lips and perioral lines |
| 17 Mar 2017 | Juvéderm Vollure XC | facial wrinkles and folds |
| 12 Jun 2020 | Juvéderm Voluma XC | chin augmentation |
| 1 Sep 2021 | Radiesse (+) | jawline contour, adults over 21 |
| 22 Jul 2022 | Juvéderm Volux XC | jawline definition, adults over 21 |
| 6 Oct 2023 | Juvéderm Voluma XC | temple hollowing |
| 31 Mar 2026 | Radiesse, diluted 1:2 | décolleté wrinkles, age 22 and over |
So the overlap a reader is usually asking about is real at two sites: folds such as the nasolabial lines, where both have been approved since 2006, and the jawline, where Radiesse (+) was approved in 2021 and Volux in 2022. Lips, cheeks, chin and temples are Juvéderm-family indications; the hands and the décolleté are Radiesse's.
What the head-to-head trials found
A PubMed search on 2 November 2026 for calcium hydroxylapatite or Radiesse with hyaluronic acid, Juvéderm or Restylane and a randomized or split-face design returned 19 records. Read one by one, most are urology, chin-surgery reviews, combination-product studies or modelling. Two randomized trials compare Radiesse with hyaluronic-acid fillers on facial appearance, both in nasolabial folds, both run in European clinics in the mid-2000s:
| Trial | Design | Compared | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moers-Carpi et al., Dermatol Surg 2007 (PMID 18086052) | 205 patients, randomized, blinded evaluation, touch-up at 4 months, follow-up to 12 months | Radiesse vs Juvéderm 24, Juvéderm 24HV and Perlane | more Radiesse folds improved at 8 months than with any HA; volume to 4 months 2.2 mL vs 2.9, 4.8 and 2.9 mL; higher patient satisfaction; no serious adverse events |
| Moers-Carpi and Tufet, Dermatol Surg 2008 (PMID 18093199) | 60 patients, split-face, two injections 3 months apart, blinded evaluation to 12 months | Radiesse vs non-animal stabilized HA (Restylane) | 79% vs 43% of folds still improved at 12 months; about 30% less Radiesse volume |
Both favour Radiesse on duration and volume. Three limits bind them. The Juvéderm gels tested were older European formulations, not the Juvéderm Ultra XC, Vollure, Voluma or Volux sold in the US now. Both trials share a first author and were run at clinics before the US launch of most of today's gels. And neither abstract states who funded the work.
The one study that set Radiesse against a current Juvéderm product, Voluma, measured something else: in 24 women aged 35 to 45, each filler was injected behind one ear and biopsied at 4 and 9 months. Radiesse sites showed more type I collagen at 9 months and more elastin, Ki-67 and new vessels; the hyaluronic-acid sites showed more inflammatory markers (Yutskovskaya et al., J Drugs Dermatol 2014, PMID 25226004). That is tissue biology in skin behind the ear, not a comparison of how either looks on a face.
A 2010 laboratory study measured how stiff and how viscous seven fillers were, including Radiesse and three Juvéderm gels, and sorted them into three groups by those properties (Sundaram et al., Dermatol Surg 2010, PMID 20969663). Firmness is part of why calcium hydroxylapatite is used for the jaw and hyaluronic acid for the lips, but it is a bench measurement, not an outcome.
The undo question
This is the difference most likely to matter if something goes wrong. A hyaluronic-acid gel can be broken down with hyaluronidase, an enzyme; that is why hyaluronic-acid fillers are called reversible. It is an off-label use — the current US label of Hylenex, a hyaluronidase, lists hydration, the dispersion of other injected drugs and urography as its indications. Calcium hydroxylapatite is not hyaluronic acid and hyaluronidase does not dissolve it; our Radiesse page covers the 2021 cadaver work in which sodium thiosulfate, sometimes discussed as an alternative, did not dissolve the filler inside artery segments. Radiesse placed in the wrong spot is managed in other ways, and the material is left for the body to clear over time.
FDA device reports
On 2 November 2026 FDA's MAUDE database, read through openFDA (last updated 13 October 2026), held 1,678 reports naming Radiesse, 1,276 of them coded as injuries, and 10,024 naming Juvéderm. These are counts of paperwork. Juvéderm covers many more products and sites, nobody publishes how many syringes sit behind either name, and reports depend on who chooses to file one. They cannot be turned into a rate and they do not show that either material is safer.
Where the comparison stands
- Both have been approved for facial folds since 2006 and both now hold a jawline indication; the other sites belong to one or the other.
- The two randomized trials, both in nasolabial folds, both from 2007–2008, found Radiesse lasted longer with less volume than the hyaluronic-acid gels of the time.
- No randomized trial compares Radiesse with any Juvéderm product sold in the US today on appearance, duration or complications.
- The one firm practical difference is reversibility: hyaluronic acid can be dissolved; calcium hydroxylapatite cannot.
Which material suits a particular area, depth and face is a decision for the injector, who can also say what they would do if the result needed correcting.
Sources
Opened 2 November 2026: US FDA Premarket Approval records via openFDA device/pma — P050047 (Juvéderm, 2006-06-02); P110033 (Voluma XC 2013-10-22; S018 Volbella XC 2016-05-31; S020 Vollure XC 2017-03-17; S047 chin 2020-06-12; S065 Volux XC 2022-07-29; S070 temple 2023-10-06); P050052 (Radiesse; S162 décolleté 2026-03-31; earlier dates as on our Radiesse page). FDA MAUDE via openFDA device/event, device.brand_name radiesse (1,678; by event type) and juvederm (10,024). Hylenex label via openFDA drug/label (effective 2024-11-11). PubMed search ("calcium hydroxylapatite"[tiab] OR "calcium hydroxyapatite"[tiab] OR radiesse[tiab]) AND ("hyaluronic acid"[tiab] OR juvederm[tiab] OR restylane[tiab]) AND (randomized[tiab] OR randomised[tiab] OR "split-face"[tiab]) (19 records, every title read). Abstracts: Moers-Carpi M et al., Dermatol Surg 2007, PMID 18086052; Moers-Carpi MM, Tufet JO, Dermatol Surg 2008, PMID 18093199; Yutskovskaya Y et al., J Drugs Dermatol 2014, PMID 25226004; Sundaram H et al., Dermatol Surg 2010, PMID 20969663. Corrections go to the contact page.