Breast Implant Brands Compared: Motiva vs Mentor vs Allergan Natrelle

Choosing the right implants is a key factor in the final results of any breast augmentation procedure. With so many different options on the market, patients have far more options than just implant size or profile. Implant brand, design, safety data, and long-term performance all play a role in how natural your results look and feel, how long your implants last, and what risks may exist over time.

Today’s most popular breast implant manufacturers in the United States are Motiva, Allergan (Natrelle), and Mentor. Each company offers FDA-approved implant options with distinct technologies, safety profiles, and design philosophies.

If you are currently considering breast implants, continue reading to learn more about how these implant brands compare across the factors patients care about most: natural feel, safety, durability, cost, and overall design.

Overview of the Three Major Breast Implant Brands

Motiva Breast Implants

Motiva (Establishment Labs) is a newer entrant to the U.S. market, after the brand received FDA approval in 2024. While new in the United States, Motiva implants have been used in over 80 countries for many years. With natural feel, dynamic movement, advanced safety design, and customizable profiles, these implants offer an appealing option for many patients seeking modern, natural-looking augmentation.

Allergan Natrelle Breast Implants

Allergan is one of the most established names in aesthetic medicine. The Natrelle line of breast implants has been used in the U.S. for decades and is supported by large, long-term clinical studies. Allergan offers a wide variety of implant styles, gel cohesiveness options, and shapes, making it a versatile choice for many patients.

Mentor Breast Implants

Mentor, a Johnson & Johnson company, is another long-standing manufacturer with extensive clinical data. Mentor implants are known for consistent manufacturing standards, a strong safety record, and detailed long-term follow-up data, particularly for capsular contracture and rupture.

Results Comparison: Natural Look And Feel

One of the first questions patients ask when deciding on a breast implant is “How natural does the implant look and feel?”

While the implant itself does play a key role in a natural outcome, many other factors including patient anatomy, implant placement technique, and surgeon experience also affect how natural augmented breasts can be. In this vein, all three brands can produce natural-looking results when properly selected.

There are, however, some key differences in how each implant brand addresses naturalness:

• Motiva implants are often cited as having a more natural look and feel due to its unique ergonomic gel. The Ergonomix line is engineered to respond to gravity and movement, appearing rounder when lying down and more teardrop-shaped when standing.
• Allergan Natrelle implants use cohesive silicone gel designed to balance softness with shape retention. Different Natrelle collections offer varying gel firmness, allowing surgeons to tailor results based on body type and aesthetic goals.
• Mentor implants also use cohesive silicone gel and are described as providing a soft, natural feel while maintaining structural stability over time.

Safety Comparison: Rupture and Capsular Contracture

Safety data is one of the most important, and most misunderstood, aspects of breast implant comparison. Reported complication rates vary based on study length, implant type, and patient population.

It is important for prospective patients to know that most safety data related to Motiva is from a 3-year period while Allergan and Mentor often use 10-year studies.

Capsular Contracture

Capsular contracture is one of the most common complications of breast augmentation. It occurs when scar tissue tightens around the implant, potentially causing firmness, discomfort, or shape distortion.

• Motiva: The rate of capsular contracture of Motiva SmoothSilk implants fell between 1.0% to 1.8% in a 3-year study of 1,324 augmentation cases ¹
• Allergan: The Allergan Natrelle Core Study yielded a 18.9% capsular contracture rate after 10-years ²
• Mentor: Mentor’s 10-year clinical follow-up data estimate that 12.1% of primary augmentation patients over 10 years ³

It is important to note that longer studies naturally show higher cumulative rates, which does not necessarily indicate inferior implant quality.

Implant Rupture Rates

Implant rupture risk increases over time and is influenced by implant age, trauma, and surgical technique.

• Motiva: Approximately 0.6% rupture rate at 3–5 years in the FDA clinical trial MRI cohort ⁴
• Allergan: Approximately 13.0% subjects (patients) and 7.7% of implants showed evidence of rupture at 10 years in the MRI cohort ⁵
• Mentor: Approximately 9.5% overall rupture rate in 10-year primary augmentation cohorts across FDA data ⁶

Takeaway: All three brands meet FDA safety standards. Motiva’s lower reported rates reflect shorter follow-up, while Allergan and Mentor provide extensive long-term data. Different studies use different populations, surfaces, surgical techniques, and reporting methods, so these percentages are not direct head-to-head comparisons but do provide benchmarks.

Implant Surface and Design Comparison

Implant shell design affects how the implant interacts with surrounding tissue after being implanted. This is an especially important consideration for minimizing capsular contraction and unwanted movement of the implant while in the pocket.

