Is Salmon Sperm The Secret To Glowing Youthful Skin?

In 2024, an unassuming skin care ingredient or treatment with a buzzwothy name is the recipe for a viral beauty trend. Think of it as #skintok catnip. This is exactly why the “salmon sperm facial” is making headlines after Kim Kardashian shared she got “salmon sperm injected into my face” on a recent episode of The Kardashians. The star, who in the past has admitted her willingness to go to the extremes in the name of youthful skin, isn’t the only one in Hollywood who’s tried it. Jennifer Aniston also named-dropped the facial an 2023 interview with Vanity Fair.

So, what exactly is the salmon sperm facial? Shock value aside, it’s not another social media gimmick, but a popular regenerative skin treatment originating in South Korea. “The salmon sperm facial is the injection of Rejuran in microdroplets under the skin of the face and neck,” says Dr. Gabriel Chiu, D.O., a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon and founder of Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery. “While salmon milt (sperm sac) has been in use in skin care since the 1980s, its use as a bio-stimulator has been around for about 15 years.” He notes that it can be used to improve skin texture, boost hydration, improve collagen production, and minimize acne scars as well as signs of aging.

“If you go to skin care clinics in Asia, everyone knows Rejuran,” Dr. Eunice Park, M.D., a dual board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and founder of Airem, a K-beauty medical aesthetic spa in New York. “But it seems to just have really taken hold in the media in the U.S.”

Park adds that the growing interest in Rejuran is due to a larger shift towards regenerative treatments in aesthetics. “The pendulum is swinging, and we’re not pumping and injecting ourselves so much, but letting our own body heal itself and produce collagen to tighten the skin,” she says of the move away from neuromodulators and dermal fillers.

Does this facial really work? Where exactly does the aforementioned sperm come from? Inquiring minds want to know, so TZR tapped Chiu and Park to break down the trending skin treatment.

What Are Rejuran Skin Treatments?

Rejuran is the brand name of skin treatment products powered by potent active PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide), the building blocks of DNA harvested from wild salmon sperm in Korea. The ingredient helps kick-start sluggish skin cells to increase collagen production, which in turn, helps plump, firm, and hydrate your complexion. Studies have found salmon testicle DNA holds the ability to restore skin elasticity, repair moisture barriers, and reduce inflammation.

First launched in South Korea in 2007, there are four products under the Rejuran umbrella, with three currently being utilized in dermatologists’ offices. The Rejuran Healer Essence is the most highly-concentrated option that can be injected or applied topically. The Rejuran SkinBooster is a topical PDRN treatment that also contains amino acids and peptides for hydration and glow. Finally, the Rejuran Tone-Up Booster is another topical that in addition to PDRN, is formulated with tranexamic acid and glutathione to target hyperpigmentation.

While its A-list fans are putting Rejuran in the spotlight as an injectable treatment, the Healer Essence isn’t currently FDA-approved to be injected in U.S. However, it’s approved by the Korean FDA and in Europe. Stateside, dermatologists utilize the Rejuran topical products in conjunction with skin tightening treatments such as RF microneedling and fractional laser skin resurfacing. (That said, it’s possible the Healer Essence is being used off-label by some practitioners in the U.S., which is likely how Kardashian and Aniston got their treatments.)

“It’s like aerating your lawn. You’re puncturing holes into the skin and then the topical ingredient can deeply penetrate the face, neck, and décolleté,” Park says. “We instruct patients not to wash their face that day [to help the skin fully absorb it] and then you can go back to your gentle skin routine the next morning.”

What Are The Side Effects Of PDRN Skin Treatments?

While downtime will vary based on the intensity of the RF microneedling or resurfacing laser you’re getting, topical PDRN doesn’t have any known side effects. In fact, because of the ingredient’s regenerative nature, Park says Rejuran can actually help speed up your recovery time from these treatments.

It’s also typically safe for those with seafood and shellfish allergies. “Because Rejuran has been out for a long time, the company has a long track record of safety data. I’ve asked their top management team if they have any reports of hypersensitivity to PDRN due to shellfish or seafood allergies and they’ve said no,” Park shares. “They say that the proteins that are active in shrimp, for example, aren’t in salmon and therefore, the PDRN product.”

How Many PDRN Skin Treatment Do You Need?

With any regenerative skin treatment, it’s important to keep your expectations in check. Unlike surgery or injectables like Botox, they don’t deliver dramatic before-and-after results. Think of it as a sprint versus a long-distance run. This is the dichotomy between Western and Eastern approaches to skin care. “K-beauty is all about skin tightening — even if you don’t have a wrinkle,” she says. “Here [in the U.S.], people use Botox and fillers [to smooth wrinkles and lines] but use nothing to tighten their skin.”

Park says three to four sessions of Rejuran suffice for patients with visible wrinkles and fine lines, whereas someone who’s younger would typically benefit from one or two sessions.

Park, who offers topical Rejuran treatments at Airem, notes that she typically starts off with one of the Boosters to see how their skin responds to it, then will build up to the Essence. She also notes the Rejuran product she uses will vary based on the intensity of the RF microneedling or resurfacing laster treatment. “I’ll use the concentrated one in more intense treatments, like if I’m doing a Fraxel laser with four to five days of downtime,” Park adds.

What’s The Difference Between PDRN & Exosome Treatments?

Both PDRN and exosome treatments fall under the regenerative aesthetic category and offer similar benefits, but they function differently. “Exosomes are vesicles containing growth factors, genetic material, and essential nutrients that are released by stem cells as messengers promoting regeneration, repair, and rejuvenation,” Chiu explains. Derived from human stem sells, they can also reduce inflammation, restore balance, regulate gene expression and cellular interaction. Because of the calming, balancing benefits, Park says she’ll typically recommend exosomes over Rejuran for patients who have inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.

Chiu says Rejuran is know for its “regenerative properties, promoting repair of damaged cells, hydrating skin, and reducing the appearance of fine lines.”

The most important element to keep in mind is that while Rejuran Healing Essence is approved for injection in Korea and Europe, exosomes are not approved for injection anywhere in the world and should only be used topically.

The Bottom Line

Rejuran is currently working on gaining FDA approval for the injectable use of the Healing Essence. While the treatment sounds promising, Chiu is candidly skeptical of the available support surrounding the results, noting that in before-and-after photos of Rejuran treatments on their website and in marketing by providers, “the lighting conditions are altered to benefit the after photos, which are not very impressive to begin with.”

On the flip side, Park notes that the topical Skin Boosters are great for “boosting hydration and getting a glowy finish” as a post-procedure supplement.

Above all, if you’re going to try a PDRN treatment, it’s important to educate yourself on your provider and their practice. If they’re offering injections as an option despite the lack of FDA approval, it’s best to steer clear. “We’re going to see a lot of different applications of this [Rejuran], but it’s important to make sure it’s not counterfeit product,” Park says.