At Zell Dermatology and Cosmetic Laser Center in Seoul, Dr. Jong Min Park sees 30 to 40 patients a day; up to a fifth request PDRN injections, a regenerative treatment derived from the DNA in salmon reproductive cells, and popularised in the US as “salmon sperm facials.”
Despite the nickname, the treatment contains not sperm but polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) and polynucleotides (PN) — DNA fragments used in medicine to promote tissue repair. The treatment’s virality belies serious science, and patients notice visible improvements immediately and over time. “This naturally leads to word-of-mouth referrals,” Park said, adding that demand has grown sharply in the past five years to comprise up to 20 percent of his practice’s revenue.
Topical skincare brands are also cashing in. In 2025, K-beauty brands like Medicube and global luxury labels like Lancôme released PDRN-infused products; others are spending on “exosome” delivery methods or researching the latest peptides. Capitalising on a trend can pay off: The launch of Lancôme’s Absolue Longevity Cream with PDRN was touted in L’Oréal’s first quarter earnings after its luxury division outperformed.
Choosing the next it-ingredient is a gamble, as evidenced by the sudden rise and fall of CBD skincare, and “demand significant time, resources, and deep collaboration,” said Dr. Annie Black, Lancôme’s international scientific director, who noted that developing a new ingredient and scaling an industrial process — especially from plant cells — required “more than usual investment.” Lancôme’s cream took three years to develop, which is longer than many skincare trends can last.
How do brands choose which trends to chase? Executives and chemists pointed to four consistent screens: Evidence, in the form of plausible mechanisms and clinical data; regulation, with clear documentation pathways across key markets; scalability, meaning reliable supply chains and manufacturing that can support demand beyond a single drop; and inclusivity, through testing that reflects diverse skin tones and types.
“Biotech ingredients frequently require specialised sourcing, stabilisation strategies, and bespoke analytics,” said cosmetic chemist Esther Olu, noting that even brands with solid science can stumble when scaling production or navigating regulation.
Lyla Chang, head of U.S. marketing for Medicube, agrees that caution pays off. “We don’t just chase the next big molecule,” she said. “We look for actives that can both withstand scientific scrutiny and drive long-term consumer trust.”
The consumer now expects performance — and biotech can deliver it — but it’s expensive, slow and unforgiving when the science or supply chain is soft.
Beauty’s Salmon Run
Developed decades ago for wound healing, PDRN moved into aesthetics in Korea around 2014 with Rejuran’s clinic-only injectable, followed by its skincare line in 2017. Western awareness lagged until celebrity mentions—first Jennifer Aniston in a Wall Street Journal interview in 2023, then Kim Kardashian in 2024—pushed the so-called “salmon sperm facial” into mainstream conversation and sparked the PDRN craze.
K-beauty peers are making different bets. Medicube has leaned in aggressively: More than 30 percent of its skincare range now includes PDRN. “Compared to standard skincare, the investment for this line is roughly twice as large,” said Lyla Chang, head of marketing in the US. The brand pursued a dual path for American consumers, launching both salmon-derived and plant-based PDRN formulas. Results were slower at first, but Chang said an inflection point came in March 2025, with surging online sales followed by retailer demand, pushing the PDRN line into the brand’s global best-sellers.
Sungboon Editor is moving deliberately, pairing PDRN with complimentary ingredients like niacinamide, multiple forms of hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and vitamin C-type antioxidants, said Joey Chung, the brand’s head of North America. “By spacing out launches, we safeguard product quality, avoid overexposure of the ingredient, and maintain flexibility to respond to market signals without overproduction or discounting.”
Formulating with these next-generation actives can cost two to five times more and extend development timelines up to threefold, according to cosmetic chemist and licensed esthetician Esther Olu. “Biotech ingredients frequently require specialized sourcing, cold-chain logistics and stabilization strategies, along with additional safety testing and manufacturing partnerships,” she said. These add fixed costs that aren’t associated with “commodity actives”—ingredients like niacinamide, retinol, vitamin C, or hyaluronic acid—that are inexpensive, stable, and easy to formulate.
Brands that can afford to move fast often do — but as the CBD boom proved, speed alone can backfire. According to the research firm Brightfield Group, the US CBD market ballooned 562 percent in a single year, hitting $5 billion in 2020, before crashing into what analysts called an “extinction event.” Brightfield later confirmed the shakeout: the category shed more than 1,000 brands within 12 months amid oversaturation, labeling issues and regulatory uncertainty.
The CBD collapse underscores how quickly a trend can devour itself: thousands of SKUs flooding shelves, retailers pulling back, and consumer trust evaporating almost overnight. For today’s biotech brands, it’s a costly reminder that scientific credibility, long-term safety data, and stable supply chains — not just buzz — determine longevity.
Only a fraction of trending actives endure once you factor in safety, scalability, and cost, said Olu. She points to hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and peptides as “longevity ingredients” with staying power: “They have a clear mechanism, robust manufacturing, low regulatory friction and predictable chemistry,” she explained. By contrast, many new molecules enter the market before their efficacy or safety data is mature, and supply chains can’t keep pace. Only about 10 to 30 percent of these next generation actives become “truly viable,” she said. “Many more are interesting but impractical.”
Gambling On Skincare Trends
If PDRN marked the latest wave of regenerative skincare, then exosomes represent its next frontier. Exosomes are tiny vesicles that function as the skin’s communication network, delivering growth factors and proteins that signal repair and regeneration.
Plated Skin Science, developed by Rion Aesthetics, is built on technology that originated at Mayo Clinic’s cardiac regenerative medicine program, where platelet-derived exosomes were first studied. The science behind Rion’s platform grew out of more than $150 million in Mayo-backed regenerative research, though the brand itself operates independently.
“Stability and scalability were the biggest hurdles,” said CEO Alisa Lask, who notes that Plated launched in limited quantities through U.S. physicians and has patented a process to extend its products’ shelf life.
Plated Skin Science, a skincare line owned by Rion Aesthetics, grew out of the Mayo Clinic’s cardiac regenerative medicine programme, where platelet-derived exosomes were first developed, according to Rion CEO Alisa Lask. Stability and scalability were the biggest hurdles, so Plated launched in limited quantities through US physicians before launching its own direct-to-consumer website.
Celebrity esthetician Angela Caglia, who spent three decades treating clients before launching her eponymous skincare line, built her brand around exosome technology powered by human stem cell research. Her $325 Cell Forté Serum uses a cell-free, protein-rich liquid derived from human adipose mesenchymal stem cells, hand-cultured to preserve growth factors, peptides, and other bio-signals that support skin repair. “Clients want true regenerative aesthetics at their fingertips,” Caglia sasid.
The serum became a cult favorite at Violet Grey, selling out twice in its debut week and remaining a top seller for two years. Still, she warns that “exosome” is drifting into buzzword territory, with some brands applying it to unrelated materials — a source of consumer confusion.
Caglia believes regenerative science marks the next evolution of skincare. “My goal was to deliver results that reduce and prevent visible aging at the cellular level,” she said. “We’re not just treating the surface anymore.”
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