Beef tallow and snail mucin may have been the wildest, sworn-upon skin care remedies you’ve heard of — until now. Enter salmon sperm.
Listed as the main ingredient in a handful of top-selling products on the TikTok shop, salmon sperm, more specifically PDRN, has rapidly become regarded as the ineffable answer to hydrated, “glass skin” online, with just over 80,000 videos related to “salmon sperm facials” and “salmon sperm skin care” on TikTok alone. What’s the catch? Aside from the actual fish, there isn’t one.
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PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide) is a naturally occurring fragment derived from salmon sperm DNA. “Essentially, these are DNA fragments from salmon that are very similar to our own DNA, which means our bodies can recognize and use them to repair skin,” Dr. Diane Alexander, a board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Artisan Plastic Surgery and Artisan Beauté, told WWD.
Dr. Alexander likened PDRN to a “turbo-charge repair kit” — but for skin cells. “When applied (or even injected) into the skin, PDRN has been shown to stimulate the production of new blood vessels and boost collagen and elastin synthesis. This means it encourages better blood flow (angiogenesis) and helps your skin rebuild its support structure,” Dr. Alexander explained. “By jump-starting fibroblasts — the cells that create collagen — it leads to firmer, more elastic skin and improved skin density.”
Similar to how muscles are trained to bend or stretch a certain way, PDRN products “teach” the skin to act younger, Dr. Alexander said. “These improvements aren’t just a one-time boost — they build over time,” she explained. PDRN treatments also elicit lasting effects. “The collagen stimulation continues for weeks after each treatment, so you get both immediate glow and long-term skin strengthening,” Dr. Alexander continued.
Additionally, the ingredient can accelerate wound healing and cellular turnover, helping your skin recover from damage more quickly. The key is its ability to penetrate the skin beyond the surface barrier. Meanwhile, its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties prevent against side effects such as redness, clogged pores and rosacea.
PDRN is in its own lane as one of the only forms of DNA from an aquatic source used in products on the market now. “Other fish DNA can have similar benefits, but salmon is the gold standard. It’s incredibly pure, well-studied and very compatible with our skin,” said Nikki Bruce, medical aesthetician at Seaside Skin Care.
The recent emergence of PDRN skin care on TikTok might lead one to believe that the beauty world has only recently become aware of the ingredient; however, it was developed and perfected in South Korea over a decade ago. Rejuran, a skin rejuvenation treatment, was one of the first forms of PDRN technology created around 2008 in Asia, and is now being administered in over 27 countries. Yet, the popularity of PDRN in the U.S. only took off in the last few years as K-Beauty, as a whole, has monopolized attention online, giving rise to new beauty trends and viral products.
K-Beauty brand Medicube, specifically, has been hailed as the business behind the PDRN buzz, garnering praise for its serums, face masks and moisturizers that leave the face with a translucent finish (cue the glass skin comparisons) from some of beauty’s biggest influencers: Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Mikayla Nogueira, Maria Estella and even Meghan Markle.
“When high-profile celebrities started raving about their results, it piqued everyone’s interest,” Dr. Alexander said. “Additionally, consumers today are increasingly interested in skin treatments that offer genuine rejuvenation, rather than just a temporary fix. We’re in an era when ingredients like snail mucin and procedures like ‘vampire facials’ have become popular. So in that context, salmon DNA doesn’t seem that far-fetched and has gained acceptance as the next big thing in antiaging.”
That said, not everyone should drench their skin in the unsuspecting reverse aging agent. “It’s safe for most, but we avoid it if you’re allergic to fish, pregnant, breastfeeding, or have active infections or autoimmune concerns,” Bruce warned.