Most surgeons today favor smooth implants, regardless of the brand, as textured versions have been shown to increase the risk of BIA-ALCL is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (a T-cell lymphoma).

All three brands utilize smooth outer shell of the implant. Motiva implants use SmoothSilk, a proprietary smooth-like surface designed to reduce inflammation and promote more natural tissue interaction. Allergan Natrelle and Mentor also offer smooth implants, with historical availability of textured options depending on implant line and regulatory guidance.

Cost Comparison: What Patients Should Expect

Motiva implants are typically more expensive compared to both Mentor and Allergan, reflecting its newer technology and proprietary features.

However, it is important for prospective patients to remember that implant cost is only one part of the overall total cost of breast augmentation, which also includes factors like surgical expertise, facility costs, anesthesia costs, and postoperative care.

Technology and Innovation Comparison

Motiva implants have made a big splash by distinguishing itself as the most technological advanced implants. Motiva implants include several innovations including:

ProgressiveGel®: A unique implant filling that provides natural softness and fluidity while dynamically responding to movement and gravity.

SmoothSilk®: A 3D nanotechnology created outer shell that reduces friction and minimizes inflammation.

BluSeal® Safety Barrier: A thin blue barrier within the shell that allows surgeons to confirm shell integrity.

Q Inside Safety Technology™: An optional RFID-based implant identification, which allows implant details to be accessed without additional surgery or imaging.

Mentor and Allergan focus their innovation on silicone gel chemistry, shell durability, and long-term clinical validation. Rather than smart or digital features, both Allergan and Mentor invest in materials science and decades-long safety data to guide implant design:

• Allergan emphases material customization and proven science, offering gel fillings with multiple firmness options with a shell emphasis on shape retention.
• Mentor focuses on durability, using a consistent cohesive gel and an outer shell that centers on strength and fatigue resistance.

Which Breast Implant Brand Is Right for You?

While the current press and popularity surrounding Motiva implants is intriguing, there is no universally “best” breast implant brand. For many patients, the right choice will depend upon:

• Their anatomy and existing breast tissue
• Desired look and feel
• Lifestyle and activity level
• Tolerance for risk and preference for long-term data vs. newer technology

Motiva may be best for patients seeking a highly natural look and feel and shorter downtime, with early clinical data suggesting low rates of capsular contracture in short- to mid-term studies.

Mentor may be best for patients looking for a reliable, well-studied implant option with decades of safety data, broad sizing offerings, and profile choices, and often more predictable or cost-effective pricing.

Allergan (Natrelle) may be best for patients who want a wide range of traditional implant options from a long-established manufacturer, though it is important to note that prior recalls primarily affected textured implants rather than smooth implants commonly used today.

An experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon will help guide implant selection based on your body and goals, not just brand name.

Concluding Thoughts

Motiva, Allergan, and Mentor all offer FDA-approved silicone breast implants capable of producing beautiful, natural results. Motiva appeals to patients interested in newer technology and dynamic movement, while Allergan and Mentor remain trusted standards with decades of clinical data.

The most important factor in breast augmentation success is not the implant alone, but the expertise of the surgeon placing it.

 

 

Sources

¹ Motiva – Capsular Contracture
Cagli, B., Pienaar, C., & Montemurro, P. (2023). Capsular contracture in primary breast augmentation with SmoothSilk® Motiva implants: A multicenter clinical experience. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37254824/

² Motiva – Rupture Rate
Glicksman, C., et al. (2024). Safety and effectiveness of Motiva SmoothSilk and SmoothSilk Ergonomix silicone gel–filled breast implants: Three-year pivotal clinical trial results. Aesthetic Surgery Journal. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39331509/

³ Allergan Natrelle – Capsular Contracture
Allergan Aesthetics. (n.d.). Natrelle® breast implants: Safety and clinical study results (Core Study). https://www.natrelle.com/safety

⁴ Allergan Natrelle – Rupture Rate
Spear, S. L., et al. (2014). Natrelle round silicone breast implants: Core Study results at 10 years. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4819531/

⁵ Mentor – Capsular Contracture
Mentor Worldwide LLC. (n.d.). Common complications associated with Mentor® breast implants. https://breastimplantsbymentor.net/en-GB/common-complications

⁶ Mentor – Rupture Rate
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (n.d.). Post-Approval Studies (PAS): Mentor MemoryGel silicone gel-filled breast implants. FDA PAS Database. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfpma/pma_pas.cfm

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