PDRN is the latest K-beauty craze for glowing skin – but does the hype stack up?

Hot on the heels of microspicules (tiny microneedles in skincare) and snail mucin (making a comeback every few years), PDRN is the latest Korean beauty trend to go viral. You only have to step into your local Boots to see their busy PDRN display from K-beauty brands such as Anua, Cosrx and Dr Reju, while Medicube’s PDRN Pink Peptide Serum, £21.50, has become a viral favourite approved by ‘TikTok derm’ Dr Aamna Adel (below). Piggybacking on the ‘salmon sperm for skin’ trend, PDRNs bear some similarity to the OG ‘salmon sperm facial’ polynucleotides, as I’ll explain, but be wary of the hype. The results are by no means equal, whether the PDRNs are indeed salmon DNA fragments or vegan PDRNs, which are used in skincare just as frequently.

@aamnaadel Salmon sperm aka PDRN skincare?? ad #dermatologist #medicube #medicubepartner #pinkglowserum #rosepdrn #pppserum #glassskin #glassglow #pdrnserum #collagenfacemask #koreansheetmask #boosterpro #glassglowdevice #kbeauty #skintok #skincare #skincareproducts #foryou #fyp @Medicube Global #CapCut ♬ original sound – Dr Adel | Dermatologist

What does PDRN do?

PDRNs (polydeoxyribonucleotides) are said to help with anything from improving skin clarity to supporting elasticity, acting as repair signals that calm inflammation and support recovery.

Certainly as barrier-boosting agents, they can make skin more resilient and less reactive. In the long run, this allows your skin to repair itself with ease – and that can lead to smoother, more even-toned skin eventually.

But cosmetic physician Dr Paris Acharya warns not to put too much stock in the ‘regenerative’ and ‘age-defying’ claims PDRN creams and serums are making. That’s because PDRN molecules cannot penetrate your skin deeply because of their large size. Some brands claim that they might signal collagen-boosting messages to the deeper skin layers (which is theoretically possible but in practice only works on a negligible scale) but, Dr Acharya says, “a topical PDRN formulation is most likely to work only on the skin’s top layers, hydrating and supporting barrier function”.

Who is PDRN skincare good for?

Everyone at any age who wants stronger, more radiant skin with consistent use can benefit. Just like ceramides, cica or ectoin, PDRNs soothe and protect skin so it can regenerate in peace.

Post-procedure is where they come into their own. “Topical PDRNs make particular sense after procedures such as peels, microneedling or energy-based treatments, or in sensitive, inflamed or compromised skin,” says Dr Acharya.

Vegan PDRN – does it work?

Like polynucleotides, PDRNs are purified DNA fragments that used to be sourced mainly from salmon and trout sperm. But a lot of PDRN skincare now is actually vegan, using DNA fragments from plants such as green tea, rice, cica or ginseng, or even bacteria (we’ve seen the same happening with exosomes). Claims for the benefits of ‘phyto PDRN’ include anything from plumping to brightening to wrinkle reduction. But those claims are likely overstated.

Salmon-derived DNA was originally chosen for its biocompatibility with human cells (it’s used in Medicube and Rodial, below). But plant DNA – as used by Tirtir and Boots – doesn’t have that distinction. While vegan PDRN formulas may have lovely soothing and hydrating benefits, it’s useful to know that independent clinical evidence for vegan PDRN is very thin on the ground (unlike fish-derived PDRN which has clinically proven healing and calming benefits, especially when combined with microneedling).

In serums and creams, both vegan and non-vegan PDRNs are usually teamed with plenty of other soothing and hydrating ingredients, as well as collagen-boosting ones such as peptides. So it may well be that any plumping and brightening benefits are largely down to those additional ingredients and less to the PDRNs.

Salmon sperm – have I heard of that before?

You have. Polynucleotides, the biostimulating injectable skin boosters that have seemingly been everywhere, are also DNA fragments derived from salmon sperm. In fact, PDRNs are derived from polynucleotides.

But they’re not interchangeable. Unlike PDRNs, says Dr Acharya, polynucleotides “are used in aesthetic medicine to stimulate the dermis, which supports the formation of collagen and other substances that can lead to long-term improvements in skin quality”.

Is a clinic ‘PDRN facial’ the same as a polynucleotides ‘salmon sperm facial’?

They’re not the same, but a lot of marketing will have you believe they are.

PDRNs are derived from polynucleotides and they are the smaller of the two molecules, but they’re still too large to penetrate the skin effectively without any help from needles.

Polynucleotides injections tackle signs of ageing. “We use them,” says Dr Acharya, “to stimulate the dermis, which supports the formation of collagen and other substances that can lead to long-term improvements in skin quality.” On top of that, they have anti-inflammatory benefits.

So-called ‘PDRN microneedling facials’, meanwhile, are increasingly available in clinics and salons around the country, and are sometimes marketed as an equivalent to polynucleotide injections. Which they are not. They involve an application of PDRN serum, which is microneedled in, not injected, as this procedure is primarily done by aestheticians who are not allowed to inject.

PDRNs, either microneedled or topical, have less of a corrective effect than polynucleotides and “should very much be seen as a soothing, post-procedure option,” says Dr Acharya.

Our verdict: what can you expect from PDRN ‘salmon sperm’ skincare?

Despite all the noise about PDRN as the ‘latest skin-rejuvenating wonder ingredient’, you’d do better to think of it as an effective skin-calming ingredient in the tradition of cica and ectoin. With inflammation being damaging to your skin, you could reason that its soothing benefits play a role in keeping signs of ageing at bay.

6 PDRN serums, creams and masks for calm, radiant skin