Is salmon sperm a game changer for skincare?

From Hollywood to high-end clinics, the secret to youthful, radiant skin isn’t what you’d expect—salmon sperm is making waves in the world of beauty

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Experts' Desk

92 days ago

Mar 19, 2025, 10:50 PM IST

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What do Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian have in common? Other than being influential Hollywood stars, they're known for their age-defying beauty. If you saw the title, you may have gotten a hint of their little secret.

Everyone knows caviar as a delicacy but salmon sperm or testes have taken over the internet as the latest beauty-enhancing trend and both these celebs are proponents of it.

Free Close-up of a cosmetologist conducting a facial procedure indoors, emphasizing self-care and beauty. Stock Photo

But what’s the tea? Is it just a new fad? Is it just what rich and famous people do because they can? Or does it actually work?

FAD, FICTION OR FACTS?

First of all, it’s not a fad. It has been around as a cosmetic treatment in Europe and Asia for over a decade, famously known and loved as Rejuran in Thailand, and has been well-studied for decades. Why is that? Well, scientists are obsessed with the building blocks of all life – DNA. This genetic coding material is made of nucleotides and the best place to get pure DNA without it getting contaminated by other materials like lipids or other cells, is from testes or sperm cells. This extracted DNA is called polynucleotides or PDRN. So we must thank Oncorhynchus Mykiss (Salmon Trout) or Oncorhynchus Keta (Chum Salmon) for their contribution to science and to the beauty of Hollywood and Bollywood celebs and socialites everywhere.

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HOW PDRN IS A GAME CHANGER

Now what does PDRN or polynucleotides do? It can be a game changer in the field of regenerative aesthetics. Data has shown it can increase collagen by 47%, increase elasticity by 38%, improve epidermal thickness by more than 50% and help increase hydration by 115%.

Further, it improves angiogenesis, a fancy word for increasing and improving blood flow, helps in rosacea and improves the bio tensegrity of skin. That means that it actually helps maintain the integrity and structure of the skin, making it healthier and more resilient in the long term. This treatment is beneficial for those with skin barrier damage.

In most cases, improvements in people with thinner skin, thin under-eye skin, people who don’t want fillers but want an improvement in their dark circles, and improving skin texture are evident after the treatment.

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HOW TO REAP THE BENEFITS OF PDRN

For polynucleotides to give you efficacy, you can have it injected by a doctor in a variety of techniques depending on the product you are using and your end goal – it’s great for the under eyes, face, neck, chest and hands – where the signs of ageing show first. If you don’t like injections, not to worry, it can also be microneedled into the skin, and for those of you in the know, you can buy skincare containing PDRN and use that for your skin support as well.

Free Close-up of facial treatment with injection in a spa setting, focusing on the forehead. Stock Photo

So the verdict for now says that polynucleotides are here to stay, and will increasingly be used for more and more indications as time goes on.

Text by Dr. Kiran Sethi

Dr Kiran Sethi is the Founder and Medical Director of Delhi-based, Isya Aesthetics, one of India's top cosmetic dermatology clinics. She is widely celebrated as a top skin doctor and is a bestselling author on Amazon with her book, Skin Sense.

Edited by Sabrina Mathews